Tamara is an incredibly good sailor and a great person to have on the team. She has a lot of energy and helps me with catering, which is the worst job (laughs).

Since SCA, there hasn’t been a women’s team. Do you miss that? Have you thought or talked about the possibility of having a women’s crew in this race?

Yes, there were some talks, but I wasn’t that involved. Before the women’s team SCA 2014/15, after the Maiden Team, there were actually no women in the Ocean Race from 2001/2. There was no way for women to get into the race at that time. So a women-only team was the only way for women to participate.

Since then, the Ocean Race has evolved. There are already many good women with Imoca experience, and after this race there will be even more. I would be happy to see a women’s team in the next Ocen Race.

Imoca versus VO65: You’ve sailed both. What is the biggest difference, and what is the biggest challenge now?

Being below deck on an Imoca is the biggest challenge for me as a pit: the autopilot is unfamiliar to me because I no longer have feedback from the skipper. Also, I’m inside and can’t see the sail trim and the waves. It’s a whole new way of sailing. I rely a lot more on numbers. It’s a steep learning curve for me.

The overview is provided by the on-board computer and radar © Guyot Environnement - Team Europe

You’re responsible for trim on board. How does that work?

When we sail offshore, there are three of us on deck. The change of watch on deck is every three hours. In the first hour and a half, you assist the skipper on the winches and trim. In the second half, you take over or control the autopilot – if it’s running – and do the main trim. Basically, we all have the same tasks.