Jérémie Beyou on the pontoon
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Jérémie, how do you feel about this 2nd place?
First of all, congratulations to Yoann who had a great race. He made two very nice Transats, there and back. It’s a big thing to win races so congratulations to him. He was well positioned from the start and once he entered the high pressure ridge he did well by being a little north, wider on the arc. For me, that’s when I started having problems with my J2 which blew up and my aerials which broke. I tried to hold on but I was quite handicapped. I have come a long way with Sam (Goodchild) at the end. He is more than just good third since he is also our champion of the year. He well deserves his holidays!
You had to draw on your resources to get this 2nd place…
Yes, to be honest, I almost stopped in the Azores. When you don't have VHF, AIS, Oscar, it's really difficult. The idea was above all to reconnect with solo racing and so I wanted to go all the way. And I did well ! We have seen a lot of things and not only bad ones: she is a great boat in the breeze we knew this boat’s qualities and this 2nd place demonstrates it.
However, you had made a very good start...
I had a very good feeling with this boat! Afterwards, it's a bit of a game. And we can't afford to lose a sail, it's not good in terms of performance. These are boats that hurt us, the people but also all the systems and equipment.
How did you feel physically?
It is, after all, the North Atlantic, these were really muscular and sometimes very harsh conditions... During the last leg with Sam (Goodchild), we had these really impressive “vertical” waves. It was good sport! It allowed me to find the solo rhythm again. It feels good to see that I can do it well and go the distance. Seeing that you manage to get through it when you have problems is important. I know I will have problems in the Vendée Globe!”
His race in numbers
Time at sea: 9 days 5 hours 53 min 31 sec
Gap with first: 5 hours 49 min
Miles traveled: 4,282.59 miles
Actual average speed: 19.30 knots
Average speed on the great circle: 15.76 knots