Winner for the third time in the Solitaire du Figaro and runner-up in
the Route du Rhum aboard his 60-foot IMOCA, Jérémie Beyou has had a very
successful 2014 season. A skipper who pops up everywhere, Beyou is
getting ready for a 2015 season, which looks equally busy, as he will be
competing in the Tour de France Sailing Race on a Diam 24, attempting
to win the Solitaire for a fourth time and will be supervising the
fine-tuning of his IMOCA, Maître Coq. “It’s going to be very busy next year,” declared Jérémie presenting a race programme which is packed in 2015, as he is competing in three different circuits.
Entering the Solitaire du Figaro history books
Firstly, he will be attempting to become the first sailor to win the Solitaire du Figaro four times. Jérémie Beyou: “I made a steady improvement throughout the season in the Figaro circuit last year. A fourth win is possible. There is still plenty of work to do, but the idea is to make the most of what we learnt this year. This is a great race, which brings me so much. It is a reference, the best school for solo offshore racing. If we continue to compete to win, we remain humble, as it always gets you to question your ability and nothing can be taken for granted.”
The Tour de France, new horizons
“Opening up to new types of boat is the best way to make progress,” stressed Beyou. That is why he will be taking part in July in the Tour de France Sailing Race, raced for the first time aboard a multihull, the Diam 24. “I’m pleased to be returning to crewed racing. It’s a great opportunity to learn from others and to exchange ideas. For me, it is also a return to multihulls (after competing in the 60-foot Orma circuit and taking part in a round the world attempt on the maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V, editor’s note). You need to be ambitious. We are clearly competing to do well. There are lots of different levels in this circuit. We know what one-design boats imply and what counts is sailing well. I’m going to choose crewmen, who are used to the Tour de France, very skilled in dinghy sailing and with whom I am used to sailing.”
And of course, the IMOCA…
The third feature for this 2015 season involves the work being done on the 60-foot IMOCA Maître Coq. “Here too, we need to be ambitious,” stressed Beyou. “The work is being carried out in two phases. From January to March, we’ll be stripping her down and renewing all the different parts on the boat. A thorough check-up, like we do for the Vendée Globe. After that, we’ll be watching closely what is going on with the six new IMOCA boats and their foils. Based on this initial analysis, we will decide whether to follow them and then there will be a second phase of fine-tuning concerning the appendages and the rig… We also have to deal with budget constraints and the timing. All of that will be sorted out in the first half of the year.”
(www.vendeeglobe.org)
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