Single-handed Delivery to Port Camargue

Groupe Bel left the harbor of Gustavia, on the island of St Bart's, this afternoon. After a fine 5th place in the Transat Jacques Vabre with Yann Régniau, ten or so days of rest on the other side of the Atlantic, and a day of sailing with the Bel workers, Kito de Pavant set off to sea again today, Monday 5th December, at around 14:00. With less than a year to the Vendée Globe, the Groupe Bel skipper decided to sail the 3,900 miles separating the West Indies from Port Camargue single-handed. This will be good training, which he will tell us about day by day!

Kito de Pavant, contacted by telephone two hours after leaving:

How has the fortnight been since the finish of the Transat Jacques Vabre?

After the finish of the transatlantic race, I left the technical team carry out the delivery from Puerto Limon, because I really needed to recover physically. I had a good rest on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica before joining Brice, Gwen and Hervé in St Bart's, where we had sufficient time to prepare the delivery to Port Camargue confidently. Groupe Bel is in perfect condition. We were spared any damage, contrary to the majority of the fleet. We are very glad! We also took advantage of these few days to welcome the Bel distributors in Saint Martin and St Bart's on a wonderful day.

How do you feel about this single-handed return?

I think it will be superb training for the Vendée Globe! 2012 will be a very dense year, between the European Pro Tour and the boatyard work making changes to the boat. The periods in which single-handed sailing will be possible will be fairly short and rare. So I must clock up as many miles single-handed as possible right now. This will get me into phase with the Vendée Globe. Nothing is simple sailing single-handed on these boats. You can be sure that in the next few days I will miss Yann!

It is true that you haven't sailed single-handed since the Route du Rhum!

Yes, I am very happy to be back alone together with Groupe Bel! I am going to sail at the same pace as when racing, but without the pressure. Single-handed, there's no one about to check what's happening outside, so I am going to have to sleep over shorter periods of 20 to 30 minutes. What is important, when you are alone, is to anticipate maneuvering and sail changes, etc., faster than you would when double-handed.

Crossing the Atlantic single-handed at this time of year is not exactly a piece of cake!

For the moment, the weather is fine and its warm, but the return looks as though it will be very cold, because I will have to set a fairly northern course. I had hoped that it would pass south of the Azores, but for the moment the routings bring us full north to Bermuda, before turning right. The sailing conditions in the month of December, in the Atlantic, are often difficult with a series of lows. This will make it excellent training for the Vendée Globe. It's what I was looking for!"

Kito de Pavant is expected at Gibraltar in around twelve days. Then there will be a home run of 700 miles in the Mediterranean to Port Camargue. Follow his adventures in the Atlantic on www.sharingsmilestour.com