Ocean Masters World Championship - A portrait of Armel Tripon + Video

by Leslie Greenhalgh on 11 Oct 2014 39 year old Armel Tripon’s first sailing experience was on an Optimist on the River Erdre, but his first real experience of boats and sailing took place during his high school years when he set off with some friends on a Muscadet boat. He describes the experience as a revelation and from then on he has had only one thing on his mind: sailing.

'I also discovered sailing through maritime literature with Moitessier and Damiens. They greatly influenced my approach and the stories I read captured my imagination and made me want to go and discover what the southern oceans were really like – these regions talked about with fear and apprehension, but also respect and desire.'

'Journalism, even top journalism, was something that attracted me'. Although he was first of all interested by a career in journalism, Armel decided to turn to professional sailing and joined the Glénans Sailing School for four years, during which he learned bay racing around three race buoys. He started ocean sailing with the Mini 6.50 Class and the Mini Transat, which he won in 2003. This was the real springboard enabling him to secure a sponsor – Gedimat – and to start on the Figaro circuit.

'Going from Mini 6.50 to Figaro is a bit like going from the national team to Premier League in football – there’s a serious gap to overcome and I had a few difficult years. But it’s really there that I learnt the trade.'

After a few years in Class 40, Armel discovered the IMOCA 60 Class this year and will make his debut on the Route du Rhum event in November.

'The first challenge was to get the boat into the water in time. We only had two months in the workshed, stripping the boat bare before getting it ready under the new colours. In parallel to this handling and preparation, we have had to secure the financing to get to the race starts in good condition. We’ve also had to undergo serious training and get to know the boat and all the technology that goes with it. They’re really complex boats, we have just a small team and our financing is not yet fully in place. Lot’s of challenges, but I think we’re going to make it.'

A naturally positive person, Armel describes himself as 'cheerful. I look on the bright side of things. And I thrive on challenge.
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His next challenge is the Vendée Globe in 2016. 'I think the Vendée Globe challenge comes at the right time for me considering my background and what I’ve been able to build up so far. It is an ambitious project with considerable stress, but it’s a fabulous challenge. Although many of my projects are single-handed, I really like sharing too – there’s a human element in the IMOCA Ocean Masters projects that I love.'

'The thing that delights me in sailing is being in an extraordinary natural environment. You monitor it all the time and this natural universe is in constant movement. It’s never still and often takes you by surprise. You have to be responsive and I love that almost animal contact with nature where your senses have to be constantly alert.'

Despite the demanding nature of the IMOCA Ocean Masters projects and the time involved in physical, technical and technological preparation and to sailing, Armel has the unconditional support of his family.

'My wife has supported me for a very long time. I owe her almost everything because she has been behind me all the way, particularly in the search for sponsors, which is a really complex aspect of our job. I think my children are really proud of their dad. I try to introduce them to everything involved in outdoor sport and I think there is a lot to learn from these activities, like respect for others and nature. These are values I believe in and that I try to pass on.'

La Route du Rhum will be the Nantes skipper’s first IMOCA Ocean Masters World Championship race and he’s confident he’ll find the partners he is currently missing to get him to the start line of the next races in the circuit going forward to the Vendée Globe.

'The aim of the Ocean Masters World Championship circuit is to make this programme exist outside the boundaries of France and to give it a more international scope. It’s good to open up to other countries, other sailors and to make our boats known. Today if we don’t have sponsors, there are no races and without races there are no competitors, so the more open-minded we are, the better.'