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CORENTIN HOREAU: «A GREAT DRESS REHEARSAL FOR THE VENDÉE GLOBE»

MACSF skipper Corentin Horeau is about to compete in the longest solo race of his IMOCA career. It is a major challenge for the 36-year-old sailor, who rose through the Figaro ranks and has already demonstrated remarkable resilience offshore. While approaching the race with humility, Corentin is determined to be part of the battle and challenge for a top result.

À bord de MACSF
© MACSF

YOU FINISHED SECOND IN THE 1000 RACE AT THE START OF THE SEASON. IS THE GOAL FOR THE VENDÉE ARCTIQUE TO STEP ONTO THE PODIUM AGAIN?

I’ve always said that these first two races of the season had one primary objective: to help me learn. The result is secondary in a way; it would simply be the icing on the cake. That said, it doesn’t stop us from trying to do things as well as possible. We all enter races aiming to finish as high up the leaderboard as we can. But above all, what matters is continuing to build experience sailing the boat solo. That was the case in relatively light conditions during the 1000 Race. This time, we should encounter periods with significantly more wind.

YOU SOUND VERY MEASURED, EVEN THOUGH SINCE BECOMING THE MACSF SKIPPER, EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING WELL AND YOU APPEAR TO HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE AMBITIOUS…

I’m always ambitious, but I generally keep that to myself! (laughs) It’s also a class that I’m still discovering, so it’s important not to get carried away. I have a very good boat that is capable of achieving great things. We tried a number of modifications over the winter and the Vendée Arctique will be an excellent opportunity to see whether those changes have been effective.

 Read also: Corentin Horeau profile

À bord de MACSF
© MACSF

« PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES ALONG THE COURSE »


HAVE YOU ALREADY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAIL IN TOUGH CONDITIONS?

Absolutely. The start of last year’s Transat Café L’Or took place in strong winds, so I have some experience of those conditions. That said, it was a double-handed race, whereas this one will be solo. But that’s exactly why I’m here: the Vendée Arctique is a great dress rehearsal for the Vendée Globe. It’s a bit like the   Vendée Globe prologue, isn’t it?

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THIS RACE TO LOOK LIKE?

I’ve already spent a lot of time studying the course, the exclusion zones and the specific features of this race. Even
though there are a few restricted areas that will have to be avoided, there will be plenty of possible routes and
opportunities, which makes the challenge particularly interesting. For example, it will be possible to pass either east
or west of Iceland. There is a more direct and shorter route that leaves Ireland to port and passes east of Iceland.
Even though we’ll need to adapt to the weather conditions, it will provide a very good starting point for our planning.

Skippers linked to this article

Corentin Horeau

MACSF
Corentin Horeau

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