Dominique Wavre focused on the upcoming Vendee Globe

by Vendee Globe on 9 Feb 2012 The 2012 Vendee Globe is set to get underway on 10 November, 2012. Skipper Dominique Wavre is not counting on getting much more rest during the upcoming winter as he will be focusing on the event. His monohull Mirabaud is being fine-tuned, while he has started a long programme to prepare himself physically. The blue and white monohull will be spending two months in the yard and this will be followed by a busy sailing schedule for the Swiss competitor.

A bit of rest to begin and then some mountain biking in the south of France will do the sailor some good, as he is going to be busy preparing for his round the world voyage for the rest of the year. Dominique Wavre: 'We went down to the south of France for a fortnight to get away from it all and did a lot of mountain-biking and grabbed some rest. Since then, we have been back in La Rochelle and have been extremely busy with the preparation work for the Vendée Globe'.

The first stage of the work on Mirabaud is a refit lasting two months, during which the cockpit will be fitted with a new protective cover. Other modifications will be made inside the boat. Dominique Wavre: 'The main thing is adapting the boat to solo sailing but there are also some adjustments to be made after the new mast was fitted. These are only really minor changes and concern the ease of sailing the boat.'

As soon as this refit is over, the skipper of Mirabaud is planning to spend as much time as possible out on the water. 'We’ll be taking advantage of the spring and summer to work on manoeuvres and speed, and ensure that things come automatically etc… Then, we are planning to compete in some of the unofficial races like the SNSM and the Round Belle-Ile race. These are friendly competitions, which we enjoy.'

In September, the Swiss skipper and his team will be focusing on preparing everything for the Vendée Globe: planning his route, stowing supplies and checking over the final details.

Vendee Globe website