It was a choice guided by Christian Le Pape, director of the Pôle Finistère Course au Large in Port-La-Forêt. He told me that Charlie had a good profile. So we started by training all winter and it worked well between us.
Have you ever noticed certain qualities?
He was already very motivated, that’s a first point. He came to see me to offer his services for the Transat, it’s not bad to make this effort. It was complementary to my profile, very Cartesian. He was very into data. We quickly saw that we were quite successful together.
What are its main qualities at sea?
He’s all about performance. He’s not the funniest guy, Charlie’s not one of the funniest guys. No, he’s not the funniest sailor I know, but he’s a nice guy. He is square, rigorous, focused to death on performance. He loves software, he loves navigation. In short, he was square, focused.
So it doesn’t surprise you to find him at this level today?
He comes from Le Havre, which is a place where it sails well in the heat. Basically, he already has good training. Then, he joined the Pôle in Port-La-Forêt where he learned everything he needed, particularly in the Figaro sector. He made a good choice to come and settle in South Finistère. Afterwards, let’s not forget that he trained as a naval architect, which certainly helped him to think about his boat and improve its performance. There, he won this Vendée Globe on speed: we immediately saw that his boat was a fighter plane which took off faster. Charlie knew how to make the right choices.
Morocco
