Brit Air recently announced that they would not be continuing their partnership with Armel Le Cléac’h. The skipper remains determined to take part in the next Vendée Globe, which is his main goal for the coming years. Second in the 2008-2009 race, he is looking for support to be able to line up at the start of the next non-stop single-handed round the world race with the legitimate ambition of winning.
Armel, how did you feel about your partnership with Brit Air coming to an end?
It wasn’t really a surprise, as I knew that Brit Air’s financial situation had been a bit awkward for two years. So the end of the partnership was to be expected at the end of the 2010 season. The firm did all it could to continue, but the current economic situation did not make the situation any easier.
You had a really great 2010 season in the IMOCA class and in the Figaro circuit…
It was indeed a fine season with wins in the Figaro, in the Transat l’AG2R and the Solitaire du Figaro, then a second place in the Route du Rhum in the IMOCA boat. Brit Air took the results into account, but they were facing a difficult choice. It was with deep regret that the company was forced to abandon its sailing project. We had five great seasons together and got some very pleasing results, particularly in the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe. We still have a good relationship and maybe we will be able to work together again in the future. The results of this partnership were very positive.
How far have you got in your search for sponsors for the next Vendée Globe?
I only got the ball rolling recently as I was awaiting the final decision from Brit Air. So now, this is another race and the countdown to the Vendée Globe has begun. I really want to be there at the start of this race and to do that I need to find a new sponsor, who will enable me to get back out there sailing and taking part in this year’s races. I hope to bounce back quickly in the next few weeks or months.
How long have you given yourself to find a new partner?
In order not to get behind in preparing for the Vendée Globe, I need at the latest to be ready for the Transat Jacques Vabre, which is the major event on the 2011 IMOCA calendar. So I’d like to find a sponsor before the summer. My goal is to keep hard at it to tackle the Vendée Globe in the best of shape. When you want to get everything you need to win such a race, that requires some serious preparation in the best possible conditions. If you just turn up at the last moment, you are doomed to fail.
Which boat are you thinking of sailing on?
I don’t have the time to build a new boat. So I’m looking for a second-hand boat. My old Brit Air monohull will be up for sale or for charter and she will of course be one of the boats I’ll be looking at closely. Others will be available, but I’m not the only skipper out there looking... Those who find a sponsor quickly will have a better choice. In the Route du Rhum, we saw that boats from the previous generation could do just as well as the newer constructions. That’s encouraging, because it proves you don’t have to build a new boat to win the next Vendée Globe.
You seem very relaxed about it all...
Unfortunately it’s what we can expect in our job and you have to know how to bounce back. We rely on contracts signed with sponsors. And even if you get good results, they may pull the plug. I now need to look to the future. I’m still at the start of my IMOCA career and I hope to get back out there racing soon. Thanks to the experience I have acquired in the IMOCA circuit in the past five years, I think I can feel ambitious about the next Vendée Globe. But first of all, I need to find a sponsor…
