Yoann Richomme

PAPREC ARKÉA - N°24

Sailing was first of all a hobby for him: the trigger came during a transatlantic race in 2000 with his father. He didn't think much about competition: he came late.

With his diploma as a naval architect in his pocket, Yoann found his way: it was technical. "The preparation, the weather, the adjustments," he says, "that's what makes me vibrate. I have no mythology of man and the sea; I don't feel any particular pleasure in sailing alone. Competitive sailing is first and foremost a mechanical sport. For me, it's an engineering thing, especially since today we reach staggering levels of technical requirements. It's a universe where I feel good. »

He started in high competition as a technical trainer, spending three months at Veolia on Roland Jourdain's boat, then a whole season on Nicolas Lunven's sailboat on the Figaro Bénéteau circuit. "It was an exceptional period of training," he recalls. In 2010, he took the plunge as skipper on the same circuit, probably one of the most demanding in ocean racing. He is 27 years old, no one knows him, and he has never steered in the race before: yet he finishes second. The press renamed it "the phenomenon".

Since then, Yoann has added to his list of successes: winner of the Route du Rhum 2018 in Class40, 7 years of Figaro circuit with DLBC, then Macif, winner of the Solitaire du Figaro 2016, vice-champion of France in 2013 and 2016, 2nd in the Transat AG2R La Mondiale 2014, 2nd in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2013. Considered an outstanding technician, he was responsible for the development of the Figaro Bénéteau 3 monotype, intended for future editions of the race. He is a recognized consultant in navigation, strategy and meteorology. Yoann covered the entire 2016 edition of the Vendée Globe as an analyst - "with a pinch in his heart not to be there", he concedes. But his eyes are already on the 2020 edition, with the ambition of a modern boat, a motivated sponsor - and a place on the podium.