Winner of the first episode of the 2022 Pro Sailing Tour last month in Corsica, the Ocean Fifty Arkema arrived in Brest in Brittany on Monday 20 June just a few days away from the start of the second episode. Comfortable with his trimaran, and with a professional crew well accustomed to sailing in three-hull regattas, skipper Quentin Vlamynck fully intends to repeat the great performance of the start of the season. They will need endurance over the next few weeks, with three more episodes to come between Saint-Brieuc, Cowes and Roscoff. Remaining steady, keeping up the progress, and avoiding breakages are the watchwords for the crew as they are about to embark on a real nautical marathon.
The taste of victory
The memories of his win in Corsica in the first episode are still fresh in the mind of Quentin Vlamynck, who is happy to see the results of his choices and his progress reflected in his ranking.
“This victory has given us confidence in the boat's potential, whatever conditions we might encounter. I particularly enjoyed the close contact regatta with the other crews. The standards within the Ocean Fifty Class are rising with each event, and it’s a very intense experience to be sailing so close to each other. Quite a battle on the water!”
Countdown to the second episode in Brest
The competition will resume on 23 June in Brest for the Ocean Fifty Arkema with the second episode of the Pro Sailing Tour: “It is a body of water we are now familiar with and had a chance to rediscover last year as part of the Pro Sailing Tour. The harbour is splendid but highly strategic with interesting local effects. We will give it our all to perform as well as we did in Corsica”, continues Quentin. The format is the same with coastal races on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 June, before we set off on a 24-hour offshore course with a shorthanded crew on Saturday 25.
In this second episode, Quentin Vlamynck will be accompanied by Raphaël Lutard and Étienne Carra, two members of Team Arkema, boat-captain and rigger respectively. “It's important for me to have sailors on board who know the boat inside out and are part of the core of the project. This makes it possible to adapt the boat to the context as and when, and scale it up in terms of performance.”
Pierre-Antoine Morvan, who was also in Corsica, will be on board again as tactician, together with César Dohy, designer of the sails and a fully-fledged expert in sail trimming, who is fully at ease with Team Arkema. “As for me, I am allowed to be at the helm”, the skipper jests. “We are highly motivated to go on doing well, and the boat and crew have everything to be competitive.”
A marathon on water for 4 weeks
A great fan of running and trail runs, Quentin and his crew are gearing up for a nautical marathon over the next few weeks. After Brest, Team Arkema will head to the Bay of Saint-Brieuc for the third episode of the Pro Sailing Tour from 30 June to 3 July, then to Cowes on the Isle of Wight from 5 to 6 July, before finally taking part in the Final Rush between Cowes and Roscoff on 9 and 10 July.
“We’re going to be stringing together three episodes over three weeks; then I will set off solo in the Drheam Cup on Sunday 17 July from Cherbourg to La Trinité-sur-Mer. This will be a very important event as it means qualification for the Route du Rhum - destination Guadeloupe race!” A major event in the calendar of the 2022 season.
The Arkema crew in the 2nd episode of the Pro Sailing Tour
- Quentin Vlamynck: skipper-helmsman
- Raphaël Lutard: piano operator
- Pierre-Antoine Morvan: tactician
- César Dohy : winchman
- Etienne Carra : winchman