Armel Tripon: "Salvation will come from the West"

In this type of situation, when there is a depression and a huge front behind it, there is generally very little wind below it. When you cross this type of zone, you try to escape and not get stuck. As this area is not mobile and remains fairly stationary we must do everything to avoid it and try to find wind, which is what the skippers who are progressing to the West have tried. The situation has become worse as the days have gone by. They must do everything to avoid getting bogged down in it. What is certain is salvation will come from the West.

When there is a little wind, it is very pleasant. The boats moves forward on their own, it does not slam, we can rest and recharge the batteries. But when there is no wind at all, when the sails are flapping, it is very hard on the nerves. In this kind of situation, we can manage to catch a small breath of wind to create a small gap of 100 meters, 200 meters, 500 meters, 1 km. Sometimes that is all that is needed to This is what will then allow us to find a new system, one which can open up the gaps. In short, the "light airs" are very pleasant but "calm" is very tiring on the nerves.

I think you have to be very calm first, not get upset. You also have to tell yourself that everyone is going through the same thing. Sometimes, it can be very random, one boat can get away, another can get "stuck"... These are things that we can't control. You have to learn to detach yourself, to take a step back. Everyone is stuck, you just have to do your best to move your boat forward. And every sailor knows how to do that, knows how to go back to basics.

It’s a certainty, they’re going to be a bit behind. But nothing is terminal, they were behind before this episode of calm, they’re going to be behind again. But we don’t know at all what’s going to happen next, especially with the Doldrums to cross.

It’s certain that they all take into account that it’s a race that lasts for a long time. That counts in the way you sail your boat. But in light airs or calm conditions, the commitment is always 100%. In other conditions, you think more about where to put the cursor. Afterwards, what’s important for all the skippers is to get down to the Southern Ocean with a boat and skipper in good condition.

Indeed, when we enter the Southern hemisphere, we start to go around the Saint Helena high pressure area which is more or less extensive and more or less positioned to the West. The idea is to look for the first cold fronts that form off the coast of Brazil and position ourselves in front of a front. With the speed of the boats, between 20 and 25 knots, we manage to stay in front of the front which is moving at the same speed. This allows us to have a great angle, to not have any sea (editor's note: swell) and it allows us to gallop. This is where we break speed records, especially since we can hold out until the first depressions before going into the Indian Ocean.

Yes, totally! Four years ago, I had a bit of a “textbook case”. I managed to catch a front, stay in front and it was crazy. We can really accelerate and now the boats are very enjoyable.

Yes, that’s the case. The boats have been made more than reliable. The teams are bigger and the level of preparation has gone up a notch. The fleet has gained in knowledge, in requirement too and that allows the sailors to push the boats to their limits. And the direct consequence is that the boats are going faster.

The building programme is progressing  well at the moment. We have fittted the deck, so we have “closed the box”. The boat is starting to look like a boat, which is quite nice after ten months of building Now, we are working on grafting the bulkheads to the deck and installing lots of elements on the boat. We are still in a composite building phase. In a month, we will start installing the electricity, electronics, deck hardware and painting.

With the association Les petits doudous (an organisation which helps care for children in hospital and aids their parents and families ed note) we were here for three weeks. We wanted to present our project, to explain to as many people as possible our vision of the race, which corresponds to that of the Vendée Globe for 2028. Like Lazare or Coup de pouce, it will be a boat that highlights an association and companies come to support us with sponsorship for the operating budget. The idea is to bring together companies, whatever their size, so that they can experience the Vendée Globe.

There is zero frustration! Of course, seeing that exceptional start and the race makes you want to do it all the time. But there is a boat being built, we will soon be sailing and be back in the game. It is an almost privileged position as a spectator watching from the sidelines.