LE FIGARO.
- How did you become race director of the Solitaire du Figaro?
Yann CHATEAU.
-
I have been present on the Solitaire for nine seasons.
I started with logistics at sea: sealing boats, mooring buoys and securing water bodies.
As I'm interested in the weather and I'm a sailor, I quickly became assistant to the race director in these areas.
With also help in the choice of routes.
During the last two editions, I was the deputy of Francis Le Goff, the director for a few years.
We knew each other well because I was at one time responsible for training within the Normandy Sailing League, of which he was the director.
So I had an accelerated training.
I feel ready and enthusiastic to take on the role.
How are Solitaire courses determined?
First of all, there is the choice of cities to be made.
There, we know that we leave and arrive in Loire-Atlantique, and this again until 2026. Then there are the ports which apply to be a stopover city.
Like Port-la-Forêt and Royan this year which is for the first time.
The main lines of the possible routes are imagined from the month of November.
With some possible adjustments.
Hoping that they are varied and above all engaging.
We have three stages this time around.
It is not a first in the history of the race, but they are very long on paper in number of miles.
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How will your days go during the race?
I will be at sea on the sailing catamaran
Addictive
which belongs to Brieuc Maisonneuve.
This will be the race headquarters within the fleet of 34 boats.
An essential tool to feel the state of fatigue of the sailors because we will undergo the same conditions as them.
The days are punctuated by appointments by VHF because we are their only possible link.
The first ranking is broadcast at 5 o'clock.
They can thus know where they are in the fleet.
At 7 a.m., there is a security session to make sure that all is well on board for everyone.
At 9 a.m., we broadcast a weather report provided by Météo consult.
With a special alert if conditions deteriorate.
Towards the end of the afternoon, we carry out the same operations.
Between these essential moments, the journalists aboard the trimaran Express, the second support boat, can ask their questions to the competitors at their leisure.
This boat is also part of the safety of the race, our primary concern.
We must be constantly vigilant when crossing roads with respect to maritime traffic in the dedicated rails.
If we are unable to reach certain competitors because they are out of VHF range, we always have the possibility of contacting them by their satellite telephone, which they must all have on board.
For example if there is a change of route during the stage.
Precisely, for the first stage and given the calm conditions announced, is this possible?
We have an idea of the route that will go up to the Celtic Sea as initially planned.
A course of 644 theoretical miles with offshore and lots of coastal.
We don't have a strong active depression coming over England.
On the other hand, we still have doubts about the return from Wales where we could have a transition zone with light winds.
We thus keep the possibility of reducing the route without going up to Skokholm Island, but still evolving in the Celtic Sea.
So keeping the philosophy of this round.