“I congratulate the Spindrift racing team for getting this work done despite such a tight schedule,” Guichard, the skipper, said. With a shorter mast, new sails, new centreboard, new autopilots, general weight loss and a modified deck plan and fittings, the last few weeks have been very busy. “We look forward to being at sea and enjoying the high performance of this fantastic boat,” Guichard added. “The changes made for the North Atlantic and the Route du Rhum mean we have the potential for a stronger performance even while we’re pushing Spindrift 2 less hard. I’ve always tried to sail with finesse, whether in Olympics or offshore and even on a machine of this size, it is possible.”
8,000 hours of work
Antoine Carraz, the technical manager and part of the sailing team, said: “We are split between stress and excitement. We fixed the date for the launch of Spindrift 2 three months ago; it’s a point of pride for the team to meet that deadline. Most notably we made structural changes which were necessary after the reduction in size of the mast, these were long and complicated tasks. Spindrift 2 is also a huge puzzle with parts coming from all over Europe and the United States. Coordination of all this is a daily challenge that we have overcome.”