It was in the heart of the night, at 4:28 AM, that Holcim-PRB pointed its bow towards Lorient. The IMOCA led by Nicolas Lunven finished in 8th place in Retour à la Base, a solo transatlantic race that started in Fort-de-France, Martinique. For his first race at the helm of the 60-footer, the Breton sailor prioritized his goal of qualifying for the Vendée Globe.

In the leading group from the start of the race, he eventually separated from the leaders to navigate in areas with lighter winds, ensuring that he didn't take any risks with the equipment. Upon arrival, Nicolas explained that he had gained a lot of knowledge about his boat. 'From a competitive standpoint, I was doing quite well at the beginning. However, when it came to high-speed downwind sailing, I felt less comfortable due to my unfamiliarity with the boat. I decided to go to areas with slightly less wind to get a better feel for the boat. So, I let go of the competition a bit compared to the leaders. On the other hand, this allowed me to sail in varied wind ranges. From the Azores, when a squall came through, I chose a southern route. I knew I would lose places, but I was able to try different sails and further discover the boat rather than sailing in 35 knots with reduced sail area and learning less about the boat's behavior. There, I was able to use the full range of sails and all possible configurations,' explained the skipper of Holcim-PRB. This was a form of learning about the boat that he had come for over the 4,609 miles of racing, and he returns to Brittany with much more than that, particularly confidence! 'It was disappointing to put competition on hold, but it allowed me to validate a lot of things about the boat. I really had this qualification goal. I put a lot of pressure on myself about it; it was like having a sword of Damocles hanging over my head. I didn't fully engage in the competition, but this goal has been achieved. I gained confidence in the boat, and I needed that. These are complex machines. About ten days ago, I had only done four sails on the boat,' he added, before congratulating Yoann Richomme on his victory and the rest of the podium made up of Jérémie Beyou and Sam Goodchild. This transatlantic race also allowed him to truly gauge the level of competition he will face in less than a year during the Vendée Globe against experts fully in control of their machines. 'Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) had an incredible race, demonstrating mastery from start to finish. Jérémie Beyou (Charal) and Sam Goodchild (For The Planet) also navigated exceptionally well. They set the bar very high in terms of mastery of the subject and all its facets. They made the boats go very fast and didn't make any mistakes,' he concluded before debriefing with his entire team over coffee and croissants as the day began to break over the port of Lorient La Base.