The Ocean Race Europe 2025 - Étape 4 : Lucie et Mathis, heading to Italy!

Race start this Sunday at 5:00 PM for 545 nautical miles between the French Riviera and Italy.

Under light wind conditions, Team AMAALA will set off this afternoon, with a gate passage off the coast of Monaco before rounding Corsica from the west.

As we know, the Mediterranean can be unpredictable and unforgiving. Alan, Conrad, Lucie, and Mathis will therefore need to remain extra vigilant!

Conrad, can you give us a word on what awaits you in terms of weather and the course?

“This fourth leg promises to be… challenging. For now, there are still many uncertainties, particularly regarding the small detour to the Scoring Gate in Monaco.

The weather models are not aligned with each other, and even less so with what we are actually seeing from the boat. Then it’s likely to get very technical for the descent along Corsica, the return leg, and entering the Bay of Genoa.

It’s going to be tricky throughout this race, but that’s what we’re here for. We remain optimistic and patient… even if three out of the four crew members have already admitted to hating calm winds! So we’ll need to hold firm, stay patient, and, most importantly, be ready to seize every opportunity.

Keeping an open and free mind will be essential. We’ll probably sail a lot by sight, observing the horizon, the clouds, and the radars. We’ll play the reaching tack: sometimes, the simplest way is the most effective!

We know the boat well. The crew is almost the same as during the last leg, with only Bex replaced by Lucie. So we’re well-prepared. Despite the score, we sailed our previous leg perfectly, and this time the objective is clear: do better, catch up with the fleet, and take advantage of the many opportunities that will arise in this ‘minefield’ ahead of us.

The motto: stay calm, stay cool, but always opportunistic!”

Mathis, you’re starting a second consecutive leg, already familiar with the boat and crew — only Lucie joins the team this time. Does this change anything compared to the first leg? How do you approach this new start?

“With higher expectations for myself. The idea is, of course, to do better: learn from the small mistakes of the previous leg and correct them. The course and weather conditions look challenging. Unfortunately, the weather won’t make it easy: we’ll need to create our own luck and stay well-placed in the pack, because we’re more likely to endure it than control it. The important thing is to remain patient, avoid pressure, prevent mistakes, and sail cleanly.

If we tick all those boxes, everything should go well. And we know how to do that. The most important thing is, above all, to enjoy it.”

Image © Adrien Cordier / Air Vide et Eau productions