Alain Roura, 21 in Rom Road

“I was made for this, I loved it, and I go headlong,” says the Geneva skipper, who was haunted by incredulity when it came to finishing last at the Vendée Globe in 2020/21.

“During the race, I wondered if I wanted to relaunch myself on such an adventure,” he recalls. “The audience only sees the race and the performance,” he asserts, “and forgets all the work in the early stages. You have to look for partners, put together a team. It’s consistent management.”

“The question was actually whether I wanted to restart this machine. The answer was yes. But I had to have the ambition to have all the cards in hand to have a good performance at the Vendée Globe 2024/25”, explains Alain Roura, 17th place in the 2020/21 edition contested with a boat built in 2007 that had significant technical problems.

“Suddenly, the machine has become much more complex. To be ambitious, you need a good boat and a good team,” he continues. He said, “This boat (which has been renamed Hublot, after the new major sponsor) was built for the Vendée Globe. It’s not that versatile. It’s easy to sail. It’s the most fun boat I’ve ever sailed on. For many years.”

“There’s a lot of comfort. We sail indoors, dry, in a closed, comfortable cockpit,” explains Genevan, who can calmly go on with his long preparations for the Vendée Globe. “It is gratifying to be able to develop simultaneously with your boat and build a project that meets your ambitions,” he glides.

work as one team

“We have to get the best out of everyone. That’s what makes us grow,” says Alain Roura, realizing that he would be nothing without the work of his team. “It’s a small team of 8-10 people, with completely different professions. So everyone has powers,” he explains.

“Everyone is particularly involved in this project, and everyone wants to accomplish,” adds Genevan, who must put all the assets on his side before he finds himself alone at the controls at sea. Not completely in control of his own destiny: “We can have all the cards in hand at the beginning and the end at last because we broke something.”

Alain Roura, who ranked 12th at the 2016/17 Vendée Globe and whose youngest entrant was 23 years old, is inevitably heading into the unknown each time. “I don’t really know what it takes to win the Vendée Globe, because I’ve never won it. But it’s a mechanical sport, and you have to know how to expect it,” he says.

Breakage is a necessary evil

“The goal is for boat and sailor to become one. It takes a lot of work, a lot of energy, good physical and mental preparation, perfect nutrition, sleep, and a close-knit team,” he says. “You also need a budget that allows you to test, develop the boat, and also break in. Breaking in is the guarantee of future reliability,” he specifies.

“It’s better to start today than during the Vendée Globe,” adds Alain Roura, for whom this race is his ultimate goal. “It’s a childhood dream of mine. However, as a kid, I only saw myself competing in this race once. But when you put your finger in the gears, you get caught,” he smiles.

“It’s such a powerful experience that you necessarily want to relive it. I may not be able to compete in this race ten times. But three starts is really good,” says Genevan, for whom there is still a long way to go. Pre Vendée Globe 2024/25. “For this race, the earlier you prepare, the better prepared you will be.”

His preparation also started as soon as he got his new boat. It will take it this fall on the Rhum route, which is scheduled to start on November 6 in Saint-Malo, and then pass in 2023 by Transat Jacques Vabre in particular. “I will also compete in two single-handed races in 2024. So I still have a lot of races to prepare for,” Alain Roura concludes.