Ocean Race: Biotherm skipper Paul Meilhat hoping experience trumps preparation – ‘Never trained with the crew’
Biotherm skipper Paul Meilhat is hoping experience trumps preparation as he gets ready for leg one of the Ocean Race from Alicante to Cabo Verde.
The IMOCA foiling fleet are set to begin racing on January 15, with most crews having had plenty of time together planning their approach.
Not so for Biotherm however, with their team only deciding to take to the start line late on.
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“We decided really late to compete in The Ocean Race. My boat is the last to be launched, in September,” Meilhat said.
“I have never trained with the crew. Never.
“I have chosen people who are very autonomous. They can sail the boat without me, they are co-skippers, very capable and very experienced with IMOCA sailing.”
Asked to assess his team against rival outfit 11th Hour Racing, who have spent three years preparing for the event, Meilhat admitted Charlie Enright’s team have an intrinsic advantage, but he thinks his group can succeed in a different way.
“They [11th Hour Racing] are very experienced with this race, it is what they have been building up to. But in our crew we have many, many thousands of miles of experience sailing the IMOCA.
“I think that will be important.”
There may also be benefits to be gleaned from how Biotherm set up their boat, but Meilhat was coy when asked to reveal specifics.
“I’m not going to tell you the weight of my boat, but it’s one of the lighter ones in the fleet,” he said. “You look at Malizia, and you would need to make two Biotherms to make one Malizia.
“There is about 1.4m of height inside, so you have to crawl around a lot of the time. There’s only one small position in the boat where you can stand up, less than 1 square metre.
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“It was a choice to get a light boat and keep things small. Righting moment in an IMOCA is really important, and keeping your centre of gravity down low is much better.
“I’m happy with my choices.”
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