Dominique Wavre is scheduled to arrive in Les Sables d’Olonne tomorrow at the helm of Mirabaud ahead of the 10 of November start of the Vendée Globe, the non-stop solo round the world race. This will be Dominique’s fourth edition of this race and three weeks from the start, we check in with the skipper on how his preparations are going.
Thursday 18 October 2012 – Dominique Wavre, the Geneva-based skipper of Mirabaud is ready for the start of the Vendée Globe on the 10 November in the Sables d’Olonne. This will be his fourth event and his record-breaking tenth around the world race.
“We are pretty much there with our preparations,” he said. “We have done a lot of miles over the last few months and have tested all of our systems. Everything is working perfectly. There are few details that need to be finalised before the start, but the majority of the work is complete.”
Dominique has prioritised three main elements in his preparations: the man, the boat and the team.
Fitness has been a big part of race preparations for the skipper who, three weeks out, is in fighting form. With the aid of a physiotherapist, Dominique has tailored his training, which has included cycling and running in addition to some work with weights. He is strong in body and mind and ready for the challenge.
“I’m not in race mode yet,” he explained. “For the moment I am still busy with race preparations and am trying to stay focused on completing those. The fact that our prep is on track and going exactly as planned means I have peace of mind going into the competition. Having started much earlier than in past years, we are actually slightly ahead of schedule; every moment since January has been planned and our time has been entirely dedicated to the Vendée Globe.”
The race yacht, Mirabaud, is equally ready after a few alterations for solo racing and several months of testing. “We have a good boat, the foundation of our campaign is solid,” said Dominique, adding: “And I know my boat inside out. We have done a number of upgrades such as the installation of a bucket seat, a new spray dodger and a tiller and these new elements have all required testing and refining. We also took delivery of a new mast at the beginning of the year which has now been tested in all types of conditions and is 100%.”
As for the team: “We are eight involved in the final preparations, Michele Paret oversees the group which includes riggers, an engineer and an electronics specialist. We have also started preparing the provisioning; we’ve given the engine a full service and have serviced each winch on the boat. Absolutely nothing is left to chance.”
The Mirabaud team’s days are action packed and Dominique is careful to stay in the present and not think too much ahead. When he does though, his enthusiasm is catching: “This is an incredible event and I am absolutely delighted to be competing in it for the fourth time. This is the culmination of over a year’s work. It will be fantastic to get started!”
The Vendee Globe start is on the 10 November in the Sables d’Olonne in France. The current record is 84 days, 3 hours, 9 minutes and 8 seconds.