Ne wsle t ter 23/10/2012
uccess _« The key to s ration » is in the prepa a lot _« It owes me lot » and I owe it a dée Globe _The 2012 Ven in numbers far _A hideaway wds from the cro
« The key to success is in the preparation »
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The key to success in the Vendée Globe is the preparation. And pre-planning. You have to think of everything, imagine all possible scenarios and know how to fix them all. You need to understand what can go wrong and make sure you have the tools to fix the issue.” Well known for his Swiss precision, Dominique Wavre is approaching the start of the Vendée Globe with a cool head. Mirabaud has arrived in Les Sables d’Olonne and will remain in the race village until the start of the solo round the world race on 10 November. For now the eight-strong shore team is fully occupied with final preparations. The group is made up of Dominique, Michele and Magali Paret who manages the provisioning and numerous other details. Pierre-Marie and Julien, who take care of the technical side. Daniele, who manages logistics and cooks for the team. And last but not least Patrice, who is in charge of electronics and engineering and Erwin, the rigger. Some of the provisions are already onboard and the final checks completed. “Our preparations are going nicely to plan,” said Dominique. “I would even hazard to say that I have never been this ready this far out from the start of a Vendée Globe before. 2 www.dominiquewavre.com
Our method is the same, but it has been refined over the years and is better for our experience,” he said. “Added to this is the fact that I now have Michele helping and she manages everything with a masterful touch. Thanks to her support, I have been able to distance myself a little from the final preparations and take care of some of the requests that always precede the start of a big race.” You might be wondering whether Dominique is feeling any stress in the build up – not a bit! Dominique is surprisingly relaxed and quietly confident. “I manage quite well to reject any pressure, pressure and stress are quite negative emotions and I have always managed to stay away from that,” he said, adding: “I prepare for a big race with the aid of a check list, like on an airplane, I review the to do list and then tick off the jobs one by one. For sure experience helps, it means that you can get straight to the point and avoid any unnecessary distractions.” Relocating to the Sables d’Olonne has suddenly made this Vendée Globe a reality and Dominique along with his fellow competitors has thrown himself into the final phase of preparations. “I am absolutely delighted, after over a year of planning and preparing, ahead I have one of the greatest yacht races in the world. It’s a very special feeling!”
« it owes me a lot and I owe it a lot »
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o prizes for what Dominique is talking about. His boat of course! “It owes me a lot because I have got it out of a few scrapes, I’ve always nurtured it and treated it well. And I owe it a lot because it has always got me home safely and has given me the most incredible experiences. It is an excellent boat that I know like the back of my hand. It is a very forgiving boat, very good all round, I would even go so far as saying very kind. I love it of course, we have a very good rela-
tionship and quite often on a race like the Vendée Globe, I will chat to it.” Dominique is not the kind of man to take lucky charms with him offshore, all he needs are a few photos on his computer, some music and possibly a book and before you ask, he hasn’t decided which one yet. The only sacrosanct tradition is that the crew hide little treats and surprises all over the boat for Dominique to discover during the race!
The 2012 Vendée Globe in numbers
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wenty competitors will race the 2012 edition of the Vendée Globe, among which 40% are non-French. There are six nationalities: French, Swiss, Spanish, British, Italian and Polish. Six new boats have been built for this edition. Based on previous event statistics, only 10 of the entries would make it to the start line. The theoretical length of the course,
taking into account the ice gates, will be 24,048nm (as opposed to 24,588 in 2008). The winner is predicted to finish on 25 January 2013 after 76 days at sea. The leader should round Cape Horn on 28 December – we’ll let you guess where the Vendée Globe competitors will be opening their Christmas presents!
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A hideaway far from the crowds
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ominique Wavre, Michele Paret and their inner circle have rented a house in the Sables d’Olonne where they will have a maximum of privacy over the last few weeks. “Truth be told, we are hiding,” said Dominique with a smile. “Before going to sea for such a long time, I need to spend time with my family and people that are close to me. We won’t be going out to restaurants; we’ll be spending a lot of time at home. I will of
course be available during the day for any requests and the whole team will be busy on the boat, in the technical area or at the house.” The relocation to Les Sables d’Olonne is relative – La Rochelle where Dominique and Michele live is nearby. “We are very well set up here, we have our container, our tools, and our car and we are in familiar territory!”
www.dominiquewavre.com
Mirabaud & Cie Banquiers Privés Laurent Koutaïssoff 29, boulevard Georges-Favon 1204 Genève T: +41 58 816 23 90 M: +41 79 786 78 93
MaxComm Communication Bernard Schopfer T: +41 22 735 55 30 M: +41 79 332 11 76 bernard.schopfer@maxcomm.ch
Crédits photos Thierry Martinez/Mirabaud DR