Julie SIMON

Julie Simon grew up in La Baule where she was immersed in the racer-cruiser universe from a very early age. The Spi Ouest France, the Grand Prix de Crouesty and the Grand Prix de l’Ecole Navale were all regulars on her race schedule and her J80 crew included a certain Benjamin Ferré, third in the last edition of the Mini Transat in the production boat category.

“Hearing him rave on about the Mini 6.50, I realised that the Mini Transat was an accessible race and I got hooked, which in turn made me want to have a shot at it too”, explains the skipper of the Maxi 6.50 DynaMIPS, who promptly put her work as a fusions-acquisitions manager on hold at Deloitte in Nantes so she could devote all her time to her campaign. “During the race, I hope to be able to make the most of the long runs under spinnaker in the trade wind and the sunshine, with some wild surfs”, enthuses the sailor, who sets great store by the notion of pleasure, though she’s also got some ambitious objectives.

“If you’re going to dream, dream big! I know that, on paper, around a dozen competitors are better than me, but I’m still gunning for the Top 5. I believe it’s doable, because during an exercise like a transatlantic passage, you never know how things are going to play out. For me, harbouring big ambitions is the best source of motivation and that will be invaluable during the tougher times”.