Bringing on board Volvo know-how

Sidney Gavignet discusses his move from the Volvo Ocean Race to the Transat Jacques Vabre

For Sidney Gavignet, apart from a one third of a doublehanded round the world lap on board Delta Dore in the Barcelona World Race, the Transat Jacques Vabre with Sam Davies on board Artemis Ocean Racing is his second experience in IMOCA Open 60s, following on from a racing career primarily the Volvo Ocean Race. Gavignet has competed in four of these - first with thel late great Eric Tabarly on the La Poste maxi-ketch, then on the Volvo 60 Assa Abloy followed by a race win with Mike Sanderson on ABN AMRO One and most recently with Ken Read’s Puma.

Obviously Volvo Open 70s are close relations of Open 60s, being beam affairs with twin rudders and daggerboards and a canting keel, only that in comparison they are much much lighter and carry far more water ballast. Gavignet says that you always have to keep in mind the different stability profile of the 60, while the sail inventory is also different, even if the VO70s are heading for fewer sails. “The approach you have on the Volvo to improve the boat - that is something you can bring on this kind of challenge,” he says.

Being a hired gun for this one race isn’t that unusual. This was Gavignet’s situation with Delta Dore, even though that contract for the Barcelona World Race lasted a little longer. What is unusual about the Artemis situation for the TJV is rather than him joining a skipper on board their boat, both he and Sam Davies have been brought on for the doublehanded race from Le Havre to Costa Rica.

While Gavignet’s Open 60 experience is reasonably limited, he has sailed singlehanded a lot having completed two season in the Figaro and he has further aspirations in this direction. “The Vendee Globe has been a dream for years. The last Vendee Globe I decided to stop looking for money because I realised it wasn’t my job. If the Vendee Globe comes to me I will probably do it. But I have changed my life would still go on if the Vendee Globe doesn’t happen.”



Obviously no conversation with Gavignet is compete without some thoughts about the Volvo Ocean Race. Gavignet is in favour of the cost cutting measures being instigated by CEO, Knut Frostad. “I quite like what Knut is doing. About the course, where we have been sailing this year, are places where it is not ideal for sailing, because you go through the Doldrums too often and you go against the wind, etc. But I also think we have to go to China, because of the sponsors.

“Otherwise having three under 30s is excellent. We need fresh blood no doubt. I have seen it with this last campaign - the young guys bring some youth and it is simple as that and we need that,” he says. However he thinks that they should have reduced crew numbers. “When you see how many people that can sail a 60, it is easy to see that you could sail with a little less people on the Volvo as well, which would drop the cost. You can also reduce the amount of sails and now people understand that furling sails aren’t dangerous, and will use them. The boat themselves are very good, they are the fastest monohulls, so I think it is correct to keep those boats. We have seen that old boats can get good results, but not win. The boats from this last race could still do pretty well next time.”

It came as little surprise to Gavignet that Ericsson 4 won. “On paper it was as usual: preparation is key. It is the same as always: Preparation, good boat, but we could say that all the boats were okay except maybe one wide one, which didn’t finish! Otherwise all the boats had their moments just Ericsson 4 had more moments than the others. And Ericsson 3 may have been even better than Ericsson 4! We had a good boat in Puma.”

Gavignet reckons that the Botin & Carkeek designed Puma was fastest in flat water, but had a problem in waves due to her flat sections that caused her to slam. “And the chine went very low,” he adds.

The big news though is that Groupama, a team from his native France, has raised its head above the parapet confirming its participation in the next two Volvo Ocean Races with Juan K as designer. And Roland Jourdain’s sponsor Veolia Environnement are also seriously considering it.

“I am happy that there is a French campaign, because it is normal in the world of sailing that there is one French representative in the Volvo, the same as it is good to have Anglo-Saxons coming into the Open 60s and Figaro. I would join it depending on what I was doing. I am not pro-French, so if I find another team that is offering another interesting situation I might go with them. But I have done four races, I still love the race, even if this experience was a bit heavy.” He refers to his early departure from the Puma team, for reasons he isn’t prepared to expand on.

However Puma was not the only boat in the race where there was tension among the sailing team. Gavignet partly attributes it to the gruelling pace of the race now: “I think the race format itself was harder. For me it was the hardest Volvo, because you sail more. The stops are shorter and then you have the inshore race. So you have a break and the break is very short. You have time for nothing, you don’t meet the other guys. In terms of social life in the race it is nothing. It is even more pressure on people because they are tired. I think fresh blood is good, but I think we may have the bad side of the America’s Cup too - more of the politics.”

Coming down from a Volvo Open 70, even the mighty Artemis is likely to seem easy to handle and Gavignet’s knowledge of how to make boats go quick, nicely compliment Davies’ greater experience of these kind of boats.