Micoton, it's a family story. Jehan from France is the owner of this Sun Odyssey 479. He bought it new 2 years ago. With his 4 (big) children, he plans to sail her in the winter of 2018 in the West Indies. But when you have the spirit of a competitor, why make a transatlantic race like a simple delivery trip? Why not do it in a race?
That's how the idea of participating in the ARC in the Racing category came about. This annual transhumance of boats to the West Indies will set off from the Canary Islands in November 2017. But rather than building a strong crew, he decided to enter a double-handed race, taking on board just his eldest son. At the time of writing, he doesn't even know if there is a double-handed category! But that's not important: behind this commitment is the family project.
A young engineer, Charles-Hubert (29 years old) is a regatta enthusiast. After an apprenticeship in light sailing (Optimist, 420...), he will become a federal sailing instructor and trainer. In regattas, he often takes the place of number 1. The foredeck is his domain!
Jehan, the father (53 years old) returns to navigation after a break to practice rally-raid (Paris-Dakar among others) by motorcycle and then by car. But it is finally back to sailing.
He chose this boat because of its good hull and habitable volume. The idea being to sail on a cruise and with the family. With the objective, a trip to the West Indies to enjoy the sea and the sun. But the opportunity for a transat in a regatta has gradually emerged.
Today, with 5 months to go (departure from Gran Canaria on November 19, 2017), we are at the time of preparations. Because if the Sun Odyssey 479 is a good cruising yacht, she needs to be transformed into a fine regatta yacht. It is these preparations, the budget for the race, the race report and final debriefing that we propose to share with this friendly crew.
