In a year where the main meeting of the season is undoubtedly the singlehanded Route du Rhum, a crewed race might not seem like the ideal training exercise, but for Charles it’s a very valuable tool: “We’re eager to do battle and get out on the racetrack. That is what’s driving us here and it will enable us to see where we’re at in relation to our rivals, even though the Finistère Atlantique format is naturally very different to that of the Route du Rhum, which is the main objective for all the team this year. Kicking off the season with a crewed race is an advantage and it’s the perfect way to get back in the saddle. It’s in crewed configuration that we really push our machines hard and trimming and performance have to be really honed. At the end of the race, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild will be tweaked to perfection for the rest of the season.”
According to the latest weather forecast, the Finistère Atlantique - Challenge Action Enfance fleet should set sail from the bay of Port la Forêt in very mild to very calm conditions: at midday 8 - 10 knots of SW’ly wind are expected to accompany the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild and her rivals as they head offshore.
The Finistère Atlantique Challenge Action Enfance
3,163-mile course across the North Atlantic
Concarneau, the Glénan archipelago, Madeira, Lanzarote (Canaries), Santa Maria (Azores), Concarneau
Crew on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild
Charles Caudrelier, skipper
Franck Cammas, helm, navigator
Morgan Lagravière, helm, trimmer
David Boileau, trimmer, bowman
Erwan Israël, helm, trimmer
Yann Riou, media crew, helm
The entries
Maxi Edmond de Rothschild
Banque Populaire XI
Sodebo Ultim 3
Actual Leader