Oren Nataf (Rayon Vert, Multi 2000): “I’m coming to the DRHEAM-CUP to enjoy myself, because I’m an amateur, and if we win like we did two years ago, all the better! The DRHEAM-CUP is a great race, one of the few with a bit of distance to cover. The other 50-foot multihulls will be our main rivals, we have very similar performances, so we’re going to try not to worry too much about the others and concentrate on our sailing, we will see the result at the end.”
Frans Van Cappelle (Moana, IRC crewed): “Moana is a 2018 J122, which I own. We sail with eight-person mixed crew, and we’ve done a lot of 600-mile races: We raced in the DRHEAM-CUP two years ago, the Fastnet twice, the RORC transatlantic race and the Middle Sea Race, so we’ve got a lot of experience under our belts, and our aim is to finish on the podium.”
Guillaume Ferey (IziPizi, IRC crewed): “Our first aim is to finish, and if possible on time, because we know there’s going to be some calm weather, so it’s going to be a game of patience. We have a couple of friends we’d like to finish ahead of, like Vasco, the sistership to our boat, and the Pogo 10.50 Polperro. We haven’t raced much against the English, so we’ll be watching what they do, and hoping to be ahead of them!”
Thierry Roger (Perros-Guirec, Multi 2000): “I’m sailing on a boat named Perros-Guirec because the port of Perros-Guirec is fitting a 12 metre wide door and they’re trying to get the word out. It’s one of the last designs by Nick Newick, the great architect of the 1980s American school, built in Trébeurden out of fibreglass and epoxy. We’re trying to revitalise the ‘golden oldies’ class, because it’s more in the spirit of the times to reuse old boats rather than build new ones. In this DRHEAM-CUP, we’re up against a boat quite similar to our own, Charlie Capelle’s, who is very experienced and knows his boat inside out, so if we can keep up with him, we’ll be happy.”
Tim Goodhew (Cora, IRC two-handed): “It’s the first time we’ve sailed in the DRHEAM-CUP, so there should be a good fight between the 10-metre boats, particularly between the French and English. There’s a good level on both sides, everyone is pushing harder. If we can be in the top 5, we will be happy, and a podium would be even better!”
Pierre Bouhanna (Jambo, IRC crewed): “We’re sailing a 2016 J97 based in Deauville, and the DRHEAM-CUP is going to be the longest race she’s ever sailed, so we want to finish and stay in contact with the frontrunners for as long as possible, knowing that all the boats there are extremely competitive. It’s exciting to take part in races like this, which bring together different boats, amateurs and professionals, especially as the race is so well organised.”
Alexandre Noël (Fondation Arthritis, IRC two-handed): “The DRHEAM-CUP is a first for me and my co-skipper Damien Lemoigne, the plan is to take part in the Cap Martinique in 2026. We are really new on the circuit, we have only raced in La Trinité-Cherbourg. It’s a nice course, the longest we’ve sailed double-handed, and we’re going to have all sorts of conditions, with wind, some play along the English coast, and a high pressure system that’s showing its face and is likely to give us a hard time at the end of the race.”