A former favourite of the last edition, the Crédit Mutuel skipper returns with the experience of a Globe 40 victory and accepts a less performant boat.
As the start of the Route du Rhum approaches, Ian Lipinski stands out as a sailor to watch. Among the favourites in the last edition, he had finished the race in thirteenth place. This time, he arrives with a new credential: victory in the second edition of the Globe 40, a round-the-world race with stopovers contested in Class40.
The skipper of Crédit Mutuel harbours no illusions about his equipment. He knows that the boat he sails is not the most performant in the fleet. Far from discouraging him, this assessment seems instead to fuel a more relaxed approach to the competition. He tackles the Atlantic crossing with a state of mind he describes as serene and free, without the pressure that can weigh on the favourites.
This serenity does not, however, mean a timid strategy. Lipinski says he is ready to take risks when conditions allow. In a solo race such as the Route du Rhum, where choices of course, sail plan and fatigue management often make the difference, this willingness to accept a measure of uncertainty could prove decisive.
His Globe 40 victory is a recent benchmark. This round-the-world race with stopovers demands management of duration, technical stops and a psychological endurance that carries over to a transatlantic race. The navigator has thus demonstrated his ability to run a complete project, both at sea and ashore.
It remains to be seen how this profile will translate on the water, against competitors who sometimes have faster machines. The race will tell whether the combination of lucidity about the boat's limits and boldness in decision-making can allow him to climb the rankings. For Ian Lipinski, the stakes are clear: turning accumulated experience into results.
The skipper of Crédit Mutuel harbours no illusions about his equipment. He knows that the boat he sails is not the most performant in the fleet. Far from discouraging him, this assessment seems instead to fuel a more relaxed approach to the competition. He tackles the Atlantic crossing with a state of mind he describes as serene and free, without the pressure that can weigh on the favourites.
This serenity does not, however, mean a timid strategy. Lipinski says he is ready to take risks when conditions allow. In a solo race such as the Route du Rhum, where choices of course, sail plan and fatigue management often make the difference, this willingness to accept a measure of uncertainty could prove decisive.
His Globe 40 victory is a recent benchmark. This round-the-world race with stopovers demands management of duration, technical stops and a psychological endurance that carries over to a transatlantic race. The navigator has thus demonstrated his ability to run a complete project, both at sea and ashore.
It remains to be seen how this profile will translate on the water, against competitors who sometimes have faster machines. The race will tell whether the combination of lucidity about the boat's limits and boldness in decision-making can allow him to climb the rankings. For Ian Lipinski, the stakes are clear: turning accumulated experience into results.
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Source: Ouest-France