Solo Maître CoQ – Perfect preparation for Figaro Safran-Guy Cotten

by Safran Sailing Team on 16 Apr 2015 Solo Maître CoQ – The season continues for Gwénolé Gahinet on the Figaro Safran-Guy Cotten. From April 20-26, the skipper from the Safran Sailing Team will participate in the event in Les Sables d'Olonne, the first official event in the Championnat de France Elite de Course au Large en Solitaire (France’s elite offshore solo sailing championship). It is an opportunity not to be missed for Gahinet, who hopes to finish in the top 10. The starting horn is next Monday at 1030hrs (French time).

An intense week of competition
The first competition of France’s elite offshore solo sailing championship includes several rounds on coastal routes in the bay of Les Sables d'Olonne, followed by a 270-nautical mile offshore race around the île d’Yeu and île de Ré, that will start on Thursday, April 23. The format of the racing means the 40 registered competitors will need to show great versatility to win this event on points; with a ratio of one for coastal courses less than 20 miles, 1.5 for courses over 20 miles and three for the offshore race.

A taster for La Solitaire du Figaro-Eric Bompard Cachemire
Among Gwénolé Gahinet’s opponents are some of the leading names of the Figaro Bénéteau circuit: Yann Elies, Jérémie Beyou, Gildas Morvan, Thierry Chabagny Corentin Horeau, Charlie Dalin, Paul Meilhat and Xavier Macaire. “With 40 boats entered, the level is exceptional, it's a bit of a dress rehearsal for La Solitaire du Figaro,” Gahinet, the skipper of Safran-Guy Cotten, said. “It will be a high level and my goal is to compete in the top ten, as I did on the Solo Basse-Normandie (Gahinet finished seventh). Isabelle Joschke, Vincent Biarnes and Adrien Hardy, my training mates at the Pôle Lorient Grand Large (Lorient’s offshore training school) will be there too and I hope that we can continue to make good progress together.”

Tailor-made preparation
Determined and diligent, Gahinet has been working tirelessly for this first big event of the year. In addition to his preparation on the water, he has been following a personalised fitness programme because an event such as the Solo Maître CoQ requires good endurance. “I'm not stressed out because most of the work on the water has been done, but physically, it will be difficult,” the young sailor admits, “so I have worked a lot on my concentration. I’ve been doing coaching sessions with Stéphane Eliot, a strength and conditioning coach. We worked on building muscle and what’s called the ‘explosive’ phase, i.e. those times where you have to be able to combine huge efforts and recover quickly. The goal is to be better on shorter routes and the starting phase, which require a lot of energy.”

During that time, Gahinet’s team have been optimising the boat in the boatyard. They have worked on the reliability of electronics and improved the ballast pump systems in particular. Therefore, both the sailor and the Figaro Safran-Guy Cotten are in perfect condition for this first deadline of the season.