Vendée Globe

Winner of the second edition of the Vendée Globe in 1992, Alain Gautier is acting as safety advisor for the organisers for the second consecutive time. He talked to us about the two boats he sailed around the world alone, which were precursors to today´s monohulls…

You took part in the first edition of the Vendée Globe in 1989: what do you remember about it?
«The first thing I can remember is the week before the start: the boat had been launched in August, just three months before the race! The final days were like hell: there were too many people to prepare the boat and I left my team to it for three days.. I trusted them. The day of the start was quite extraordinary in the harbour in Les Sables d´Olonne and out on the water: the fight began from the start with Loïck Peyron! The weather was wintery, very cold, but fine.»

You set out an extremely powerful boat for the time, which was a precursor of what we can see this year!
« Generali-Concorde was the Finot-Conq Group´s first 60-foot monohull design: she was to lead the way to the design of others after that, including four, which won the Vendée Globe... It´s true that she was rather different from the rest of the fleet, even if Charente Maritime was already wide for that time. My boat was the most extreme and I was teased about that, with people saying she´d be better upside down rather than the right way up. It´s true that the deck was wide and flat, but she was a boat hat could have won the first race, if I hadn´t had the technical problems, in particular with the rigging.»

For the second edition, you set out again on a Finot-Conq designed boat, but this time a ketch.
«There was less time between the two races, as to set up the racing calendar for these boats, we went to a four-year pattern, starting with even years. I only had three years to find a new partner and build a new boat. Instead of August 1989 for my first boat, this one was launched in July 1992. I chose a ketch to limit the risk when gybing: by dividing up the sail, the mainmast boom was only nine metres long... I didn´t have to think about gybing in the southern seas and could carry out the manoeuvre in the following two minutes. With the wind on the beam, I could hoist much more canvas than on a sloop, and the boat was very good at staying on track, as the sail was divided up. She was a powerful boat, but an all-rounder.»

Power is the watchword for this sixth edition...
«I think power enables you to manage better the potential: it is better to sail a yacht at 70% of her capabilities rather than 100% with a less powerful boat, to obtain the same speed. For a solo Vendée Globe, it is important, as that can offer you performance and reliability.»

In 2008, there are only powerful monohulls, or even over powerful ones...
«Have we gone too far? We´ll find out in the next three months... If the sailors manage to deal with the power and to manage their boat well, they will go faster, but it is clear that they are more demanding physically and you need to ensure you have the right sail configuration at all time.»

This is the second time you have worked alongside the organisers of the Vendée Globe as technical advisor for safety.
«It´s a minor role, when you look at all the hard work put in beforehand by the organisers. I´m merely a consultant with the race directors, to help if there are any problems, to step in if required, to be the spokesman for the media to explain any crisis situation. Four years ago, I was hardly called upon at all, and I hope it will be the same this time around! That would delight everyone... »

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