At first glance, Manuel Cousin has the profile of a passionate sailor. But that's to misunderstand this Norman, based in Les Sables d'Olonne, his boat's home port. For him, competition is at every level of the ranking.
Having spent some twenty years in the car industry, Manuel Cousin, who has had a passion for sailing since he was a young boy, chose to switch careers at a late age in order to fulfil his dream of becoming a professional sailor. Initially launched in the Class40 class, he has had a very positive experience of his first few years with Groupe SETIN, taking part in flagship races such as the Transat Jacques Vabre and the Québec Saint - Malo, which has enabled him to move up to the IMOCA class in 2017. His first two seasons on the IMOCA Groupe SETIN reflect his temperament.
The only IMOCA skipper to have competed in every race on the calendar since joining the class, he is working hard to be confident about the future, while at the same time giving his entries a sportier tempo in order to secure his entry ticket for the Vendée Globe. The only IMOCA skipper to have competed in every race on the calendar since joining the class, he is working hard to be confident about the future, while at the same time giving his entries a sportier tempo in order to secure his entry ticket for the Vendée Globe. He will be setting off on the legendary round the world race on 8 November 2020 with the aim of finishing. Determined more than anything else, the skipper of Groupe SÉTIN will have shouted his determination and perseverance loud and clear throughout the race, despite every difficulty he encounters. At the end of his first circumnavigation, the sailor is already dreaming of setting sail again.In 2021, the team carried out a major refit on the boat to make it more competitive: numerous elements were lightened, the bowsprit changed, the rudder system, the cap and the ballast system.
In 2022, Manu announced his participation in the entire IMOCA GLOBE SERIES programme, with the aim of clocking up as many miles as possible in preparation for the 2024 Vendée Globe.
First and foremost, to get the boat and the skipper back in good shape. It's been a long time since we've sailed solo, since the Route du Rhum, so it's always good to get back into the swing of things with a view to a big 2024 season. It'll be a bit of a rehearsal before the two great transatlantic races and the big one that awaits us at the end of next year.
It changes everything! Double-handed is almost twice as easy. There are two solo sailors on board, which helps with the manoeuvres, the performance... It's completely different, but solo sailing is an exercise that I really enjoy because you can only rely on yourself. When you do great things, but also when you do the opposite! On land, I like people, I like to be surrounded, I like contact, but at sea, I like to be alone on my boat. The sequence of the two races isn't going to be easy, as the Transat Jacques Vabre is going to be a long sprint, during which we're going to want to give it our all. So we're going to arrive pretty burnt out, with little time to rest on site, to get the boat and the crew back up to speed!
On the positive side, we're coming home to celebrate the festive season, so morale is pretty good! The less positive side is that we're setting off from the sun into bad weather and that we'll have to sail quite a long way north to get back, at a time when the weather really isn't very good. It's different from the transatlantic races we're used to. In fact, we all saw last year, during the return delivery trip from the Route du Rhum, that it could be very tricky! I hope we don't get eaten with the same sauce!
It's always nice to come home, and at the end of the year too! Finally, with the two races, we won't have seen our loved ones for a while, almost for 2 months. That's not far from a Vendée Globe! We're always happy to go off and do what we love, to the sun, we love it, but we also love coming back.
2022
Route du Rhum - 32nd
Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race - 18th
2021
Transat Jacques Vabre - 18th
2020
Vendée Globe - 23rd (103d 18h 15min 40s)
Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne - 15th
2019
Transat Jacques Vabre - 22nd
Défi Azimut - 18th
Bermudes 1000 Race - 12th
2018
Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe - 14th
2017
Transat Jacques Vabre - 11th
2016
Quebec Saint-Malo - 14th
2015
Transat Jacques Vabre - 7th
Name: Trimtastic
Architect: Farr Yacht Design
Building: 2007, Southern Ocean Marine, Nouvelle-Zélande
Launching: 03/02/2007
Previous names: Paprec-Virbac 2, W Hotels, ESTRELLA DAMM, WE ARE WATER, Le bateau des métiers by Aerocampus, La Mie Câline - Artipôle, Groupe Sétin
Lenght: 18,28m
Beam: 5,80m
Draught: 4,50m
Weight: 8,4 tonnes
Mast height: 27,80m
Mast type: wing-mast
Foils: no
Upwind: 300 m²
Downwind: 560 m²
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