Lead from the front
Yoann Richomme announced as Skipper for Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team for their Ocean Race campaign.
Photography by Brian Carlin
11 February 2020
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The Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team announced that Yoann Richomme will skipper the team’s Racing for the Planet boat in the 2021 edition of The Ocean Race.
A highly-regarded sailor in the French ocean racing scene, Richomme’s recent victories include the 2018 Route du Rhum and his second La Solitaire du Figaro triumph in June 2019.
Richomme (36) was recommended for the role by reigning Ocean Race champions, Bruno Dubois and Charles Caudrelier, who are advisors to Paulo Mirpuri and the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team.
Bruno Dubois said: “I knew right away that Yoann was top of my list for the next race. Yoann’s recent race wins speak for themselves. From his base in Lorient, he is racing in the ocean up to 200 days of the year. He has the natural feel for how to make a boat fast and also the technical skill to make best use of the data and manage his team. He is without a doubt the most exciting sailor on the market right now.”
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Richomme will take the helm of the Racing for the Planet VO65 entry of the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team. Class rules dictate that all VO65 entries be identical, bringing the skill and daring of the sailors to the forefront of the racing.
Yoann Richomme said: “I am very proud to be appointed to skipper the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team in the Ocean Race. Winning this race has been a goal of mine for a long time and I am ready to take on this challenge.”
“I have great respect for the message that the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team is bringing around the world. As a father, I want to pass this beautiful planet on to my daughter and the next generation. We are racing for the planet and each small step forward can make a big difference.”
“We have one of the greatest assets that any successful team needs – time. With the boat already in the water, 2020 will be our year to trial different sailors and team configurations in order to select the very best team. We will also enter some practice races this year and begin our preparations in earnest, so we know we will arrive at the start line with a team capable of winning the race”
Having tested the waters in 2018 with involvement in the Turn the Tide on Plastic entry, 2021 marks the first full team entry for the Mirpuri Foundation in the race.
Paulo Mirpuri, Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team Owner said: “I am delighted to welcome Yoann to the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team. We are fortunate to have Bruno and Charles advising us on how to build the very best team. Their knowledge and insight is the best in the world and I tasked them with finding a skipper who can take our boat and lead it to victory in 2021.”
“In Yoann, they have seen someone who has the rare balance of a skilled sailor and patient leader with an eye for the finest detail. I am already impressed with his approach and his mindset. We will do all we can to empower him to assemble a race-winning team and to lead the way in bringing our message, ‘Racing for the Planet’ around the globe.”
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