Doubles for the Laura Vergne Trophy

Greetings to all the FAUN teams live from La Trinité-sur-Mer!

Since this weekend I’ve been racing aboard my Figaro 3 in the Trophée Laura Vergne. This race in honour of the former president of the Figaro class will be followed next weekend by the Spi Ouest-France, a major annual nautical gathering over the Easter weekend.
For these double-handed races, I’ve chosen to take on board Ulysse David, one of my former competitors in the Mini Transat. As the Mer Concept engineer for Charlie Dalin’s Imoca boat in the next Vendée Globe, he’ll be helping me to analyse my boat’s performance. This week’s racing is a great opportunity for me to sail as a duo and get to grips with my new boat.
We had a coastal course yesterday and finished 11th. It’s a satisfying place to finish, given the level of competition, and it confirms that we’ve still got a lot to learn if we’re going to be up there with the frontrunners!

On Monday 25/03, it’s off for the 230-mile ‘big race’ in conditions that are likely to be rather windy due to a late winter low. Ulysse and I are no strangers to this route between the Glénan islands and the Ile d’Yeu, but this time the conditions are likely to be rough, with grey skies, lots of wind and rain!

Thursday 28/03 will be a training day for the Spi Ouest France crewed race, before a packed programme of one-day races from Friday 29/03 to Monday 1/04, with either a constructed course between 3 buoys or a coastal course in Quiberon Bay.

“This race isn’t part of the French Championship but is part of the Figaro Academy programme (training for youngsters). All the top teams are here, so it’s a great opportunity to get our bearings in double-handed racing against competitors of a high standard. Our aim is to improve our technique and train for the double-handed events later in the year, starting with the BPGO Trophy in Concarneau in May.
The delivery trip between Lorient and La Trinité-sur-Mer was an opportunity for me to sail single-handed. For the past two months, I’ve been seizing every opportunity to sail and train. My first race, the Solo Guy Cotten in Concarneau, went well with a decent ranking, which bodes well for the future. I was pretty happy despite the late start to my sailing on this new boat.
I still have a lot to learn, but it’s a positive and encouraging start to the season. I’m bound to have some technical shortcomings, but I’m here to learn and it’s a great challenge to have joined this top class!”

“This busy week is ideal because I consider that one day of racing is almost the equivalent of 10 days of training. Now it’s time for the regatta and 40 hours of intense, sporting sailing!”
Adrien Simon

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