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For weeks, Cindy Brin had been looking forward to sailing aboard a Figaro Beneteau. "My specialty is the Optimist," laughed the instructor from the Saint-Barth Yacht Club (JSB 1586), who had never tried this type of boat before. Now she has. From October 28 to November 1, the skipper familiarized herself with this one-design foiling sailboat off Lorient, Brittany. "It was just too good," Cindy Brin sums up. Wearing a turtleneck sweater to combat the cold, but always with a smile on her face, the sailing instructor spent her days at sea "maneuvering". Between Lorient and the island of Groix, Cindy Brin carried out up to thirty maneuvers a day on Brittany's waters.
"This boat is a war machine".
On the first day of training, the young woman had the benefit of a renowned instructor: Éric Péron. A professional sailor specializing in ocean racing, the skipper took a liking to Cindy's plan to enter the Transat Paprec. "I've taken part in this race nearly ten times, and it's an integral part of my career," says the Breton. During this outing at sea, Éric Péron was able to assess Cindy's skills on this boat, which is unknown to her. There's quite a sense of seamanship, so despite her lack of knowledge of this type of boat, she wasn't lost," shares Éric Péron. She's very willing, so I'm pretty confident she'll be able to cross in good conditions. "
Cindy confesses that she was very surprised by the boat's noise and speed. Despite unfavorable wind conditions, averaging between 3 and 8 knots, the skipper was able to test the boat's capabilities. "This boat is a war machine," she assures us. Her physical preparation was also put to the test, with a few adjustments to be made. "There weren't too many worries, apart from the back pain, so I'm going to concentrate my preparation on the lumbar vertebrae", explains Cindy Brin, who resumed training as soon as she returned to the island.
Safety first
Over the following days, the Saint-Barth Yacht Club instructor sailed alongside two other skippers, one of whom could potentially be chosen to become her teammate. "Both are very good teachers," enthuses Cindy Brin. The skipper also spent a night at sea, where she was able to experience the cold. The young woman also has to learn how to sail in these temperatures, and manage her equipment in the same way. "As it's cold, your cardio tends to go up faster and you can quickly get hot," says the instructor, who tended to take off and put back on layers of clothing constantly.
But according to Éric Péron, in the weeks ahead, Cindy Brin's priority remains to focus on the technical side, and above all safety. "Being able to react in all situations, that's the biggest pillar, the regatta aspect we'll see later," adds Miguel Danet's former teammate. Le Breton is already planning to send her a bit of reading to cram into her physical preparation, so that Cindy arrives in Brittany in January in the best possible shape to resume training aboard the Figaro Beneteau.
Transat alumni on the Vendée Globe
On Sunday November 10, forty skippers took the start of the Vendée Globe, a solo round-the-world sailing race held every four years. More than half of these sailors (Violette Dorange, Nicolas Lunven, Samantha Davies, Clarisse Crémer, Tanguy Le Turquais... ) have already participated in the Transatlantic race between Concarneau and Saint-Barthélemy! "An excellent testament to the way the Figaro Class is paving the way to the world of ocean racing," comments the Transat Paprec organization. Four former winners of the race have embarked on the Vendée Globe 2024 adventure: Charlie Dalin, Jean Le Cam, Paul Meilhat and Thomas Ruyant. And let's not forget Guirec Soudée, whose arrival in Saint-Barth in 2021 to complete his Atlantic crossing by rowing boat (in 74 days) has remained in many memories. This time, it's without his hen, Monique, that the sailor will be circumnavigating the globe. At an entirely different pace, too!
