Pamela Lee 27e, Emmanuel Hamez 28e, Lomano Takasi, 29e

Pamela Lee, #Empowher, 27th

“It was interesting, with lots of different phases and a wide range of weather conditions—an amazing experience for me. There were some really good moments where I set the boat up well and found effective tactics, especially around the start, but it’s more difficult upwind. I’m a bit disappointed with the result, but there was a lot to play for, and I’m looking forward to debriefing with the other sailors about all the different options.
A great race, a valuable experience, a few more miles of racing under my belt—it’s only my second solo race. My main goal was really to gain experience, to better understand myself and learn how to manage myself on board.

As for life on board, I still have a lot to improve about myself and my management. I always find the first 24 hours—甚至 36 hours—quite difficult. It’s tricky because the race is only four days long, and I was just starting to find my rhythm when it was already over! I can’t wait to take on the transatlantic.

I also had a great experience with wildlife and nature: dolphins were around me for two or three days, and then a homing pigeon showed up. It tried to come inside, but I told it, ‘That’s not happening, mate.’ It stayed with me for two days the whole time, and I even made it a little bed—I hope it was happy to arrive!”

Emmanuel Hamez, Viranga, 28th

“The positive thing is that I’m improving! Before, I struggled with the boat, but this time there were fewer issues than I’d had previously. My maneuvers are decent, but the overall level has skyrocketed—there’s no room for error anymore! They’re fast all the time, in maneuvers they’re always in the right place. We’re reaching the limits of amateurism; there are still two or three of us trying to hold on.

To even hope to be in the pack—not even at the front—you need to train at a professional training center. Sometimes I wonder why I’m doing this, but it really pushes you to improve, and it makes me do things I wouldn’t normally do, which is interesting. I forced myself to sleep—otherwise I just start making mistakes.”

Lomano Takasi, Réauté Chocolat, 29th

“It’s a great race! The course was fantastic. The first day went quite well for me, but I started with worn sails, and my gennaker tore open—I watched everyone pass me. Needless to say, it made for a tough first night!

On top of that, I got caught in a fishing net between Quiberon and Belle-Île. I had to stop, tie myself on, and put half my body in the water to remove it from the back of the boat. That obviously left me very, very far behind the others. It was a race that moved forward without me—I tried things, but nothing worked to catch back up.

We hit 40 knots on the last night, with storms; one of my ballasts failed, my bilge pump burned out, and I bailed out 100 liters with a water bottle—it was long… but it was beautiful! I prepared late, I had never sailed solo in a Class40 before, and I managed my maneuvers well—that’s a success.”