The training begins! Next stop: Martinique

After settling into Team Holcim-PRB, it’s time for Nicolas and Rosalin to do what they do best – sail! Their next adventure? - delivering the boat to Martinique.

On November 6th at 10:00am the team left on their first transatlantic sail at the helm of Holcim-PRB. Nicolas and Rosalin set course from Concarneau to Martinique in a delivery mode, after which Nicolas will take on the solo Transat Retour à la Base - a qualifier for the Vendée Globe. The start of this delivery brought a lot of excitement and emotions in the team, who are more than ready to take GoCircular out in the Oceans.

WHAT’S ON THE SKIPPERS’ MINDS?

During our first 24h training in October, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions! When I stepped on the boat I felt as if it had been years since I last did this. But after a few hours I got into the rhythm of the sea and the boat. I’m confident that the Atlantic crossing to Martinique will be an exciting journey where we can really get to know the boat and discover her full potential. I am ready to be at sea!

Rosalin Kuiper

The crew should take between 12 to 15 days to reach Martinique by direct route. Sailing conditions were tough for the first night on board, however, the team decided to make use of the small window of opportunity in the weather forecast to get underway. They aim to round Cape Finisterre in manageable conditions, before the arrival of a new low-pressure system currently forming in the Bay of Biscay.

By leveraging the weather window the team left one day before the start of the Transat Jaque Vabre, a race from Le Havre to Martinique in which many of the other IMOCA’s will take part.

We’ll be five on board, and I'm going to rely on all the people who are going to be with me to finalize the list of things we still have to do. During this delivery trip, I'll have to learn how to use the boat, get to know the sails and all the onboard systems, as well as learn how to master the maneuvers with this boat. There's a lot at stake on this crossing, even if we're lucky enough to be able to do it in delivery mode. I hope that by the time we get to Martinique, we'll have ticked off all the boxes on our joblist. You can always dream!

Nicolas Lunven

Deciding to sail this first trans-atlantic crossing in a delivery mode instead of a race mode, they skippers are taking this opportunity to familiarize themselves with the boat and to finalize the preparations for the Retour a la Base.

The training begins! Next stop: Martinique

WHAT’S ON THE SKIPPERS’ MINDS?

GO CIRCULAR: racing for circularity from sea to city