Transat New York – Vendée – Delivering a literary crossing

by Safran Sailing Team on 6 May 2016 Morgan Lagravière and his crew left on their delivery of Safran to New York on Friday, May 6. This time Lagravière will be experiencing something new, with a dialogue by keyboard with the writer, Olivier Frébourg.

The innovative partnership will be a feature of the delivery of Safran from Concarneau, Brittany to New York. It was idea of les éditions Gallimard and Grand Prix Guyader, with eight IMOCA skippers invited to write about their life at sea, double-handed with a maritime writer. This literary odyssey should result in a book intertwining the thoughts of the sailors and the writers, who will stay on dry land. Olivier Frébourg, a journalist and great maritime voyager, will follow Lagravière’s progress throughout this Atlantic crossing.

A handpicked crew
Accompanying Lagravière, is a complementary team who will be hands on. Roland Jourdain will obviously bring his expertise and continue the work that has been done in recent months alongside the skipper of Safran. Also with them is Gildas Mahé, who will be making his second crossing of the Atlantic this year after his brilliant second place in the Transat AG2R Concarneau - St. Barts, in April, and Gwénolé Gahinet. Gahinet is an old friend of Lagravière, and is used to long journeys as a winner of both the 2011 Mini Transat 6.50, in a production boat, and the 2014 Transat AG2R with Paul Meilhat, on Safran-Guy Cotten, and as a highly-regarded teammate of Francis Joyon in his last record attempt around the world, in 2015-16.

For Lagravière, the choice of the crew was not random: “With teammates like this, I know that the discussions will be very productive, and that the atmosphere will be warm,” the skipper of Safran said. “And I also expect them to pass on to me their capacity to be happy at sea, even outside of any context of competition. That’s an area where I’ve yet to make progress.” A story of living and making a living told by a pen dipped in salt water - it’s something to look forward to.

The opening dialogue:

Olivier Frébourg
“The Atlantic embodies the freedom of the seas, but also the link between the old and the new world. ‘Transatlantic’ is a stylish ribbon of a word, as slender as the ocean liner Normandie. The variety of its blues is infinite. The Atlantic is a deep ocean that any man in love with solitude and adventures on the high seas wants to experience. There is not a sailor who does not want to measure himself in the Atlantic. I have crossed it as a child and as an adult. It shaped me...France seems to have grown old, full of self-doubt, sinking into pessimism. To stave off this depression, we are putting on the helm Olympic youth, to which Morgan belongs. His record is impressive. Despite his young age, he is always at the forefront of the races he enters: be it La Solitaire du Figaro or the Fastnet Race. He will be one of the best young hopes in the next Vendée Globe. But that is not the sum and substance, it is his determination that matters, his ethics, his sense of the maritime community. I will accompany him in words during his crossing between Douarnenez and Newport, thinking that real life is happening on board and that adventure is still alive, renewed at sea, never exhausted.”

Morgan Lagravière
“It’s an amazing and original idea that will allow us the time to recount and discuss our voyage with all these authors, to try and understand why, we as sailors, want to go out to sea so much...What is this pull, the motivation, why are we trying to escape into such a harsh environment? Is it the need for competition, solitude? Are we seeking recognition through adventure?

The mind is surprisingly selective; as soon as our feet are back on dry land after moments that are sometimes painful, it retains only the extraordinary and positive memories from all that has happened...

This innovative and shared experience should allow us to better relate what we experience at sea.”

Programme
May 6: A transat to Newport (USA) sponsored by les éditions Gallimard
May 29: Start of the Transat New York - Vendée
Around June 6: Finish in Les Sables d'Olonne
June-September: Training and boatyard work
November 6: Start of the Vendée Globe