An interview with Ambre Hasson on stepping up from Classe Minis to Class40s
by David Schmidt 8 Apr 08:00 PDT
April 8, 2026
Class40 #89, which will be co-skippered in 2026 and 2027 by Ambre Hasson and Marine Feuerstein © yohan brandt 2022
On November 14th, 2025, at 09:09:54 UTC, Ambre Hasson joined a small circle of American-flagged skippers to have completed the Mini Transat, which stretches from Les Sables d'Olonne, France, Santa Cruz de la Palma, in the Canary Islands, before punching some 2,700 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean to a finishing line off of Saint Francois, Guadeloupe. While the first leg of the 2025 race was cancelled due to the inopportune arrival of Hurricane Gabrielle, Hasson found plenty of adventure on the big leg: On November 5, the port rudder of On the Road Again 2, her 2008 Finot-Conq prototype Classe Mini, parted ways with its assembly.
Hasson managed to jury-rig a repair, a job that took about two and a half days, but she had to sail slowly and with minimal heel angle or the rest of her race. These tactics got her to within about 300 nautical miles of the finishing line, however a "little 12-knot surf" (her words) spelled the end for her repair job, and for the rudder.
Ultimately, Hasson crossed the finishing line after 19 days, 18 hours, 9 minutes, and 54 seconds alone aboard a 21-foot carbon-fiber speedster.
Sail-World conducted a series of seven pre- and post-racing interviews with Hasson, which can be found here:
While most people would have been happy to celebrate a grand adventure in Guadeloupe and then travel home to France aboard a Boeing or Aerobus design, Hasson instead joined some friends aboard a scow-bow Class40 for another 15-some days of (uphill) offshore sailing.
Then, about a month after finishing the Mini Transat, Hasson (who is French by birth but holds dual citizenships and currently lives in Lorient, France) got a call from Mathieu Claveau, an accomplished Classe Mini and Class40 skipper who runs Mer Connexion, the Marseille, France-based offshore racing team and sailing academy. Claveau wanted to know if Hasson would be interested in co-skippering a Class40 program.
The decision wasn't a hard one, and Claveau paired Hasson with co-skipper Marine Feuerstein. Together, the two plan to build up to the Transat Café L'Or 2027.
I caught up with Hasson, via a Teams video call and email, to learn more about her Class40 plans.
Can you please tell us about your new role as co-skipper of a Class40? Also, how did this come about?
Mathieu Claveau reached out to me shortly after the Mini Transat and asked if I wanted to join his academy, Mer Connexion, and become [a] co-skipper of Class40 #89 with the long-term goal of [competing in] the [2027] Transat Café L'Or.
The idea behind the academy is to identify female sailors with strong potential and give them a structured pathway into high-level offshore racing. It felt like a very natural next step after the Mini.
Can you please tell us about your co-skipper, Marine Feuerstein?
Marine is originally from the south of France and has been sailing most of her life. She completed the Mini Transat back in 2009 on a proto.
She's now transitioning into the Class40 as well, so we're both stepping into something new, just coming at it from slightly different backgrounds.
Now that you've done some sailing with Feuerstein, how do you see your team's strengths and personality types complimenting each other? Also, what do you see as your biggest strengths?
We've only done a couple of trainings so far, so we're still getting to know each other.
Marine brings a lot of experience in inshore racing, especially around starts and tactical decision-making, which is going to be a real asset.
On my side, I bring more offshore experience and endurance, and I already have a bit more time on the Class40.
So, I think we're quite complementary — different strengths, but aligned in how we approach performance.
Let's flip that last question around—what do you see as your team's biggest weaknesses as you enter your first season together? Also, how do you and Feuerstein and the rest of your team plan to address these weaknesses over the next year or so?
It's early in the season, but the biggest challenge is simply that everything is new—new boat, new class, new level.
The Class40 circuit is very professional, and one of the biggest areas we need to develop quickly is weather routing and strategy. With tools like Adrena and high-resolution GRIB files, the game changes completely.
Luckily, Mathieu is extremely strong in this area and is guiding us through how to use the tools properly and, more importantly, how to interpret them.
What does your race schedule look like for 2026? And without getting too far over our skis, what's on the horizon for 2027?
We already have a full 2026 season lined up, including:
—The CIC Med Channel Race, which is a 1000 nautical mile double-handed race.
—Massilia Cup, which is a 600 nautical mile, double-handed race.
—40 Malouine, which is a shorter-format, 150 nautical mile double-handed race that's also for partner activation.
The long-term goal is the Transat Café L'Or in 2027—a double-handed transatlantic race from France to Martinique.
I really like the double-handed format. You learn a lot from your co-skipper, and it brings a different kind of energy onboard—you tend to push harder.
I realize that these are still early days, but what are your initial impressions of your Class40 compared to your Classe Mini?
It feels like a proper boat—it makes the Mini feel like a toy in comparison.
It's a much more powerful platform, with higher loads, but at the same time it's actually more stable and more forgiving [than a Classe Mini]. Even though you're going faster, you feel safer.
On the Mini, especially on a proto, the limit was very fine—I spent a lot of time right on the edge. On the Class40, you feel when the boat is getting close to that limit, and you have time to react.
How much do you think having Starlink and access to high-resolution GRIBs will affect how you and Feuerstein will weather route the boat compared to how you sailed your Mini? What challenges does this bring, and what aspects of modern weather-routing do you find most interesting?
This is probably the part I'm most excited about.
Having access to detailed weather data means we can make real, informed strategic decisions. But the flip side is that everyone has access to the same tools—so the advantage comes from how well you use them.
In the Mini, there was more uncertainty and a bit more luck involved because information was limited. Now it's much more analytical.
That said, it's easy to get stuck behind the screen. At the end of the day, the computer doesn't have all the answers—you still need to look outside, feel the boat, and trust your instincts.
Is there anything else about your Class40 campaign that you'd like to tell us about or add for the record?
Being part of Mer Connexion is a fantastic opportunity. It allows Marine and me to step into the Class40 circuit in a structured way, without having to carry the full financial weight of the project from day one.
It makes the campaign much more accessible from a sponsorship standpoint, while still offering strong visibility and meaningful activation opportunities.
We're still finalizing the budget for this season, so if anyone is interested in coming onboard, we'd love to talk.
[Editor's note: Hasson's website is www.ambresails.com, her email address is ambre@ambresails.com, and her Instagram handle is @ambre_sails.]