Last words before heading out to sea: “We know the start is going to be tricky!”

Guillaume L’Hostis, Alternative Sailing - Constructions du Belon:

“As a birthday present, you can wish me some wind, because it looks a bit erratic at the start! A good battle too, with this fleet that looks incredible once again—honestly, it’s a great level, with great boats! And lots of enjoyment, successful maneuvers, getting back into the groove, enjoying this second solo race on the boat. This morning, the preparation is surprisingly calm; it’s true that starting from home is an advantage—it saved us some energy logistically, so we’re making the most of it. We also had some great training sessions with the Orla Bay group, which helps to feel confident, especially since I have the support of the whole Alternative Sailing team to prepare the boat. So I have all the cards in hand to have a great race—that’s really the goal before even thinking about results, although I do hope to fight at the front!”

Corentin Douguet, Donate at SNSM.org:

“It’s been four years since I’ve sailed solo, so we’ll see if I still know how to do it! The conditions are fairly mild, even if the upwind return leg will be a bit more heeled over and wet, but nothing dramatic. We’ll see if I haven’t forgotten anything for solo sailing—it’s true that when you’re two, there’s always an extra hand to fix things when they get stuck; here there won’t be, so it’ll be interesting! The advantage of my age is that I have quite a few solo miles under my belt, so I’m not too worried about that. I’ll need to find the right moments to rest, but it’s a good way to kick off the 2026 season. After that, conditions will be quite unpredictable, so the overall result may not be very meaningful—we’ll have to analyze it leg by leg. But if there’s a chance to win it, I won’t hold back!”

Keni Piperol, Drepaction:

“The last few days have been quite complicated, but I managed to get a mast, so that’s sorted. Still, it cost me quite a bit of energy, so I’ll need to be careful about my objectives in the race. I need to get back into solo mode—it’s been four years since I last did it! Everyone will be watching each other a bit, checking out the winter modifications. I’m going in without too much pressure. The course has been shortened, which is a bit of a shame, but understandable—and for a first race, it’s good to avoid the shipping lanes too; that reduces the pressure as well. It’s really the weather that we’ll have to deal with—it’s uncertain, so we’ll need to keep the light sails up high! I want to find a rhythm, not arrive completely exhausted at the finish, even though we’ll probably get caught up in the racing and things might get intense—but we’ll try to keep that under control as much as possible!”

Quentin Le Nabour, Bleu Blanc Planète Location:

“I feel good—we’re going to have fairly mild conditions, all the indicators are green. The storm system sweeping across the race area makes things uncertain; the race committee has made its choice, and we’ll adapt our tactics, so there’s a bit more work this morning than expected! Still, it’s great to start from home—there was a fantastic استقبال in La Trinité-sur-Mer, and we’re really happy to have had thirty Class40 boats on the pontoons. We’re very pleased to have initiated this race!”

Thimoté Polet, Zeiss:

“It’s good that the course has been shortened—it would have been a bit long otherwise! The first challenge is the beginning of the first night, which could be very light and very unpredictable, so I’m really focused on that; after that, things should flow more easily. It’s going to be interesting—we’ll gather lots of data, check many of the things we’ve put in place recently. I’m really looking forward to seeing all that! First we’ll test our nerves, then the work from this winter. Now it’s time to go, without too much pressure!”

William Mathelin-Moreaux, Patapain Les Invincibles:

“Very excited to set off, because we know the start is going to be quite fun—and especially tricky! We’ll need to be very opportunistic, in the right place to manage to break away before Belle-Île, and stay calm. That part’s fine for me—I actually like light winds! In any case, the race is long. I want to make clean maneuvers, do things properly, and set up routines. The boat is in good working order, I have no technical concerns, which is reassuring! After that, it’s still a relatively short race, so we can allow ourselves to push a bit and attack. The idea is clearly not to watch the others too much, even though the level is very even and it’s going to be intense!”