SMA relaunched, Paul Meilhat on final stretch before the Vendée Globe

by SMA Course Au Large on 2 Sep 2016 Paul Meilhat took another important step forward with the relaunch of his 60-foot IMOCA last Friday. It is aboard this boat that he will take part in his first Vendée Globe on 6th November. The skipper of SMA is carrying out his first test sail today (Monday).

From tomorrow, Paul will be taking part in the first training course organised by the Finistère offshore training centre in Port-la-Forêt. The pressure is mounting for Paul, who is methodically tackling these final weeks of preparation.

The main goals of this summer refit that has just finished involved a detailed verification of each element and the completion of what was done in the winter refit, during which SMA was repaired after the damage done, as she drifted for 20 days between the Azores and Ireland last December.

Before competing in the two transatlantic races in the spring, The Transat Bakerly and the New York/Vendée (les Sables d’Olonne), the team at Mer Agitée and SMA’s technical team added some lamination, changed the standing and running rigging, the cables and electronics, as well as the rudders and outriggers. They still needed to do what they referred to as the Vendée Globe refit.

“Everything was taken apart, the keel was examined and we worked on the rudder bearings, the water intake system; the lads modified the wiring, painted the daggerboards and cleaned the hull, which they didn’t have time to do in the winter due a lack of time,” explained Paul Meilhat. Painted this summer, the brand new set of nine Incidence DFi sails now displays the colours for the Vendée Globe. All of the sails were tested during the month following Paul Meilhat’s fourth place in the Transat New York/Vendée (Les Sables d’Olonne), with the exception of one, which will be delivered on 4th September.

More pressure
On Monday, Paul Meilhat is carrying out a sail to get used to his boat again. Then, he will be meeting up with the members of the Finistère offshore training centre in Port-la-Forêt for the first training session with its usual programme: sailing on Tuesday during the day with a few specific exercises, then 24 hours at sea from Wednesday with the boat expected to return to port on Thursday lunchtime. Finally, a debriefing will take place at the centre on Friday morning (2nd September). “I won’t be tackling these training sessions with the idea of making progress, because it’s too late for that and I have already learnt a lot in 18 months,” stressed Paul. “I am relying on these trips to settle into my habits, ensuring things come naturally and sailing in the simplest way possible. Everything I have learnt this year needs to slot into place. If I add other elements, there is the risk of mixing things up. I am attached to the idea of keeping things simple and feeling relaxed when sailing.”

Paul Meilhat is fully aware that the coming weeks will fly by until 13th October, when SMA is due to arrive in Port-Olona, just before the Vendée Globe Village opens. “I am in the right state of mind. I’m on the final stretch having acquired a lot after what happened over the past year, the two transatlantic races, the training courses last year, the trips with Michel (Desjoyeaux), the huge amount of work done with the teams in the yard,” he said. “To keep a positive outlook, I think about the two transatlantic races in the spring, when I finished fourth on both occasions, and I remember how good I felt, when I was on my boat. But it is hard to avoid thinking that something different is now underway, with an additional pressure. There are so many things I’m going to have to deal with. Everything is more complicated than we are used to. People around me are expecting a lot. The supplies aren’t the same. The preparation takes more time. I have to find a way of not using up too much energy too.”