madforsailing interview: Alain Gautier

We spoke to the former Vendee Globe winner, at present leading the Challenge Mondial Assistance

mfs: Alain, how do you see this race developing?

AG: I think the older boats have some advantages over the newer ones because they are proven and ready and the crews know them and it's good to begin an offshore race with experience of your boat. That is the big difference with the newer boats because those crews haven't sailed much since launch. However, on an offshore course the difference between the older and the new is not as marked when it comes to performance as it is inshore when you have short tacks upwind when you must have a very good VMG. In that situation the new boats are better because they have stronger main hulls and you can sail on better headings.

mfs: But do you expect the two newest tris, Bonduelle and Banque Populaire, to be quicker than your boat on certain points of sail?

AG: The new foils on Banque Populaire are very good but they have broken one. However it is a good system which gives more power to the boat. On Bonduelle they broke a foil and they haven't been able to replace it yet - we saw the boat for the first time at the last grand prix last year. She went well but she was not as fast as she might be because it was their first race and, anyway, it was difficult to judge.

mfs: If you were going to pick your main rival in the fleet, which would it be?

AG: I think Groupama is the one (skippered by Franck Cammas and designed by the same team who drew Foncia but launched a year later than Foncia in August 1997). She is very similar to our boat with the same main hull. This winter they have modified more than us and have installed a new and lighter mast. We haven't done this because we are saving money for our new boat. I think Groupama will be good.

mfs: When will your new tri be ready and what advances are you hoping to make?

AG: She'll be ready in January 2002. With the Kingfisher experience we have decided to use a design team which includes Marc Van Peteghem and Lauriost-Prevost who designed our current boat but we also have Halvard Mabire who was recently project manager on Cam Lewis's Team Adventure. We are trying to build lighter - not a lot, but around 5% - and we will have a stronger boat. The current boat was built in 1997 on a very small budget and she flexes at speed which is a problem on an inshore race so the new boat will be much stronger.

mfs: Obviously there's a certain young Englishwoman among your crew - how is she fitting in with the team on Foncia?

AG: You know Ellen is very young and when you are young you can be included in a team more easily. She is very adaptable. I am not worried about that. Ellen is right; she learns quickly.

mfs: It must be nice for you having her involved after working with her on the Kingfisher design and the Vendee Globe campaign.

AG: It's a good development after our experience with the Vendee Globe. It's very nice to continue the friendship with Ellen. She will be responsible for navigation for this race and for the Transat Jacques Vabre because, for the past year, she has worked more or less continuously on weather either on Kingfisher or through her studies with Jean-Yves Bernot and now she knows a lot about it. We have an American router, Lee Bruce, and I think with Ellen the combination will work perfectly.

mfs: Ellen seems to be very popular indeed in France just now.

AG: Yes it's incredible. In France she is famous. But she is handling it very well and I am not worried about her because she is right in her mind. In this country single-handed racing has a big, big following so it's logical that Ellen has earned so much respect.

mfs: So what will make the difference between winning and losing over the next seven or eight days?

AG: A little bit of luck as in any sport, but the most important thing is experience on your boat and I think we have that. Obviously good tactics and routing and no technical hitches will also be important.

mfs: You turned this boat over two years ago when racing with Michel Desjoyeaux.

AG: Yes, and it was not so far from here at the beginning of the Jacques Vabre. It was blowing 25-30 knots downwind in a very short sea with a lot of current and we were sailing under genniker and full main and with this kind of boat there is a small margin between disaster and speed. I was steering and it was a mistake by me - a loss of concentration. We weren't pushing the boat more than the other guys, it was just a matter of concentration and we lost the mast, the sails and a lot else.

mfs: Good luck this time round Alain.