Holcim-PRB arrives in Martinique after 14 days of convoying

Rosalin Kuiper and Nicolas Lunven on Holcim-PRB © Yann Riou / polaRYSE

At 0815am (local time) on Monday morning, the IMOCA Holcim-PRB arrived into the magnificent bay of Le Marin in Martinique under a bright sun. The monohull's crew of Nicolas Lunven, Rosalin Kuiper, Jean-Marc Failler, Hugo Feydit and Julien Champolion (onboard reporter) will have taken 14 days to reach the West Indies from Concarneau, Brittany.

For this first transatlantic race at the helm of Holcim-PRB, Nicolas Lunven's objective was to discover and get to grips with his new boat, with his first solo race just days away. Retour à La Base, a return transatlantic race between Martinique and Lorient, promises to be the skipper's first full-scale trial, as he lines up for the first time against a fleet of competitors who, like him, are all aiming for the Vendée Globe. The start will be on November 30 from Fort-de-France: "We've just arrived in Martinique after a two-week delivery trip from Brittany. We're very happy with this first Atlantic crossing, we've had good weather conditions and no problems with the boat. We were able to gain confidence in Holcim-PRB, and it also enabled us to learn a lot in terms of maneuvers, mechanics, electronics, etc." explained Nicolas Lunven, smiling as he arrived at the pontoon.

For Rosalin Kuiper too, this delivery trip was an opportunity to discover the monohull over a longer sail. Despite solid conditions during the first days of the crossing, the Dutch sailor arrived in Martinique enthusiastic about the idea of taking this monohull on the next edition of The Ocean Race Europe, in 2025: "The delivery trip went very well. It was the first time we'd sailed with this crew. We got to know the boat, which is incredible and very safe. The first few days were pretty tough, with complicated weather conditions and a lot of seasickness among the crew.

"After that, as soon as we hit the trade winds, it was very easy. At first, I had to adapt to this boat, and in particular to the cockpit, which is very low and very different from the boats I'm used to sailing on. Now, the first thing I'm going to do is take a real shower and eat a real meal! It's been really hot the last few days on board. We had up to 42-44 degrees inside the boat."

For the technical team, already on site, the next ten days will be devoted to preparing the boat so that it is at 100% of its potential for the start of Nicolas' first solo race aboard Holcim-PRB: "We had a big job-list to complete during this delivery trip, and we managed to tick almost all the boxes, so that's a good point. It's a racing boat, so obviously we always have something to improve or check, but we haven't encountered any real problems or damage, so all we have to do is make small improvements. I'm really looking forward to competing against the other boats for the first time."

Nicolas Lunven will take the start of Retour à la Base, a single-handed return transatlantic race, on November 30. This will be the sailor's first opportunity to measure himself against his rivals, most of whom have also just arrived in Martinique and crossed the finish line of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie - Le Havre.

Quotes from Nicolas Lunven ­ "We have just arrived in Martinique after two weeks of delivery from Brittany. We are very happy with this first crossing of the Atlantic, we had good weather conditions and no problems with the boat. We were able to gain confidence in Holcim-PRB, and this also allowed us to learn a lot in terms of maneuvers, mechanics, electronics, etc. We had a big job-list to complete during this delivery trip, and we managed to tick almost all the boxes, so that's a good point. It's a racing boat, so obviously we always have something to improve or check, but we haven't encountered any real problems or damage, so all we have to do is make small improvements. I'm really looking forward to competing against the other boats for the first time."

Quotes from Rosalin Kuiper ­ "The delivery trip went very well. It was the first time we'd sailed with this crew. We got to know the boat, which is incredible and very safe. The first few days were pretty tough, with complicated weather conditions and a lot of seasickness among the crew. After that, as soon as we hit the trade winds, it was very easy. At first, I had to adapt to this boat, and in particular to the cockpit, which is very low and very different from the boats I'm used to sailing on. Now, the first thing I'm going to do is take a real shower and eat a real meal! It's been really hot the last few days on board. We had up to 42-44 degrees inside the boat."

Rosalin Kuiper on Holcim-PRB - photo © Yann Riou / polaRYSE