French skipper Sylvain Canet enters the Global Solo Challenge 2027-2028

by Marco Nannini / Global Solo Challenge 20 Dec 2024 06:50 PST

Sylvain Canet - Wild - Boréal 44.2 (J.F. Delvoye) © Global Solo Challenge

The excitement continues with the announcement of Sylvain Canet as the newest skipper to join the Global Solo Challenge! Following Italian skipper Marcello Queirolo's recent entry, Sylvain, a seasoned sailor with over 50 years of experience, brings his lifelong passion and expertise to the event.

Based in La Rochelle and Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Sylvain discovered his love for the sea and sailing as a young boy. Over the years, he has honed his skills in racing, cruising, and solo sailing, making his entry a perfect fit for the spirit of the GSC.

With one more official entry to be announced soon (the twelfth official entry) and several others on the horizon, the anticipation for this incredible journey around the globe continues to grow! Stay tuned for more updates.

Sylvain Canet - Wild - Boréal 44.2 (J.F. Delvoye) - photo © Global Solo Challenge

About the skipper

Name: Sylvain Canet
Nationality: FRA
Lives: La Rochelle - Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Born in: 1961
Miles sailed: 50 years of sailing

Where does your passion for sailing come from?

It comes from deep within me, I suppose, as it fills me with life. I was introduced to the sea and boats at the age of 11 or 12—a spark ignited. I grew and developed first through sailing and the maritime traditions of the Sea Scouts in "Jeunesse et Marine," then as a young adult through regattas, racing, and cruising clubs. Later on, I delved into monohulls and multihulls, dedicating all my savings and free time to them. Sailing and the sea are part of my DNA. Just pulling on the sheets a little and enjoying the sea is all it takes.

What lessons have you learnt from sailing?

Endurance, a sense of responsibility, adapting to the elements (sea, wind, etc.), humility, technical skills, and maybe even a bit more authenticity in those who venture onto the sea. The love for adventure and initiative offshore are highly useful on land. At just 17, I became a skipper and team leader in clubs and races. Training, teaching others, sharing my skills, and asserting myself among people often older than me were ways to grow. The sea and sailing are truly a school of life. In fact, they shaped my professional life choices.

What brought you to like single-handed sailing?

It's been a natural progression, deeply rooted in our maritime tradition. Guiding your vessel with your own skills, solo, is about being in complete harmony with the boat and nature. The spirit of solo sailing lies in making decisions independently and enjoying the autonomy of tuning and moving the boat. I love it, though I can't fully explain why—it's been a part of me for a long time. However, solo sailing doesn't mean being alone. I hope to build a small technical and friendly team around this project and share it with everyone supporting me from shore.

What prompted you to sign up for this event?

To complete the circle, to sail the Southern Oceans, to round the legendary capes that have filled our imaginations since adolescence—is this a dream, an ambition, or a fulfillment? Preparing, completing, mastering the boat, and feeling it 24/7 for months... I'm investing much of myself and my resources into this boat. This project feels like a culmination, a completeness—it's obvious, a necessity, a need, and a pleasure to accomplish and share. There's also a certain logic—a sailor's logic—in drawing this small circle on the water, as a fundamental aspect of our passion. I approach it with humility; nothing will be easy, before or during, and I'm aware of that. Just starting and then returning will be an achievement.

How do you plan to prepare for this event?

I've been preparing through my readings and sailing experiences for 45 years. However, I plan to refine everything: preparing both the boat and the sailor. Construction has been under way since 2021, with a launch planned for mid-2025. Afterward, there will be offshore and coastal navigations in 2025-2026 (Azores, Scotland, Iceland, Norway), two solo transatlantic crossings in 2026-2027 (or an Atlantic circuit), and final preparations in June/July 2027.

Physical preparation, medical emergency training, and survival courses are planned. A workshop on the boat's specific electronics and electrical systems is already scheduled.

I'll work on communication and networking once I'm free from other commitments. Building a team to support me is another goal. Much remains to be done.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge?

The Southern Oceans, the cold, successive depressions, and rough seas are expected challenges. However, I feel even more challenged by technical issues outside the direct scope of sailing: electricity, electronics, IT, and energy management. All these problems must be solved independently.

Another challenge will be ensuring a well-organized preparation phase. At sea, you rely on experience, knowledge of your boat, and thorough preparation, where as much as possible is anticipated beforehand.

Tell us about your boat or the boat you would like to have.

There are boats you sail on and those you own. This one will be my fifth (counting the Nova I sailed in basins or my bathtub!). After keelboats optimized for windward sailing (a Challenger Plan by André Mauric, sharpened for speed) and a racing trimaran (Friends and Lovers, a legendary design by Walter Green/Dick Newick), I'll embark on a Boréal 44.2, designed for offshore sailing (Plan by J.F. Delvoye).

I always intended to do this journey, not necessarily as part of a "race." However, the GSC aligns perfectly with my timeline. Watching the 2023 competition between Cole Brauer and Philippe Delamare was thrilling.

Do you intend to link this personal challenge to a social message?

Yes, I've always been an active advocate in social and societal life. Initially a business leader, I later transitioned to teaching and school leadership to "change the world." It will be natural for me to design a project centered around education, personal development, generational exchange, and the environment.

My wife, involved in skills development, along with family and friends, will be essential supporters.

As a teacher and school principal freshly retired when we set off, I'm convinced that we can share the passion, the adventure dynamic, maritime life, and world discovery with primary school classes I know well or with anyone for whom building, succeeding, or changing their life is a mirrored challenge.

Sailing Experience

As a skipper and trainer in cruising clubs, helmsman, trimmer, or bowman in races, cruising skipper, Atlantic delivery crew, or race boat preparer, I've sailed as an amateur and occasionally semi-professionally for about fifty years, mainly in the North Atlantic.

I've competed on various boats, sometimes with sponsors, sometimes without, in the most prestigious offshore races in France and Europe—from the infamous 1979 Fastnet to Spi Ouest, from La Baule to Dakar, and Alizé transatlantic races with crews. As a helmsman or crew in the RORC championship, I added this achievement to my record.

I practice solo sailing on my boats, mostly on coastal routes. Now, I plan to include solo passages on longer crossings. That's why I've scheduled solo training crossings on Wild during upcoming transatlantic voyages.

About the boat