Gabart wins Transat, but with 25 minutes to spare

Twenty-five, bloody, minutes. Those who hoped Francois Gabart, aboard the maxi trimaran Macif, from setting the distance record for The Transat Bakerly (the current Ostar), which remains in the hands of “professeur” Michel Desjoyeaux (who had it registered in 2004). It took Gabart 8 days, 8 hours and 54 minutes to complete the 3050 miles solo on the shortest route from Plymouth (Great Britain) to New York (United States). In any case, he can rejoice. The blond man of the oceans adds to his already rich palmares (which counts victories in the 2012-13 Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum, and Transat Jacques Vabre) a triumph in royalty at a legendary regatta, confirming him as the strongest ocean sailor of recent times. In second place, trailing Macif by 9 hours and 37 minutes, was Thomas Coville aboard Sodebo.

OUR INTERVIEW WITH GABART
We had exclusively interviewed him just before the start of The Transat:

– You didn’t have much time to prepare for this Transat, how did you organize?
It’s really true, we didn’t have much time. Despite a rather short period in the pipeline, Macis only took to the water in early March, and we have been working so hard these eight weeks to fine-tune and train him. This is my first time racing solo on a 30-meter trimaran, and I am doing it in a historic race like the Transat and against prevailing winds. This is a historic regatta, ever since Eric Tabarly’s great victory with the Pen Duick II in 1964. Thanks to that victory, not only in France but throughout Europe the passion for ocean sailing was born.

– Can you explain the benefits and drawbacks of foils?
First of all, it should be pointed out that foils work differently on powerboats and multihulls. On the former they increase the power of the boat, and consequently the workloads are also high and may explain the breakdowns of recent months. In addition, it increases the risk of hitting a submerged object and causing serious damage to the hull. On multihulls, on the other hand, foils have the opposite purpose, which is to lighten the boat as much as possible by literally making it “fly”; and we skippers have to be good precisely at handling the “air” side of sailing. It is no coincidence that today we no longer say “helming” a trimaran but “piloting.”

– With a trimaran that has these characteristics, in the Transat will you try to take a longer route but with favorable winds or a more direct route?
The shortest route to New York is really very very far north, close to the ice. To sail with the trade winds we would have to sail so far south, thereby greatly increasing the miles to be covered. Honestly, it is not possible now to already know which path we will take.

– You have sailed a lot in solo, but also in pairs. What are the main differences?
The difference is enormous. First of all at the level of sleep: when you sail in pairs you can go to sleep for real, with no worries, because there is complete trust in the other crew member and you can share responsibilities When you sail solo you never really sleep, you remain in a state of alertness. Then, when you are alone every maneuver on board becomes more complicated. Two can easily make repairs while the other is at the helm, or climb to the masthead. Alone is a different story.

– How does a skipper’s physical preparation for an ocean race work?
As for me, I obviously sail a lot and when I’m ashore I try to do as many sports as possible: running, biking, kayaking, swimming. My goal is to always have optimal and, above all, complete physical preparation: there is no need to be very fast or very strong; the key is to be complete.

– You were the youngest winner of the Vendée Globe, then in 2014 you took home the Route du Rhum and in 2015 the Transat Jacques-Vabre. And in the future?
At the end of May I will attempt the Atlantic Record, while in 2017 the goal is the around-the-world record and in 2018 the goal is the Route du Rhum. But my personal goal, regardless of the name of the challenge, is to be able to “fly” in the middle of the ocean while always reaching maximum speed.

– Does a professional skipper like you ever find time to go on a cruise?
(François laughs) Somewhat yes; I own a small RM890 and when I have some free time I dedicate it to my 4-year-old son and maybe we go boating. RMs are fast hulls, but their job is to get me from bay to bay quickly; in those moments I don’t look for performance, I take my time to relax, maybe fish…