Euphoria, training and performance are at the heart of Alan Roura's project for The Ocean Race Europe. And the collective effort is already bearing fruit, with a more than positive assessment after the first three legs.
Each stage brings its own share of satisfaction and learning. The Ocean Race Europe is a formidable laboratory for revealing talent, offering stages that are both nerve-wracking and very different from one another. For Team AMAALA, this grand premiere is a veritable University of the Sea, where, on land and at sea, every moment spent alongside the three-time Vendée Globe finisher is a source of inspiration for young Swiss sailing talent. Euphoria, training and performance were the three driving forces behind the stages of this first half of the race. And to think that three months ago, this team didn't even exist. When you know where you come from, it's easier to know where you're going.
After the mild madness of the start from Kiel, surfing at more than 25 knots and a first night that will remain in the collective memory of all those present on the IMOCA, the second round was tougher and more varied. Between Portsmouth and Cartagena, the main lesson was learned about resilience in the face of the elements, which can sometimes be cruel. An unfavorable weather sequence, inexorably widening gaps with faster boats, but a determination that remains intact. Team AMAALA's Mediterranean trail over the last two days of the longest leg of the course bears witness to the group's collective strength of character. From Gibraltar to the finish in Cartagena, the cartography is clean. After a few hours of getting lost in the soft conditions, we got together to re-mobilize," explained Guillaume Rol at the finish. It was out of the question to let ourselves go and not give it our all until the end."
Because every minute counts when you're lucky enough to be on an IMOCA boat. Sensitive to the training project launched by Alan Roura, Simon Koster and Elodie Mettraux, the public and the fleet were not mistaken when they gave Team AMAALA a royal welcome when she docked in Spain. Sometimes you have to look beyond the horizon of the raw result to measure the progress made. Our initial objective is to be a better team when we arrive in Kotor for the finish of the last leg," Alan Roura regularly reminds us. We're looking at things from a long-term perspective, and with that in mind, we're really pleased with the choices we've made so far."
Just look at the smiles on everyone's faces in the images sent by the onboard reporters. There's an infectious joy of learning at Team AMAALA, which confirms that the crew's selection was a very wise one. We really didn't make a mistake, and it's great to see that everyone fits in with the team on a human level too," says the project captain. The pairings have worked really well so far, and even when we rotate the workforce completely, the harmony persists."
Harmony and performance were at the heart of the third round of The Ocean Race Europe between Cartagena and Nice. For this hectic leg, four new companions joined Alan Roura, who made it a point of honor not to leave his ship, the better to set an example. With Conrad Colman as co-skipper, a refreshing Anglo-Saxon touch was added to the cockpit of this beautiful IMOCA. The Kiwi is like Alan, who isn't his friend for nothing. "He likes it when the going gets tough and you have to put your back into it. It's the same attitude for rookies Rebecca Gmuer and Mathis Bourgnon, who are in tune with the times. And what about Adrien Cordier, who took the camera from Coline Béal to capture rare moments. Alan Roura's breathtaking tightrope walker act on deck, in 70 knots at the height of a memorable gale, will remain one of the highlights of this third leg of the event.
This stage also confirmed that training can go hand in hand with ambition. When there's no level crossing, when the wind doesn't allow the most recent foilers to take off without leaving a mark, Team AMAALA is capable of pulling out all the stops in close-quarters battles. Sailing in close contact right up to the finish is great fun," admits Alan Roura. It's also another way of confirming our progress.
Mathis Bourgnon, on board for the first time, will also remember his first time at sea on a 60-foot foiler. The young man follows in the family footsteps of his father Yvan and his uncle Laurent. He likes to sail fast and in extreme conditions. So it was only fitting that this crazy, violent squall off the Balearics should fall on him. Above 20 knots, these boats hit like never before," he says. In a Mini, I'm used to being shaken around, but there... I was lying down to sleep or rest, and I was leaping into the air over the bunk every time the boat hit. The last 24 hours were very tough, and right up to the end we were hoping to get past the Canadians."
Barely an hour behind the line in Nice, Team AMAALA put in its most accomplished pure performance yet. We were very clean in our maneuvers right from the start," continues Mathis. And what's really cool is that we were able to stay in contact, even at points of sail like upwind, which aren't supposed to be the best for the boat. We're on an exponential progression curve and I'm really looking forward to setting off on the next leg to build on this momentum."
From Nice to Genoa, it's all fun and games. And only one change on board, with the return of Lucie de Gennes (present on leg 1) in place of Rebecca Gmuer.
Picture © Vincent Curutchet / The Ocean Race Europe