Quentin Debois departs on Tuesday 6 January to attempt to break Transatlantic record
by Laurence Hannon 5 Jan 05:48 PST
6 January 2026
Quentin Debois set for Transatlantic record on Tuesday 6 January © Jean-Baptiste D'enquin
Belgian skipper Quentin Debois will leave the port of Cadiz on Tuesday 6 January between 8am and 1pm to begin his attempt to break the world record for a solo east-west Atlantic crossing.
An official commissioner from the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) will start the clock as soon as the boat crosses the starting line, located between Puerto Sherry and the port of Cadiz. Quentin will have to cover 7,200 km to the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas in less than 30 days to become the first Belgian record holder for a solo Atlantic crossing on a Mini 6.50.
Green light!
After a period of technical preparation of the boat and standby in Cadiz, which began on 22 December, the weather conditions are now right for departure. Quentin Debois will therefore set sail on Tuesday 6 January between 8am and 1pm. The departure time will be set according to the availability of the official commissioner of the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC).
The winds are favourable between Cadiz and the Canary Islands and the waves are expected to be around 2.5 metres on Tuesday, which is ideal for high-performance sailing. The trade winds are fairly strong and blowing in the right direction, which should allow Quentin to quickly turn west after the mandatory passage to starboard of Gran Canaria. Quentin is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands in about four days.
Further offshore, towards the middle of the Atlantic, the winds remain stable, offering good weather conditions for optimal performance on the first part of the course.
Quentin Debois: "I am completely ready and calm for the start. My boat is also completely ready, checked down to the smallest detail. All that remains is to give the hull a final clean this afternoon to ensure that seaweed doesn't slow the boat down, and to load the 110 litres of water I'll need for the crossing. These two weeks on standby have allowed me to fine-tune everything and set off in optimal conditions, both mentally and technically speaking. I can't wait to take the helm!"
Quentin Debois: "As soon as I set sail, I will check in every day with my router Basile Rochut, who will be my co-pilot from land. His role will be to analyse the weather conditions in order to find the best route to get there as quickly as possible. Given the size and speed of my boat, we can only forecast conditions 15 days ahead. The goal is to get off to the best possible start because we don't know what lies ahead. To achieve optimal performance, I will have to steer for 8 to 10 hours a day. I will only use the autopilot for rest periods of about 20 minutes."
Basile Rochut: "Every day, I will send Quentin routings and comments on the strategy for the day, the next day, and the medium and long term. Quentin will be able to view them, give his opinion and make his choices. It is always the skipper who makes the final decisions on board."
Quentin Debois: "To succeed in this challenge, we want to stay close to areas of strong wind, but always within reasonable limits. Every decision is made by weighing up the benefits and risks. It is the good sailor who has the final say over the competitor. The first thing I have to think about is the safety of the boat and myself."
He adds: "I'm going to give it my all to break the record. I'd like to do it in 27 days, but success depends on four major factors that I'll have to deal with: technical issues (breakages, wear and tear, boat failures), the human factor, routing strategy, and finally luck. At sea, I know I can count on the support of my shore-based team, especially my coach Quentin Droneau, and my sponsors, who will be following my progress on social media: ODIGO, Pharmacie Familia, Accountable, Teasio, THG Liège, IDEATEC, Perfecty, UK Sailmakers, Nieuwpoort Marine, BSTOR, KBC Brussels, Novadvice Belgium and the KYCN. It is thanks to them that this adventure is possible."
A team victory
Quentin: "I'll be alone on the boat, but ocean racing is a real team sport. You're never really alone. I have a whole team that has been preparing the project with me for a year and will offer me support and advice when I'm sailing. If we break a record, it will be a team victory."
Regardless of the outcome of the east-west crossing, Quentin will attempt another world record in June 2026: crossing the Atlantic from west to east, from New York to Lizard Point in England. This 5,300 km route, which is generally faster and more demanding, will test his ability to adapt to weather conditions and optimise every mile travelled in order to set a new record time of less than 17 days and 9 hours. After that, Quentin would like to continue his career as an offshore skipper.
Quentin: "For me, it's important to keep challenging myself, to push my limits. I dream of competing in some of the great legendary races, but for now I'm taking it one step at a time."
You can follow Quentin daily via these GPS tracking links:
- GPS: this view includes wind direction and strength
- Radio, via the AIS system
You can also follow his progress on Instagram
Quentin Debois, offshore skipper
Quentin Debois (38) grew up far from the sea, in Marchin in the province of Liège, and nothing predestined him for offshore racing. He discovered sailing late in life, at the age of 31, thanks to a friend who invited him to sail in the North Sea. He was immediately hooked and took his first lessons the following week on the Belgian coast. The open sea was calling him.
From 2021 to 2023, Quentin underwent intensive training at the offshore racing training centre in La Turballe, in the Loire-Atlantique region.
In 2022, he bought his first boat, a Mini 6.50, the smallest racing boat in the world capable of crossing the Atlantic. His ambition was already clear: to take part in ocean racing. In November 2023, Quentin completed his first solo transatlantic crossing, without assistance or means of communication, in 28 days.
Basile Rochut, router
Basile Rochut, 27, from Morbihan, is an engineer specialising in data and decision science and artificial intelligence. Passionate about ocean racing since childhood, he specialises in maritime routing. In 2023, Christian Dumard (router for the biggest names in ocean racing) and he founded Marine Weather Intelligence (MWI). They create cutting-edge maritime weather routing tools. Artificial intelligence allows them to automate the calculation of satellite, meteorological, atmospheric and oceanic data in order to reduce the uncertainty of forecasts and offer more accurate routing.
Basile is also an independent router and weather trainer, notably for the La Turballe offshore racing centre. He trained Quentin in weather and strategy before advising him ahead of his first Mini Transat in 2023.
www.oceansailing.be