Despite preparing for just a few weeks, the two amateur duos of Race for Science – Verder (Alicia de Pfyffer/Édouard Golbery) and Groupe Helios – Du Léman à l’Océan (Arnaud Machado/Lucie Queruel) completed the 16th edition of Transat Paprec less than 24 hours after the rest of the fleet, when the amateur duos were nearly four days behind two years ago. Enough to demonstrate their self-sacrifice, their ability to fight to the end and prove that amateur projects still have their place in the race.
They were therefore the last two to reach the port of Gustavia. Race for Science – Verder (Alicia De Pfyffer/Édouard Golbery, 10th) and Groupe Helios – Du Léman à l’Océan (Arnaud Machado/Lucie Queruel, 11th) crossed the finish line on Saturday in the middle and late afternoon, benefiting from incredible light and the crowd of curious onlookers who had gathered on the pontoon. Less than 24 hours after the 9th, Alicia and Édouard, Arnaud and Lucie also completed the race. This is a great feat for these two amateur projects!
“The immense pride of being there”
However, nothing was easy. First, there was the preparation before the race. Unlike many projects, they did not spend the fall and winter training. Nor do they have the typical profile of Figaro sailors. Alicia and Édouard work on luxury yachts, while Édouard, an actor, is not on stage. Lucie and Arnaud work for IMOCA teams (Freelance.com and Lazare) and, after a return transatlantic crossing at the end of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, they decided to try the adventure themselves. "We hadn't trained much, just the qualification and three weekends," admits Lucie.
Seeing their smiles and their emotional outpouring on the pontoons, the two duos savored this "immense pride of being there," according to Édouard. However, we had to face everything, the hazards and the passing of time too because nothing is easy when you see your comrades escape in front. "When you're behind, everything becomes long," explained Arnaud Machado. The more days passed, the longer it was because we knew we couldn't catch up with those who were in front." "When we saw land, we told ourselves that we had succeeded in this crossing despite everything that happened to us," joked Alicia de Pfyffer.
"They worked hard and didn't give up"
Nothing is linear during a transatlantic crossing. "We broke things right from the start," continued Edouard. Lucie and Arnaud had to stop in Tazacorte on the island of La Palma. "We said to ourselves that we were going to give up because of the hole in the J2 mainsail that tore," admits Lucie. On the island, the Race Director's networks and the solidarity of the locals allowed them to quickly find solutions. "We made two starts and two finishes," she jokes. A little over 24 hours of stopover before setting off again and getting back into the spirit of racing, even if their little friends are already far away. And it was anything but obvious. "It's really hard to be behind and do everything like the others when you're last," assures Arnaud.
However, they worked hard and didn't give up. For a while, Arnaud and Lucie decided to head south in the trade winds to benefit from more favorable conditions. An option that allowed them to put pressure on Race for Science - Verder, particularly at the end of the race. “When Groupe Hélios – Du Léman à l’Océan came back, we had to pull ourselves together a bit,” says Édouard. A mano-a-mano took place in the last few days before Race for Science – Verder finally widened the gap. “We would have needed another day to catch up with them,” confided Lucie upon her arrival in Gustavia on Saturday.
“There is no shame in being an amateur!”
The two duos have won much more than the honours reserved for all those who complete a transatlantic race. They have benefited from some of the best training there is on board these very demanding boats. "We understood the boat during the race", smiles Lucie. "We learned to steer at night under spinnaker for hours", assures her co-skipper, Arnaud, who recalls that he "didn't know the Figaro" before this race. Édouard confirms: "for me, it was my first race in a Figaro and Alicia her first offshore race"
A little earlier in the call, the latter confided, all smiles: "I'm sure that with a little more preparation time, we could have been a little more in the game with the others". And he assured: "we show that there is no shame in being amateurs!" Alicia, Édouard, Lucie and Arnaud have therefore had a great race and all those who have been addicted to cartography can be convinced of that. A shared opinion at the Race Director, who are regularly complimentary about these two boats.
"It shows that there is room for non-professional projects," explained Francis Le Goff, the Race Director, last Wednesday. Even in one of the most demanding classes in offshore racing, amateurs can try their luck, cross the Atlantic and experience emotions like no other. For these four skippers, the adventure will inevitably give them ideas for the future.
And they could also inspire many amateur skippers who could in turn try their luck in two years' time by taking part in the Transat Paprec. Before adding yesterday: "I don't consider Race for Science - Verder and Groupe Hélios - Du Léman à l'Océan to be the last because compared to the previous edition, the gap with the leader is quite small. For amateurs who got their boat very late and did little training, we noted a constant progression to the point that initially, after La Palma, we were sailing Édouard and Alicia at 85% of the polar to finish in the last few days at 95% of the polar. They got to grips with the boat and that's what we have to remember. But also that Arnaud and Lucie were also in the game before having their technical problem and their sails torn before passing La Palma. They knew how to remobilize to come back. I think we'll see them again, perhaps in the Figaro or elsewhere, as their progression has been enormous. They completely amazed me and the analysis they made of their race at the finish is right. It proves that they have a great future ahead of them!"
