On the eve of battle for the 30 solo sailors of the Trin’40 and their teams

“Is it turning on?” – “No.” – “And now?” – “No.” – “This time?” – “No… oh wait—yes!”

Relief spreads across the faces of the two people in this exchange, one of whom is precariously perched some 19 meters above the water, right at the top of the mast of one of the thirty Class40s lined up along the pontoons of the Caradec mole in La Trinité-sur-Mer. Because before the start of the Trin’40—set to begin on Friday in Quiberon Bay—a very different kind of race has been playing out this week among the teams, especially the invaluable boat preparers: highly versatile technicians who, all year round, ensure their boats are not only seaworthy, but ready to perform.

“Technical issues can quickly have serious consequences”

“Our role is to be a bit like the boat’s guardian angels,” sums up Pierre Régaud, who has been a preparer since 2025 for the Class40 Alderan, skippered by Sasha Lanièce. “In Class40, teams are small relative to the budgets. Often, there’s just one preparer, forming a real partnership with the sailor. Our job is to put a boat in their hands that is 100% technically ready, where nothing has been left to chance.”

Because in offshore racing, the devil is in the details—and there are plenty of them on these increasingly complex boats, where damage can affect electronics, sails, rigging, mechanical systems, structural laminates… in short, everything that allows these machines to be driven at full speed. “You have to be meticulous and rigorous, while also being able to anticipate the worst,” emphasizes Pierre-Emmanuel Dubois, who works alongside skipper William Mathelin-Moreaux on the Class40 Patapain Les Invincibles. “That’s even more true in solo racing, because for a sailor alone, any technical issue can quickly have serious consequences.”

“Making sure we set off in the best possible conditions”

And of course, there’s no question of letting these determined sailors head out without first ensuring they have all the necessary equipment to stay safe. To guarantee that the boats are properly prepared, an entire operation has once again been underway this week on the pontoons of La Trinité-sur-Mer.

With the support of dedicated volunteers from the Société Nautique de La Trinité-sur-Mer (SNT), co-organizer of the event alongside the Class40 association, inspectors from the French Sailing Federation have been carrying out the well-known “safety checks” throughout the week.

Behind this unchanging pre-race ritual lies around a hundred specific checkpoints examined on each boat. Navigation lights, lifebuoys, onboard medical kits, the presence and contents of the “grab bag”—an emergency kit the skipper must be able to grab quickly if needed—verification of communication systems (VHF radio and satellite phone), as well as detection beacons and the liferaft… duly serviced on time, of course!

“Our boats are inspected regularly, so there are usually few bad surprises, but it’s always important—especially at the start of the season,” explains Jules Bonnier, who has just taken over the Class40 Plastic Odyssey. “All this work is incredibly valuable to make sure we set off in the best possible conditions.”

Start in 15–20 knots

And those conditions are now exactly what’s on the sailors’ minds. What fate will good old Lir, the Celtic god of the sea, have in store for the thirty solo sailors entered in the Trin’40? With around 24 hours to go before the start, uncertainty still remains.

While the race is expected to begin in a solid 15–20-knot easterly breeze in Quiberon Bay, the wind should quickly ease off, giving the sailors a relatively gentle opening phase. After that, however, things look far more unsettled, with thunderstorms likely to join the party and make the race even more unpredictable and demanding.

Once again, the quality of the boats’ preparation could well make all the difference.