Spring has sprung
Sometimes, the world of professional solo offshore racing feels a million miles away. The dream of competing in prestigious solo races like La Solitaire du Figaro and the Transat CIC can seem impossible, even delusional. Yet, suddenly, you find yourself immersed in this exhilarating world—much like the abrupt transition from winter to spring. According to the Met Office, spring officially begins on March 20th, but we both know the true first day of spring is when you find yourself sailing a Figaro in Brittany, which also happened to be on March 20th.
Duo Guy Cotten
My spring started with racing in the Duo Guy Cotten with Cal. I won’t bore you with the details of that emotional rollercoaster.
"Bricolage" is the French word for DIY. When someone says they’re doing some “petit bricolage,” it could range from putting a screw in a door handle to rebuilding their kitchen—something I’ve learned. We all know that DIY takes place in spring because it’s far too cold to attempt such madness in winter, and you don’t want to waste a glamorous summer day on DIY. Sailing DIY is the same.
A few rather essential things missing
So, in that respect, it was planned that Cal and I would hastily rebuild/service his and Maggie’s boat over some lovely sunny spring days after the Guy Cotten!
The Transat Paprec
Maybe it’s because DIY is like a drug, and once you get that sweet hit, you’ll be craving more. Or maybe it was the thought of reuniting the 2024 Defi Paprec dream team (memories found here). Whichever it was, when Ellie Driver and Ollie Hill asked me if I was free for race week for the final prep, I said yes. Race weeks are always fun, albeit very intense. From boat prep to translating to coaching, that week had it all.
It’s not every day that your friends leave to race across an ocean—something super cool to be a part of. Selfishly, it feels like a small part of me is racing across the Atlantic with them right now. Hopefully, one day it will be all of me racing across the Atlantic Ocean.
Solo Maître Coq
The world of Figaro racing is apparently quite hard to leave. I found myself staying a little longer than my Duo Guy Cotten race. I can’t say that I’m too upset about being forced to stay involved in this amazing racing. Even if at the Solo Maître Coq I was again not racing but serving as shore crew, the boat prep and weather/tactics made for a very fulfilling spring week. Much like an English spring day, Vendée spring is much the same—sometimes cold, sometimes rainy, and sometimes sunny. It was amazing to play a tiny part in Erica Lush getting her first top 10 in Figaro’s.
Team Erica Lush at the Solo Maitre Coq
Sailing back to Lorient on Sunday night with a sunny spinnaker the whole way—why can’t all deliveries be like that one? We hit the dock at 7 AM on Monday morning, which meant that I was lucky enough to make it back in time to join another team.
Class 40
After a quick 90-minute nap on the dock, I got straight back to work to reunite with Pam Lee, whose last project in 2023 I was involved with. It was another week of getting a boat ready for a race that I’d love to do one day: the Normandy Channel Race. Also, a day’s work after only a quick nap meant that for the first time since 2023, I got to practice my solo sailing “lack of sleep but still able to function” techniques!
It wasn’t that long ago that these people were dreaming of having their own projects, and now they’ve done it—managing to break into this world with their own race team.
Christmas Wishlist?
I think reading about races that I’d like to do means this blog is getting dangerously close to a child’s Christmas wish list. Being involved in other projects is a massive chance to learn; to see other people’s ways of doing things and their decision-making processes. I love learning about my favorite sport, and I’m doing my best to take every opportunity to learn that comes up.
It’s rather cool to be around some very good friends as they achieve childhood dreams, and ultimately, isn’t that what life is about—seeing people truly fulfilled?
My Own Project?
I’m sure you’re wondering (well, I like to hope you are, anyway) if I will have my own racing project. It seems unlikely, but that’s okay (he writes while trying to sound not jealous at all). Sometimes, I feel as if I might be a better support person than a skipper.
Although my friends, family, and competitors encourage me to keep going, reminding me that one day I’ll race solo again, I’m trying to make it happen—yes, failing to make it happen—but I’m not ready to give up just yet.
Things continue to take shape regarding exactly how a future racing project will be structured, what it will stand for, how I will tailor it to my needs in order to perform, and how I will provide serious ROI to the sponsors.
If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that I am progressing as a sailor all the time—slowly but surely. The sailor I am today is the sailor that David Paul, who crossed the finish line of La Solitaire in 2023, dreamed of becoming. He’s faster, smarter, and more aware of all the ingredients he needs in place to succeed.