Returning to solo mode, for better or worse

After a 2023 season which so far for IMOCA Class sailors has been confined to just two-handed sailing, the imminent return to solo racing on the Rétour à La Base is going to be quite tough, for those who have plenty of experience as well as for those who are new to Solo IMOCA racing. 

Yoann Richomme may be a double winner of La Solitaire du Figaro and indeed the Route du Rhum but he is about to experience his first solo IMOCA race when he takes on the 3,500 miles race from Martinique to Lorient La Base. 

It might take some time for Richomme to find his rhythm, “Imagine a restless night in a hammock suspended from the top of a skyscraper in the middle of a storm!” jokes Richomme who has just finished the Transat Jacques Vabre in second position with his co-skipper, Yann Eliès. 

“More seriously solo is just total immersion in all the action, it is a dance with fatigue, stress and fast decisions,” emphasizes Richomme. “At such speeds it is a real cocktail of adrenaline and endurance, an intense ride that keeps you on your toes for every endless moment. This is sailing in its rawest state, an experience of solitude and power, the ultimate challenge.” 

And the programme racing back across the Atlantic is going to challenge all the skippers, not just the solo rookies

“I wonder if I remember how to do it”

And in fact most experienced sailors have to look back a year to when they last did any meaningful solo racing

 “I did the Route du Rhum last year on my boat, but I was very far from being 100%. My last Vendée Globe I had to abandon when the boat broke early in the race. So I have the impression that it's been a long time since I did a solo race and so I wonder if I remember how to do it", smiled Sam Davies at the Rétour à La Base press conference today. 

Ahead of setting a sports objective Davies’ ambitions in this race are most of all to “rediscover those processes and feelings which come naturally, which are automatic, and to take pleasure and confidence from being solo.” 

A lot of that holds true, too, for Clarisse Crémer. In fact this will be her first solo race since her 2020-2021 Vendée Globe and she is looking forwards to the challenge with a mix of impatience and apprehension. 

 “I never feel as solid as when I am alone. I don't know why, there's something going on in my head that makes me struggle a bit more. But that feeling builds your self-confidence, even if there are inevitably difficult moments. I discovered racing sailing solo, I think that moulded me and that’s why soloing is really my fundamental thing.”  Crémer says

“It’s like in life, everything is simpler with two people”

Because going from double handed to single handed is not just arithmetic. 

“People often say that with two people it's twice as easy, but it's actually TEN times easier,” explains Romain Attanasio, skipper of the IMOCA Fortinet - Best Western. Patching a sail from front to back takes a minute or two when there are two of you. But it might take ten or more when you are solo. It's like in life, everything is simpler together: we comfort each other, we support each other, we help each other. Then when you are alone you spend your time doubting, wondering if you made the right choice. The transition between two handed and solo racing is not going to be easy.” 

And then there are the questions about the preparation, the configuration of the boat, their ability to quickly find their bearings..

“Is it like cycling do we need to have training wheels back on?” asked Benjamin Ferré at the press conference. His last actual solo ocean crossing dates back to… the Mini-Transat in 2019 on a boat 12m shorter. 

But when the common goal is the Vendée Globe everyone needs to cherish solo racing, even to come to love it. Jean Le Cam, still at sea waiting to get to Martinique aboard his brand new Everything begins in Finistère - Armor Lux is always one to cut through the sentiments. “For me, it doesn’t really matter,” explains the five-time Vendée Globe competitor. “Whether solo, double-handed or with a crew, I always have the same pleasure. »