- Thomas Ruyant finally took the Vendée-Arctique, an unprecedented preparatory race for the Vendée Globe, which starts on November 8, on Tuesday evening.
- With his boat that he designed himself, the Dunkerquois was struggling with the first two to the end.
- The configuration of the event and his boat did not allow him to sleep much.
Exhausted, but happy. Skipper Thomas Ruyant took third place in Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables on Tuesday evening behind Apivia by Charlie Dalin and Charal by Jérémie Beyou, the big winner. In ten days, 6 hours, 24 minutes and 12 seconds, she completed the 2,807 miles of the theoretical course, at a very high average of 11.39 knots, aboard her latest generation foiler LinkedOut , the sailboat carrying the values of l 'inclusion. After a short night of just over six hours and a "good vegetable carpaccio" swallowed this Wednesday noon, the Northerner draws an extremely "positive" assessment of his first official solo race ,with his new boat which he designed for a big objective: the Vendée Globe.
You were almost 150 times at the head of the race at the various intermediate points of the organizers and you finish 3rd. Is this a big disappointment?
There was a match for three for ten days where we traded first place regularly. It is I who finish third… Having been able to play with these new benchmark boats and having shown the fangs for ten days is very important. My competitors saw that I was there and that you will have to count on me for the Vendée Globe. Afterwards, there is obviously disappointment because I am a competitor and the victory was within reach again Tuesday afternoon.
In what area do you get positive?
What is reassuring is that we have a boat ready and going fast. I am comfortable with it and I know what to work on. I also know where I made mistakes. In addition, I came out on this race with a boat certainly less typed for this style of short events. When I lost my mind, it was often in weather conditions that we will not find that much on the Vendée. And I could also realize that on the phases that we should meet during the Vendée, I went very fast.
As soon as you arrived, you insisted that you were very tired ...
I am burnt. I feel like I haven't slept at all. We made the boat with foils. These dynamic appendages, to make them work well, you have to be on them permanently. It's a new way to sail your monohull. You know that when you go to sleep, you lose speed. It is not counted in tenths of a knot, but in knots.
Is this a point that you will insist on a lot before the Vendée Globe?
This will be even more part of the strategy. Find the right time to rest and find the right medium settings that do not lose too much speed. Afterwards, the configuration of this race was also very special. This path we took (south-north then north-south) is unlike anything we have ever done. We are constantly in a phase of transition, of change with these weather systems which move from west to east and which pass through us. There was a big difficulty in leaving the boat alone. The weather intensity was permanent. I think it will be strong but different on the Vendée Globe.
How long per day did you manage to sleep? Three or four hours?
Big max! I mostly did a lot of little sleep phases of five or ten minutes. We also recover a lot with flash sleeps. Frankly, it's been a while since I had gone to look as far as lack of sleep. It reminded me of my beginnings in ocean racing. It was a little step back on that. I had a hard time leaving the boat alone. I am a competitor so I find it hard to tell myself that the boat goes slower if I rest…
And the living conditions in your boat?
On ergonomics and life on board, we did something great this winter. I heard on Tuesday evening my competitors say that they were going to have to work on it, we, it is done and the choices were good. Everything has been well thought out for this part which is one of the keys. Living well on board is super important on these extreme boats.
Do you feel like you sent a message a few weeks before the Vendée?
My competitors first saw that with this boat, we were going fast on the Jacques Vabre [double race]. It was a first little message. During some fleet training, we then showed that we were in the game. And there, on Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables, I finish third. We scare them a little (laughs). We are on the upward slope towards the Vendée and I hope that the peak of form will be for the departure, on November 8th.
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VIDEO. Transat Jacques Vabre: "These are no longer Tabarly races", says Thomas Ruyant
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VIDEO. Transat Jacques Vabre: "We designed the boat around the foils", explains Thomas Ruyant
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