Alan Roura has a gem in his hands. At the helm of Alex Thompson’s former boat, he is a happy and ambitious sailor. “I was made for that, I like it, and I go headlong,” says the Geneva skipper.
“To be ambitious, you need a good boat, and a good team“, continues Roura. “This boat (renamed Hublot, following its new main sponsor) is made for the Vendée Globe. It is not versatile. It is easy to navigate. This is the nicest boat I have sailed on for many years.s,” he said.
The Genevan aboard his new jewel during training in Lorient on September 5. [Jean-Christophe Bott – Keystone]
Alan Roura, who was ranked 12th in a 2016/17 Vendée Globe, in which he was the youngest participant at 23, is bound to go into the unknown each time. “I don’t really know what it takes to win the Vendée Globe. But it’s such a powerful experience that you necessarily want to relive it“says the Genevan, for whom the road is still long before the Vendée Globe 2024/25. “For this race, the earlier you prepare, the better prepared you will be.“
His preparation also started as soon as he acquired his new boat. She will take him this fall on the Route du Rhum from November 6 in St-Malo, then in 2023 will pass through the Transat Jacques Vabre in particular.
ats/tzing