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Cindy Brin had one fear when she signed up for the Transat: sharing her daily life with a stranger. More than discovering a new boat or even crossing the Atlantic, the Saint-Barth Yacht Club instructor was anxious about the idea of living in a confined space with someone she didn't know. As the island native herself says, she's not an easy character. So finding a teammate for her was no easy task.
"We work well together
In the end, project coordinator Eric Péron opted for young sailor Thomas André. Not only for his skills, but also for his pedagogical and benevolent attitude. After a month of intense training, how is the collaboration going? Right from the start, there was a real feeling between us," confides Cindy. We work well together, without any headaches, even at times when things could be tense. "According to the instructor, Thomas André always maintains his composure: "For example, when the boat went 30 metres sideways in the space of 10 minutes because of the conditions or a poor adjustment on my part, he could have got angry, but that's not his style. "
Different characters
Despite their very different characters, the two skippers have to learn to communicate. "I'm someone who talks a lot and needs to exchange ideas all the time, whereas she's perhaps more reserved," shares Thomas André. The young skipper confesses to having felt a few doubts. Not about his relationship with Cindy, but about his position within the project. It's the first time I've been in the position of co-skipper, while at the same time having some responsibility for training my team-mate," explains the Breton. It's not easy to find my position, because until now, I've always been in projects centered around myself, whether solo or double-handed. "
"She's progressing at an impressive rate".
Barely 24, Thomas André has a wealth of experience in the world of sailing. In 2023, the Breton finished 5th in the Mini Transat race from Les Sables d'Olonne to Saint-François in Guadeloupe. Cindy, too, grew up in the marine environment, but the instructor has no experience of transatlantic racing, nor of Figaro Beneteau 3s. A margin for progress that she sometimes finds hard to accept. My main challenge is to accept that I'm not ahead from the start. I don't like losing," says Cindy Brin. But I put it into perspective by telling myself that sailing against the best is also the best way to progress. "However, her team-mate is blown away by her new skills: "What has surprised me the most since the start of the project is Cindy's ability to learn. She knew next to nothing about ocean racing at the start, and yet she's progressing at an impressive rate! "Training was put on hold for a few weeks so that Cindy could accompany the youngsters from the Saint-Barth Yacht Club to a competition, but preparation resumes in earnest at the beginning of March for the final stretch. The two team-mates have a single objective: to sail as much as possible.
