Vendee Globe Website - Interview Attanasio
Wednesday 02 March 2016, 08h00
Romain Attanasio und Sam Davies - ein Vendee-Team
A famous, experienced Figaro racer, Romain Attanasio knows he won’t win his first Vendée Globe, but that doesn’t really matter to him. Owner of an emblematic solo round the world boat, a Lombard design from 1998, Romain is currently trying to complete his budget to take care of running the boat. To prepare for this exceptional challenge, he can count on the precious advice from his partner in life, a certain Sam Davies… We met up with him to find out more.
A 3D visit of Armel Le Cléac’h’s boat1
Romain Attanasio avec Sam Davies
Romain, how is your quest for funding for the Vendée Globe going?
“Last Wednesday, we launched the (Sixième Océan) 6th Ocean Team Club at the Volvo centre in Rennes. The idea is to bring together various companies within a partnership club. Twenty firms have already joined up contributing 2000 euros each. This core membership has meant we have got our first lot of funding together, but it could potentially encourage other firms as the word spreads around. My provisional budget for the Vendée Globe comes to 500,000 euros and I’m looking for a headline partner, who is willing to invest 350,000 euros to secure his name on our boat. This is a great opportunity for a sponsor, as the popularity of the Vendée Globe is unique. You just have to attend the start once to be certain of that. A million people come to Les Sables d’Olonne and queue up for three hours to get down on the pontoon and see the boats. It’s crazy!”
You want to make the most of this media coverage of the Vendée Globe and its popular success to stress an environmental problem that concerns you deeply…
“Yes, that is the case. I want to talk about something other than the boat, just as Tanguy de Lamotte did four years ago with Initiatives Cœur. Since my project was created, we have decided to set up a campaign about the protection of our oceans and the battle against plastic at sea. I’m aware that this is not a new idea and that some other people are already involved. But I think it’s always useful to continue to make people aware and ensure they respect the ocean. I’m not trying to stand out as if it was a beauty pageant, but simply wan to say: “The seas are dirty and it’s horrible.” I want to promote real solutions such as packaging made entirely from seaweed, as thought up by Algopack, a company based in St Malo, to whom we have offered some space for their brand on our boat. Algopack is a real solution to the problem of pollution at sea, and we think that the concept is fantastic.”
“I bought the best of the old boats”
You invested in your boat before getting hold of the funding. That’s a rather bold approach…
“Yes, but you can never be successful, if you don’t take any risks! The risk here is limited. I invested my own money to get the 60-foot boat for the price of 200,000 euros. That may be a lot, but remains very reasonable for an IMOCA. This isn’t a game of poker. I haven’t spent 200,000 on shares in the stock market. Sam (Davies, his partner, editor’s note) has taken part in the Vendée Globe twice and understands the problems in preparing for this event. We also have a group of partners, who have been following us for a long time and who are using their networks. Now that the boat has been bought, we can’t go back. I’m confident that we will find the funding.”
You’re a bit like the last minute guest turning up for this Vendée Globe and you only fully registered fairly late on. What triggered that?
“The opportunity of buying a boat. In fact, I have dreamt of the Vendée Globe since I was a kid. I’ve always had something of a complex about this race, believing that many other sailors had their place there before me. Taking part in the Transat Jacques Vabre with Louis Burton gave me the thirst for more. I could see that these boats could be managed with a small team. After the Jacques Vabre, I told myself that now was the time, although I have no illusions about winning and know that it will be with a modest budget. In December, I started to get interested in Tanguy de Lamotte’s old boat. On 15th January, the deal was done. I registered and we were off!”
Your boat is a legendary 60-foot boat from the Vendée Globe, which lined up for the start in the hands of Catherine Chabaud (in 2000-2001), Marc Thiercelin (in 2004-2005) and Tanguy de Lamotte (in 2012-2013)…
“She is indeed a great boat with a fine history. In my opinion, she is the best of the old boats. She is reliable, fits in with the rules, is in good condition and performs well for her age. Tanguy De Lamotte had a fantastic Vendée Globe on her four years ago. This year, Tanguy is back with an IMOCA, which performs much better. So the choice isn’t that stupid! At the moment, the boat is in the water without her mast, as we are changing her rig. In March, I shall begin to sail to get used to her and get my qualification by sailing 1500 miles solo. Then, my 60-foot boat will enter the yard in April-May and we’ll check everything over before the Vendée.”
There will be other older 60-foot boats in the next Vendée Globe. We should be able to look forward to a great race within the race.
“Yes, that is going to be an additional challenge. It’s true that the main goal is to complete the race, but I am still a Figaro racer and love racing. When you are completely alone, you may well want to finish, so you don’t take things too far. That’s what gives the Vendée Globe its charm: you can also fight with a boat costing 200,000 euros.”
What has been you longest solo sail so far?
“The Bénodet-Martinique transatlantic race on a Figaro in 2011, which took around twenty days. Setting off for three months alone at sea is something new. I don’t know how I will react. On a boat, it’s always the same: when you set off for one week, you want to finish in three days. When you plan for twenty days at sea, you can’t wait to finish after a fortnight. I imagine that it’s the same with three months. I am going to prepare myself mentally to spend a long time on the open seas.”
Apart from the last Transat Jacques Vabre with Louis Burton on Bureau Vallée (9th place), what experience do you have of sailing an IMOCA?
“I followed Sam’s projects in the last two Vendée Globe races. I was involved in the technical preparation and took part in the delivery trips. I have also had the opportunity of sailing with Michel Desjoyeaux and I have also taken care of training sessions at the Finistère Ocean Racing Centre in Port-La-Forêt.”
“With Sam, I’m part of a team”
You are Sam Davies’s partner. It must be great living alongside a solo sailor, who has had the experience of two Vendée Globe races.
“Yes, her support is important. I am taking advantage of her experience. We form a team together and I’m more efficient with her than alone. We have an ocean racing company together (Sixth Ocean/Sixième Océan, editor’s note), and sailing is a family affair. Sam is helping me prepare. This morning, for example, she told me all about the food I need to have in the Southern Ocean, where we spend the most energy. She has been giving me lots of little bits of valuable advice … Some people have to pay a lot to get that (laughs)!”
It may not be widely known, but Savéol was originally your sponsor in the Figaro circuit. Why did the company decide to back Sam in the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe rather than you?
“Savéol was indeed my partner in the Figaro circuit in 2010 and 2011. In the summer of 2011, I was in Les Sables d’Olonne during a stopover in the Solitaire. Sam was still busy looking for partners for the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe. I called up the President of Savéol to explain to him there was a huge possibility for him with Sam in the Vendée. It seemed clear to me that it should be her. She had been looking for sponsors for some time and she already had a bigger reputation than me after her first campaign. A few weeks after my phone call, the partnership was up and running. Yes, they had been my sponsor, and it’s true I didn’t compete in the Vendée, but I don’t regret that decision. Things have moved on and now it’s my turn to set off around the world. You can never enjoy ill-gotten gains.”
Interview with Olivier Bourbon / Mer & Media Agency
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