Justin Chisholm’s guest on this third episode of the March 2021 series of The Yacht Racing Podcast EXTRA is French ocean racer Yoann Richomme.
Yoann is perhaps best known for his solo ocean racing performances on the Figaro and Class 40 circuits, but at the end of 2020 he was announced as the skipper of the Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team – a Portuguese-based syndicate with plans to compete in the The Ocean Race Europe this summer and the main around-the-world edition of The Ocean Race, starting in the winter of 2022.
Yoann first tried his hand at offshore sailing as a teenager when he helped his dad sail the Richomme family boat back to Europe from the United States.
Despite an unpleasant first stage to Bermuda, he ended up enjoying the overall sailing experience, but it wasn’t until a friend persuaded him to switch his degree at Southampton University to naval architecture that his path into professional sailing was set.
A fiercely competitive individual, Yoann is one of the few people to have twice won the hallowed Figaro solo offshore multi-stage series.
Then in 2019 he turned in a stunning performance to win the 53 boat Class 40 division of the singlehanded transatlantic Route du Rhum race.
Yoann Richomme is an interesting character with a fascinating back story, and he gave a very open and honest interview that ocean racing fans everywhere will be sure to enjoy.