The final denouement
"What we are seeing is not surprising, neither in terms of the duo, nor in terms of the composition of the duo, nor in terms of the timing. On the one hand, we expected Charlie and Yoann to be at this level. It's a bit disappointing for some others, including Thomas (Ruyant, VULNERABLE) who was dropped but that's part of the race. The race is very fast but again, it's not surprising, the last edition was very slow. The boats have made a lot of progress and these sailors have been able to push their machines."
Gaps that surprise Mich'
"What is surprising, however, are the gaps. I'm not talking about the gaps with the last (Denis Van Weynbergh) who has time to take his time and who is very lucky. On the other hand, the gap between the first three and the pack behind around Sam Goodchild is quite impressive. There's almost an ocean of a gap, it's incredible!"
The finish
"For me, the outcome of the duel can only be decided by a stroke of bad luck. They don't have the right to say it for themselves but I have the right to say it for them! That could be a breakdown that they didn't anticipate and that would handicap them enormously. It happened to Charlie in the south to Yoann on Friday... It could be a question of their ability to hold on mentally until the end. I remember going to the finish of François Gabart. We really had to wait until he actually crossed the line to smile. Until the end, he was afraid that Armel Le Cléac'h would come back at him. That will be their daily lot before crossing the line. And the winner will be the one who makes the fewest mistakes!"
The chasing group
"For me, part of this result was decided out of Les Sables d'Olonne, a few hours after the start. We then saw a split, some were in the game and others watched the train leave. We had to be in it right away, be very rigorous, very focused on what was happening. The 2020 edition was an exception because the leaders never got away for long. Nevertheless, we saw some interesting options in the Atlantic climb. Nicolas Lunven and Paul Meilhat went further offshore, which is a traditionally logical option but which did not prove to be effective. The strategy along the coast, perhaps riskier, was however more profitable. That's also what competition is all about! "
Jean Le Cam's race
"He made a bet that I thought was a lost cause: believing that what happened four years ago could happen again. Foilers are much faster than boats with daggerboards and this race only confirmed it. But he has made a boat for himself, for his way of sailing. As he is a very good sailor and a very good racer, he is not afraid when there are 50 to 60 knots of wind. He knew how to pull out all the stops and did very well, racing with boats that could have been far ahead."
