Route du Rhum - Safran team dealing with final details

by Safran Sailing Team on 27 Oct 2010 Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale 2010 begins in just four days. There is hardly anything left to take care of aboard Safran. Marc Guillemot’s team is carrying out some final technical checks and loading supplies. Everything is being done to avoid Marc Guillemot having to be present for these final checks. From this point of view, solo racing is a team effort.

If he had to set sail tomorrow, Safran would be ready. In Saint-Malo, Thierry Brault, team manager for the Safran Sailing Team is clearly pleased with the way things are going: 'To be honest, we’re not really doing very much! Which is a good thing, as the goal is to be ready well beforehand to avoid having to work all out at the last moment.

The boat is ready, so we’re just carrying out routine checks going all around the boat: the mast, deck hardware, the deck… We’re even checking that the sails are perfectly rolled up…. We’re not messing around with the electronics, as everything is set.' Of course, all of the administrative formalities are also being taken care of by the team.

Never set off without my 'Hénaff'
The first part of stowing the supplies is complete with the non-perishables on board: 'Marc is taking twelve days of food with him,' explained Thierry Brault, 'in particular ready meals, which are nutritious, practical and quick to prepare.'

Everyone knows that the skipper of Safran pays a lot of attention to his food and is not keen on freeze-dried products. 'That’s still the case,' smiled Thierry Brault, 'and these cooked meals are so much more comforting, when you are alone at sea than a packet of freeze-dried stuff… 'And just as usual, Marc will also be taking some tins of Hénaff paté on board.

Total commitment at all times
The fresh produce is due to go aboard on Thursday. It is Patricia Brault, who is in charge of logistics for the Safran Sailing Team, who is taking care of that: 'There’s everything Marc likes,' she explained, 'apples, dried meat from the Grisons, eggs, kiwis, fresh bread for the first few days, cheese, nourishing biscuits, which are very useful in heavy weather…'

There’s also everything Marc will require to make some green tea with ginger, as he doesn’t drink any coffee. As for some special treats… there’s nothing much! Apart from the traditional selection of music – a very eclectic choice – that his friend Bernard Lenoir from France Inter has come up with. Clearly, Marc isn’t going to have much time to take it easy.

This race is a sprint, which will require his total commitment at all times for a fortnight… Moreover, Thierry Brault added, 'I haven’t seen any books go aboard. Maybe Marc will bring along something at the last moment? But to be honest with you, I don’t think he’s going to have the time to read anything much during this race.'

For more information, please go to: www.safran-group.com