Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008 - (Page 61)

© World Tour/G. Cantini Match racing is sometimes carried out on acrobatic machines, as seen here on the waters of Lake St-Moritz performance. You can see that in the Match Race Tour: the teams that have worked well together for a long time are the best. They react automatically concerning tactics and communicating." However, passion does not pay the crew’s bills. Indeed, Mathieu’s gang, who enjoy themselves fighting against the top pros in the Cup, are amateurs, who take advantage of understanding employers, supporting their status as top class sportsmen. Mathieu, aged 31, is a gym teacher and it is true his pupils rarely see him at school, particularly over the past fifteen months. Greg Evrard works for North Sails in Vannes and benefits from a special contract. Yannick Simon is an officer in the merchant navy and chiefly works in the winter to be free to race in the summer. Olivier Herledant is preparing a thesis at the Ecole Centrale School in Nantes. He manages his timetable concerning his research and racing schedule. Finally, Thierry Briend has been working for Sodebo since early this year. He is not as available as his colleagues. To pay for travel expenses, which can be expensive, the "French Team" is helped by the Loire Atlantique Council, the Nantes St-Nazaire metropolitan authority and the French sailing Federation, especially since the French match race team was set up three years ago. The budget is completed by race prizes, which can be significant, if the team is successful. The performance in 2007 means that the icing on the cake could amount to 50,000 dollars. "The advantage of the World Tour is that the boat does not cost a penny, which is very different from in other sailing events," points out Mathieu. A thirst for victory Other teams, including some of the top ones work a bit like Mathieu’s, with the support of private partners, like Ian Williams, sponsored by Pindar in Britain. "We started out together," remembers the sailor from Nantes. Thanks to their talent, hard work and persistence, these youngsters have been wiping out some of the top names in the Cup. This is particularly encouraging for them. "When we face star names, we manage to give our all and come away with our best performances. I really like that. That’s what happened in Bermuda, where we beat Ed Baird and the crew of Alinghi, the holders of the America’s Cup. These are races that make my mouth water even before we begin. On the other hand, we find it harder from a psychological perspective against the tougher, yet lesser known teams in the circuit. I’m thinking in particular of the British racer, Williams, currently at the top of the rankings." It is however, Williams, who is their main rival on the way to the title. Now is not the time to ease off. The day after his triumph in the Bermuda Gold Cup, the racer from Nantes expressed his confidence: "The level is very high, but we’re all very close. There is not one single team that is crushing all the others. To win, it will require that little extra to succeed, that special knack. We have what it takes to become world champions. We’re ready for the final sprint and are extremely motivated for the end of the season." Certain that a world title would open doors, such as to the America’s Cup, the "Saba Boys" dream of seeing themselves in the cockpit of an IACC! Patrice Carpentier *Mathieu Richard was in first place in these rankings at the end of October Ocean Racing - december 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008

Cover
Edito
Contents
What they said
News
Portfolio - The news in the picture
Transat Jacques Vabre - Monohulls in power
In the words of the skipper - Michel Desjoyaux, A little bit more
Barcelona World Race - A couple sailing around the world
Imoca - Growth crisis in the Imoca class
Transat 6.5 - A whole series of records
Mini Class - Anatomy of a winner
Multihulls - What sort of trimarans tomorrow ?
Volvo Ocean Race - Second generation
Trials - Mach 45 : an unusual IRC
Match Racing - King Richard
Tactics - A good start
Portrait - Jacques Caraës
Lab - Tubular or wing mast ?
Forty years ago - Chichester, the lonely sea and the sky
Equipment - Shop window
New products - From the drawing board to the boatyard
Opinion - The mirage of worshipping technology

Ocean Racing Magazine - #6 - December 2007 & January 2008