Because the 2022 Route du Rhum approaches, we check out among the high names set to compete within the race. Toby Heppell appears at Romain Attanasio’s probabilities
Nothing about Romain Attanasio’s formative years indicated that he may find yourself a solo offshore yacht racer. He was born to a snowboarding household within the Hautes-Alpes area of France the place he grew up removed from the ocean and surrounded by snowy mountains.
Nonetheless, Romain Attanasio did take many holidays on the water as a teenager and located an early love for the ocean throughout that point. Having change into more and more enthusiastic about offshore racing throughout his college years – in addition to actively racing dinghies throughout this time – he picked up a Mini 6.50 and took on the Mini Transat on a shoestring finances in 1999.
His boat was rolled throughout that occasion and Attanasio was rescued by a ship however the expertise did little to dent his ardour for ocean racing.
Shortly after, he was accepted into the Pôle Finistère Course au Giant primarily based out of Port-la-Forêt. That is extensively accepted as a coaching floor for one of the best offshore racing expertise in France (and, subsequently, the world).
He noticed respectable leads to the Figaro Beneteau 2 by which La Solitaire du Figaro and Transat AG2R are each contested. It was additionally throughout this time that he met fellow ocean racer and Vendée Globe skipper, Sam Davies, with whom he had a son.
Romain Attanasio has two Vendée Globes beneath his belt, finishing the solo non cease race world wide within the 2016-17 version and the newest 2020-21 race in a 2001 boat and a 2009 boat respectively.
Ex-Malizia II, Attanasio’s IMOCA 60 is an honest performer. Photograph: Yann Riou / polaRYSE
IMOCA 60 Fortinet-Finest Western
Sail quantity: FRA 10
Designer: VPLP/ Verdier
Builder: Chantier Multiplast, Vannes
Yr: 2015
Size: 18.28
Beam: 5.70
Draught: 4.50
Foils: Sure
Attanasio, alongside sponsors Fortinet-Finest Western, has bought a primary era foiler for the 2024-25 Vendée Globe.
The boat was initially launched as Gitana 16 – Edmond de Rotschild for skipper Seb Josse forward of the 2016-17 Vendée Globe, although Josse was compelled to retire after struggling vital foil harm.
It was then picked up and raced by Boris Herrmann beneath the Malizia II identify. Herrmann did a substantial amount of work optimising the boat and, although it’s not spectacularly fast, in his fingers is grew to become a stable boat, able to being sailed shortly for lengthy intervals of time in a spread of circumstances.
The boat will characterize a stable step as much as aggressive order for Romain Attanasio even whether it is prone to be considerably slower than the very newest foiling IMOCA 60s. A stable boat and a sailor who is aware of singlehanded sailing intimately must be effectively positioned come the end of the Route du Rhum.
