The discovery of sailing
If Clarisse Crémer is not unknown to you, it is because since 2016 and her participation in the Mini Transat, the young skipper has made a lot of headlines. In 4 years, she has gone from a Mini 6.50 to a Figaro Bénéteau and is now sailing on the IMOCA Banque Populaire X - just ça?! - with a Vendée Globe 2020 objective.
However, nothing predestined her to find herself at the heart of such a prestigious class of ocean racing. "I don't have the classic light sailing course and Olympic course. I have always done a little sailing in clubs, during the holidays in Carnac. In my family, we loved the boat, but we didn't own one. It was through my studies that I really discovered sailing. I had a lot of opportunities to learn how to sail and get to know the professional world. As a result, when I went back to school, I spent more time sailing than studying."
But she is sailing more and more - especially on the Tour de France à la Voile in 2010 - and is starting to develop a taste for it. It is by dint of hanging out on the pontoons that she meets her companion, Tanguy Le Turquais, who started on the Mini circuit in 2013 and 2015.
The launch of a professional career
Following a classic journey" prepara/commercial school "and upon graduation in 2013, Clarisse started her outdoor sports club with her brother in 2015. Then, she decided to pack her bags and leave Paris to join Tanguy in Brittany.
"I worked less and less to make more and more boats. I discovered the Mini circuit by following Tanguy's two campaigns and got a good idea of what it was like. I participated in a few deliveries and two double races with him. I continued to sail to think about starting a professional career. I didn't do much boating and I had spent very few nights at sea."
But the taste for ocean racing is strong and she decided to set up her own Mini project to run the 2017 Mini Transat, where she achieved a great career: victory of the Mini Fastnet in 2017 with Erwan Le Draoulec, solo victory on the Transgascogne, and 2nd place in the Mini Transat in 2017.
The young woman is talented and well accompagnée?! She brings a lot of freshness to this very masculine offshore racing world with a very good communication strategy. Thanks to her videos, she makes this little world of sailing accessible and opens the wings of her life as a runner at sea. She does not hesitate to share her emotions and say what she thinks.
From Mini to Figaro at IMOCA
After the Mini, she followed with a Figaro circuit and took part in the Transat AG2R 2018 and then in the Solitaire du Figaro 2019 on the new Figaro Bénéteau 3. Courted by the IMOCA world, she finally said yes to Banque Populaire, which entrusted her with the helm of Banque Populaire X, with a Vendée Globe 2020 objective.
In three years, it has gone from a 6.50 m Mini to an 18.28 m IMOCA. "It's bigger, but by staying the same. A sailing boat is a boat at voile?! It blocked me at first in IMOCA, but you have to persevere. The more you practice, the more you can do it. The size and everything that goes with it. I certainly felt more comfortable in a Mini. The larger the boat, the longer it takes to manoeuvre. At the same time, we can navigate in harsher conditions."
It's not just the support that changes, the team aussi?! Today, Clarisse is part of a team of about 15 people. "In Mini, I was all alone for everything, even communication. Tanguy has helped me a lot on the technical side. Today, I have a huge team and without them, this project would not be possible. The constraints are exponential with the size of the boat."
Banque Populaire X, one of the most reliable drift boats on the circuit
It is therefore at the helm of Banque Populaire X that Clarisse will start the next Transat Jacques Vabre 2019 and then the Vendée Globe 2020. This 60-foot boat launched in 2011 is none other than the former SMA aboard which Paul Meilhat won the 2018 Route du Rhum and even before that the former Macif aboard which François Gabart won the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe.
"There has been no significant optimization as we can see on Isabelle Joschke's boat with a performance objective (Editor's note: Isabelle has equipped her IMOCA MACSF with foils). The boat has been refurbished by Banque Populaire, which has extensive experience in the field. The mast is new, so is the running rigging. We kept the daggerboards and rudders."
The project focused on the reliability and optimization related to the boat's preparation and not on its performance. "It was also adapted to my physique by turning the column of the coffee grinder for example."
So there is no way to install foils on one of the "the best drifting boats in the IMOCA class and one of the most reliable." Indeed Clarisse's objective is the Vendée Globe 2020 with the ambition to finish her solo round the world race. "Even if we know that it works, foils are an element of risk and this is not the state of mind of the project. It is neither a regret nor a frustration. We are among the favourites for drifting boats, even if we are no longer so numerous in this category. On the next Vendée Globe, there will only be a third of IMOCA without foils."
Accelerated training and a great mentor
To discover her new boat, she is accompanied by Armel le Cléac'h - skipper of Banque Populaire since 2011 - who has returned to the benches of the Figaro circuit while waiting for the construction of her new Ultimate.
"I discovered IMOCA 3 months ago so it's still quite new, even if I'm learning every day. I also compare myself to Armel for whom it's second nature, so the pressure is forte?!"
Even if the preparation is short, it is intense and above all instructive. "It's a short preparation, but for now it's working well. On the Fastnet, I had only been sailing on Banque Pop for a week and I was able to keep up with the pace. I was a little wait-and-see, but it did. Every day I get better and better and I learn and it will get better and better."
Because Clarisse can count on the support of Armel, who is discovering an unusual project here: training a young skipper for his Vendée Globe project, while he himself is at the heart of his career.
He will also be at his side in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2019.
"It wasn't a matter of choice. Above all, Armel had to agree and trust his team. We have nothing to see and our profiles are different, but our teamwork works. The objective is to prepare myself."
Transat Jacques Vabre 2019 objective: to arrive on the other side
With only 3 months of experience, the jump into the big bath is fast for Clarisse Crémer. "It's a mythical race and it's pretty crazy to participate with Banque Populaire and Armel."
But its objective is rational. "The objective is not to perform, it's to arrive on the other side and make the return to France alone to qualify for the Vendée Globe. At least to the Canary Islands or Spain. Half a single transatlantic crossing on the boat less than a year before the Vendée Globe is psychologically important."
Many of them will also make this solo return trip to win the precious sesame that opens the doors to the toughest solo round-the-world sailing tour in the world.
This first offshore race in IMOCA will therefore allow the young woman to gain experience. "I've already done two transats, one in Mini and one in AG2R and I've hallucinated everything we learn about these crossings. I hope to feel more comfortable on the boat and fit and confident enough to go back alone."
The favourites of the IMOCAs with a drift
On Banque Populaire X, Clarisse and Armel are the favourites. Indeed, their boat is one of the most reliable in its class and has an impressive track record. However, the young woman is humble when she talks about this status.
"I make the distinction between my races with Armel and my races without. In the first case, we are among the favourites. I'm not the teammate Armel would have chosen for a performance, but I don't want to talk too soon. We'll see what happens. Armel is known to sail carefully and thoughtfully."
"My main competitor is me"
If Clarisse has to fight with the other skippers in the IMOCA class, she will also have to fight a battle on herself. "My main competitor is me, in front of myself is to be alone in front of myself. You have to be competitive in the Vendée Globe and have time to do things right. Compared to other projects, it's not really a project. I have some experience to catch up on and it's perfect to have the Banque Populaire team at my side to manage the project. It allows me to devote my energy to learning."
To validate her skills and measure herself, Clarisse launched a Figaro campaign before the IMOCA. "Doing Figaro allowed me to show what I was worth. It has its importance in this little world of sailors. I was worried about a little something. Today everything is going well."
A major physical investment
On social networks, Clarisse shares her many sports training sessions aimed at making her more efficient. Because if being a woman in IMOCA has no impact on performance according to the runner, she is on the physique.
"Physically, we're not on the same level. Next to Armel I look frail while I do a lot of sports. On a Mini, it doesn't change anything, if at all. The physical effort is more in the head. On an IMOCA it is the first time I feel physically limited. It's hard on the mind, but we have to accept our difference. On the scale of a Vendée Globe, it is not penalising to take 10 more minutes to change a sail. We have to compensate elsewhere. Overall, sailing is becoming less and less easy and sailors are preparing themselves more and more physically."
