Hundreds of thousands of virtual sailors will line up alongside the 115 skippers crossing the start line of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe this Sunday, racing the same course through Virtual Regatta, a fixture for offshore racing fans since 2006.
Before heading out to sea himself, Romain Attanasio, a skipper well known around the pontoons, will also be competing in the virtual race, sailing the boat France.TV. He shared some tips ahead of the start.
**1/ Preparing the start**
"To get away well, the best thing is to prepare properly. Beforehand, the day before the race for example, you can place the boat on the start line, choose your sails, adapt to the weather trends that are emerging. You can also position your waypoints for the start. Broadly speaking, we know you need to head west at the start, so you can set waypoints at Cap Fréhel and then towards Ouessant. That helps avoid the rocks and stops you running aground right at the start of the race."
**2/ Adjusting strategy constantly**
"It's still a bit early to talk strategy, the weather conditions need to become clearer. We know there's a high-pressure system settling back in. The weather should be fine at the start, but there should be a strong acceleration at Cape Finisterre. There, the wind can easily reach 35 to 40 knots, so you'll need to be very careful not to break anything."
**3/ Anticipating as much as possible**
"The problem, in Virtual Regatta just as when you actually take the start, is that there's never really a quiet moment. You have to know how to exploit the smallest wind shifts, gybe at the right times, and stay fully switched on the whole time. From what we can see, the second part of the race looks pretty complex. What's not easy with Virtual Regatta is that life goes on. You're not at sea, there's family, work, the day to day. So to avoid mistakes, the key, again, is anticipation."
