It will be a discovery, a real one, of a mythical regatta. The Fastnet race, a famous rock planted off the Irish coast, celebrates its 50th edition this year. And this Saturday afternoon, among the 500 boats departing from Cowes, in the Mecca of British sailing, Tanguy Le Turquais will not be the sailor most watched and watched by his rivals. With his old Imoca monohull dating from 2007 and wearing the colors of the Lazare association, the native of Istres has little chance of competing with the latest machines recently launched, but that does not prevent him from rejoicing in discovering a monument. “I can’t wait,” he told Le Figaro three days before the start. It’s a legendary race. I know the different sections well from having traveled them during the Solitaire du Figaro (five participations, the last of which was in 2021), I passed the Fastnet rock a bunch of times but I will discover the atmosphere of the start in Cowes and the finish in Cherbourg, I’m super happy”.
For this great first in the wake of the greatest regatta and offshore racing sailors, Tanguy Le Turquais has decided to take on board his technical director, Félix de Navacelle, also a newcomer to the Rolex Fastnet Race. “The idea is that we pull on the boat to validate the work done this winter. You do not have to be afraid. It’s the first race of the season, we want to do the best we can and see where we stand. The objective is to be one of the leaders in boats with straight daggerboards and for Félix to get to know the boat and me better at sea so that he can be my ally during the next Vendée Globe. »
The solo circumnavigation, which the sailor should discover in November 2024, is already flashing at the top of the mast, a fascinating light that attracts all eyes and attention. “The Fastnet is just one step. My objective is obviously to be more efficient in the Vendée Globe than this year. We are already planning, while remaining cautious. In fifteen months, a lot can happen. If I lose my mast, I’m not sure I can afford to rebuild one. For the moment, all the lights are green, I have a boat, partners and I have traveled a lot of miles”.
Thirteenth in the last Route du rhum, Tanguy le Turquais will find during this Fastnet race then during the world tour, a certain Clarisse Crémer, who is none other than his wife and the mother of their little Mathilda, just eight months old. Thanks to a meticulous organization, with a nanny and her sister Lena, Tanguy and Clarisse will be able to “compete” on the oceans of the planet without any other fear than a “huge heartbreak” at the moment of leaving their daughter. For this regatta within the regatta, dad is playing it cool. “There is no competition within the competition. The pressure is not on me. My boat is ten years older than Clarisse’s. And if she ends up behind me, it won’t be because I was good, but because she had a technical problem. »
Landed by Banque Populaire at the end of her maternity leave, Clarisse Crémer managed to bounce back quickly and find a sponsor (Occitane) and a boat at the end of a turbulent year. Her husband draws lessons from this, without controversy: “It was indeed a special year, and first of all because we had our little girl. We swim in happiness. We discovered parenthood, it’s just incredible, he testifies with accuracy. Clarisse’s story moved her and me too. It was a real storm. And it was hard to live. Fortunately we have a good torque balance and that helped us. Clarisse has managed to get up, the Banque Populaire story is behind her and behind us. We look to the future but the wound is not yet healed. Reactions from some people were hard to swallow. And she, like me, we learned that you have to accept not to please everyone ”…
End of the story and the controversy therefore for Clarisse and Tanguy who are turning, “with two pretty projects”, towards this Vendée Globe which she will rediscover after her 12th place in 2021 and which she will seek to complete for her big premiere. For him and for this Lazare association which “organizes solidarity shared accommodation between the homeless and young workers allowing people living on the street to find accommodation and find a social network. » « My partners give 50% of their visibility on the project for the association. And so far we’ve sailed 150 roommates. I am not a holy man but I feel close to this cause. And that gives meaning to my project”…
Tanguy Le Turquais, 34, an outstanding communicator and father of a boat leaving for the Vendée Globe, has all the assets to make people talk about him and succeed in this “meaningful” project.
