Théa Khélif 19e, Mattéo Sericano 20e, Matéo Le Calvic 21e, Thomas Lurton 22e, Benoit Sineau 23e

Théa Khelif – 19th – Women Of Course

“The race went well; there were more difficult phases than others—that’s part of offshore racing. There were also some very good moments, especially a strong passage at the first mark, where I was in fourth position. After that, I knew it would be hard to keep up with the leaders. I tried to focus on what I needed to work on, and then it became a matter of putting in the effort to try to climb back a few places until the finish. It was great.

I didn’t get much sleep the first night, but it improved over the following nights, even though I missed a few transitions because I was exhausted. There’s still room for improvement there. Overall, it’s a positive result!”

Mattéo Sericano – 20th – Lucente

“The race went really well. It was a lot of fun with all the conditions we encountered—I really enjoyed it. It was my first solo race in a Class40 after doing a lot of double-handed sailing. I’m really happy because I didn’t know what to expect, and it turns out it’s doable—and really fun. I actually wanted to keep going, and to do another solo race as soon as possible.

There was a lot to learn, but above all the racing on the water was just beautiful—it makes you want to go back out and play with friends again. I managed sleep and food well… it was a great edition.”

Matéo Le Calvic – 21st – FPFP TP

“It was my first race in a Class40, and the goal was to test myself on this type of boat. In the end, I’m quite happy with my start to the race, where it was important to stay mentally strong—it was great, and I came out of the Bay of Quiberon with the right group.

In terms of speed, I’m not unhappy, but even the smallest mistake is costly—especially when you’re close to others—and as a beginner, I made some mistakes.

As for food and sleep, I usually manage better than that. I did the Mini six months ago and didn’t finish that exhausted, but here, after the first waypoint, I was already completely drained—I had slept only one hour in total.

I’m happy to see that I can handle the boat and that I’m not completely off the pace, but there are mistakes I need to avoid if I want to stay in the middle of the fleet and do better next time.”

Thomas Lurton – 22nd – Sireco

“This was really my first race with the boat, my first race on a scow after two years sailing a conventional bow, so it changes everything. There are no more reference points!

Just making it to the start is already a victory, as I received the sails the day before and only had time for a one-hour outing with them. There are quite a few small issues to fix, but that also means there’s potential.

As for food and sleep, it’s simple—I didn’t eat, didn’t sleep… Well, actually, I slept a little, but really didn’t eat much.

It’s hard to be disappointed when you’re lucky enough to race in Class40 and to be one of the 30 sailors taking part in the first edition of the Trin40.”

Benoît Sineau – 23rd – EKINOX

“It was good—tough, especially from a weather standpoint. It wasn’t easy managing the systems that came through! It was my first full solo race. I had only done the return leg of Les Sables–Horta last year.

There was a lot to learn—I picked up quite a bit, and many things are different from double-handed sailing, especially maneuvers and life on board. I’m happy, even if the ranking isn’t amazing.

The only really difficult part was sleep! In these conditions, you always have to stay on top of things, otherwise you end up at the back of the fleet—which, in this case, happened (laughs). Sleep wasn’t easy, but food was fine.

There’s a lot of anticipation required for maneuvers, and that’s something I need to improve because there’s so much to handle on these boats. I had promised myself to eat well—because you need to fuel your body—and I managed that. Very positive overall: continuous learning!”