The skipper Charles Caudrelier must take, on November 6 in Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine), on the 32-meter multihull Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, the start of his first Route du rhum, a solo transatlantic journey to Guadeloupe.
The fulfillment of a dream for the 48-year-old Finisterian, winner of numerous offshore races including two crewed round the world races, three double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre and a Solitaire du Figaro.
What does the Route du rhum represent for you?
One of my earliest memories of Route du rhum is the 1990 edition, the year Florence Arthaud won it. That’s when I said to myself that this is what I wanted to do. Some sailors dream of the Vendée Globe, I of the Route du rhum in a multihull. Today, after twenty-five years as a professional, I am rather at the end of my career. I accepted the fact that I may not do the Vendée Globe. The Route du rhum, on the other hand, was a real frustration. This is the challenge that I have always wanted to achieve. Today I have this chance.
Why return to single-handed racing after a decade devoted to the Volvo Ocean Race and crewed sailing?
Ultimately, it was the crew that was the most unexpected in my life. The first time I steered a racing boat was solo, on the Figaro. I have always been drawn to this exercise where I feel the most comfortable. But I had never managed to have a budget to continue. I’ve joined a lot of double-handed projects, it’s a bit of part-time solo.
I raced Transat Jacques Vabre in an Imoca or a multihull. I have a very strong crew culture but I kept the double hat. I was then contacted by Gitana to join the team. I saw these flying boats, and I didn’t even dare to dream about them. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t refuse.
What does solitaire change, how do you prepare for it?
Solitaire doesn’t scare me that much. The anticipation must be strong. I know the management of the boat and that of sleep, which is the key point. But there is no better than a Solitaire du Figaro to learn how to manage sleep. This year, I focused my preparation on the mind. In particular, I worked with freediver Arnaud Jerald on recovery, breathing, staying calm. I’m a bit like a Formula 1 driver, I’m there for the sportsman and I’m given access to everything I need to succeed and I take advantage of it.
What physical qualities require a solo race on an Ultimate class boat and a course such as the Route du rhum?
It’s hard to say, it depends on the weather. We can very well go close [un angle faible face au vent], maybe change sail once in the Channel, and then cross the Atlantic quite easily. It’s the power of the boat for one man that you have to manage, but that’s part of the game. Alone, if I make a mistake, there are things that physically I can’t manage. Do not do the maneuver too much at the risk of exhaustion.
The physical dimension is certain but I would say more that it is mental and nervous on our boats. On a multihull, you have to live with the idea that you can capsize. You have to manage the high speed, be smart, patient and anticipate a lot. You can be twenty minutes ahead of your competitors, and lose forty or fifty for a mistake.
“From 40 knots, you can have the feeling of losing control”
How do you handle high speed?
It’s just a quesiton of habit. The first days are hard and on arrival it seems natural to you. The numbers on the counter are sometimes scary, but especially the noise of the appendages. From 40 knots [près de 75 km/h], the appendages begin to make a lot of noise. You may feel like you are losing control. On our boat, we have optimized them, they vibrate less and make less noise. Consequently, one has less the impression of speed. Being protected from the wind in the cockpit also counts. To compare, I think you’re a little more scared in a 4L at 110 km/h on the highway than in a big sedan at 150 km/h.
What do exchanges with your team, your routers, on land look like in concrete terms?
The router is very important, it is like the navigator on board. It’s a permanent exchange, he chooses the trajectory, especially solo. Alone, if I do routing, I work less to move the boat forward. I’m a little stressed on the trajectories, I really need to trust my router to focus on speed and safety. That’s why I chose sailors I’ve known for a very long time.
I could go as fast as possible, steer my boat as well as possible, if they make a mistake I could lose the race. The difference is so small between the skippers that the victory will also be decided on this. They make the plan and I have to carry it out.
What is your goal for this 12e edition of the Route du rhum?
Among the next-gen Flying Ultimates, we are not many and we are all aiming for victory. A second place would not be horrible but it would be a failure. I am lucky to have a boat that is quite incredible and quite revolutionary. But the noose is tightening. Today, Edmond de Rothschild is older than the multihulls of my competitors but it is still a boat with great potential. He is very reliable, I know him inside out.
A word about your competitors, who are the most serious?
We are four or five highly optimized Ultimates. People’s Bank by Armel Le Cléac’h and SVR-Lazartigue by François Gabart have the most potential. Sodebo by Thomas Coville has come a long way with its new appendages. These are the three most recent Ultimes, which have the same weapons as us with the foils and the carriers on the centreboard.
Afterwards, there are older boats like those of Yves Le Blevec or Francis Joyon, the current title holder. His boat is reliable, he goes through all the seas and Francis knows him. It’s going to be a great fight!