Little Wind, Lots of Twists?

For the sailors of Café Joyeux and Les P’tits Doudous, the 48 Heures Azimut is a race of firsts. Starting this Thursday at 3:30 p.m., it also offers a final opportunity for the duos—accompanied by an onboard reporter—to find their rhythm and settle in before the upcoming double-handed transatlantic race. For the crews of the daggerboard boats, it’s a chance to shine on a course expected to be tactical and full of surprises. Here are some selected thoughts from the teams before heading to the docks at La Base and boarding their boats…

Nicolas D’Estais (Café Joyeux): Excitement, joy & humility

“This is our first race in IMOCA. We’re not going very far—I know the places we’re heading to—but I don’t know the boat or the competitors. We’re stepping into the big leagues, let’s say! I feel a lot of excitement and joy—it’s taken a lot of work to get here. It’s a complex project to create and manage…

The lighter the wind, the smaller the gaps between boats… So there’s a chance to compete with the fastest boats in the fleet. But this will be our sixth outing on the boat with Simon (Koster). We’re starting from so far back that we’re putting zero pressure on ourselves in terms of results.

We should start downwind, which is good because we have a spinnaker and the boat performs well in light winds. Then we’ll head upwind before the wind picks up with the arrival of a front at the end—it should be good too. Until that front arrives, we really have a card to play and some solid tools…

Our first goal is not to make any big mistakes. We’ll also be learning to work together with Simon, and we’re approaching it with a lot of humility.”

Loïs Berrehar (Macif Santé Prévoyance): Fear no one, be wary of everyone

“I’m sailing with some Brits, and to describe the weather setup, they say it’s ‘messy’! The wind will be light, and there will likely be lots of twists in a fairly coastal race. Not much wind on the route and lots of uncertainty. We’ll need to keep our heads up, watch the sky, and stay alert.

The foilers won’t be flying much… Macif is a fairly light boat, so it’s quite versatile. And I’m sure the daggerboard boats will challenge us. They drag less water, and in these conditions, they can perform just as well—or even better. You shouldn’t fear anyone, but you should be wary of everyone!

These 48 hours also give us a chance to really sail together with Sam… We’re kind of like two solo sailors who know how to do everything, even though Sam has way more IMOCA experience than I do. The idea—even though he’s still the skipper—is to have a collaborative approach and share as much as possible to get aligned for the transatlantic race, whether it’s for tuning, strategy, or technical checks. By the end of these 48 hours, we’ll probably have a clearer idea of how we work together.”

Armel Tripon (Les P’tits Doudous): Taking it step by step, finding our marks

“Tanguy and I are really happy not to be starting in strong winds with this new boat. We’ll take it step by step, find our bearings—it’s the ideal time to compare ourselves to others, try things out, and understand the boat. We’ve packed a spinnaker for the first night. We’re really in the range for that sail in downwind conditions, and I think all the teams have one onboard. We’ve never tried it before—it’s a second-hand sail—so it’ll be a discovery!

Yesterday’s speed runs were reassuring. We knew the boat behaved well, but the weather wasn’t necessarily favorable for our hull—and we did well. Our third place made the whole team happy—guests, the association, sponsors. It’s the reward for a lot of effort to bring this beautiful boat to life.”

Louis Duc (Fives Group Lantana Environnement): Happy to take on this challenge together

“For our daggerboard boats, these conditions are definitely better than 25 knots on a reach! But we have to be wary of the foilers. Just a 2-knot difference in wind can double their speed. The forecast suggests it’ll really lighten up ahead and maybe come back from behind. I’m not hoping to overtake the foilers, but finishing close and not ten hours behind would be nice.

And sailing in light wind is ideal for fine-tuning the boat without taking risks—racing. We have two other daggerboard IMOCAs, including newcomer Nicolas d’Estais with a great boat. It’ll be interesting to compete and battle with these guys who already have solid experience. Anyway, I enjoy every race, every moment sailing these IMOCAs—they’re special moments, whether as crew or skipper.

Often, you only realize that at the end of a project, so you shouldn’t miss out on the joy—especially since this is probably our second-to-last race on this boat. With Marie (Tabarly), our duo is well-practiced. We’re happy to take on this Azimut Challenge together. We were supposed to do it four years ago, but the boat wasn’t ready. I’m thrilled to be by her side. We each started our journeys separately, each with something to prove; now we’re back with a round-the-world race under our belts. A bond of friendship has formed—and we’re excited to battle it out.”