Laure Galley - Kévin Bloch (DMG MORI Academy): “We couldn’t have dreamed of much better!”

They’ve been the stars of this early stage of the Transat Paprec. After quickly positioning themselves among the front-runners during the coastal course, Laure Galley and Kévin Bloch then took the lead and were in front by Tuesday evening at Cape Finisterre. Still right in the mix and battling at the front, they were in second place at 4:00 p.m., behind Demain (Martin Le Pape - Mathilde Géron, 1st) and ahead of Hellowork (Davy Beaudart - Julie Simon, 3rd). The entire fleet is moving quickly toward La Palma, where the leaders are expected to arrive on Sunday evening. Late this morning, Laure took a moment to reflect on this explosive start.

You’ve had a great start to the race… What has it felt like from the inside? “It’s definitely satisfying to kick off the race well. We had a solid coastal leg, which got us into a good rhythm from the beginning. Then we kept a good pace through the Bay of Biscay, made some good course choices… That allowed us to round Cape Finisterre in the lead… Honestly, we couldn’t have dreamed of much better!”

What does it feel like when everything is working so well? “You realize all the hard work over the winter paid off and that we made the right calls… It’s really satisfying, and we’re enjoying it! Especially now that it’s starting to warm up!”

"When a risk pays off, it’s always a win!”"

Your positioning decisions before rounding Cape Finisterre paid off. How did you make that call? “We made that decision fairly early. A wind shift pushed us to move further east. But it was a bit of a gamble, especially if the lull had been stronger than for the boats further west. In the end, the difference wasn’t that big, and it shortened our route. When a risk pays off, it’s always a win!”

One unique aspect of your duo is that Kévin was also your coach… “I’m thrilled to be in the race with him. I’m learning so much every day by his side. He’s an experienced skipper, and that’s really valuable. Right now, he’s at the helm because the conditions are quite sporty – we can’t use the autopilot!”