Léandre DE SCHRYNMAKERS

Whilst studying, Léandre de Schrynmakers joined his university’s sailing club. From that moment on, he was hooked on racing. Though it gave him a leg up into competition – more so than his summer training sessions on an Optimist and a catamaran when he was younger –, it was primarily an encounter that prompted him to take the next step and enter the Mini Transat. The encounter took place during a delivery trip with a sailor who participated in the very first edition of the event, in 1977.

“Initially, I took him to be some sort of madman, but then through listening to him telling his story, I fell in love with the race”, explains the sailor from the Woluwe-Saint-Pierre municipality in the Brussels Capital region. After two years on the Mini 6.50 circuit, here he is at the start of the transatlantic crossing having endured a bit of upheaval in his life in a bid to bring his campaign to a successful conclusion. Indeed, having spent four years working for Michel & Augustin, a French brand of food products where he was responsible for developing the Belgian branch, the skipper of the Pogo 3 Drago opted to fully devote himself to the challenge ahead. “Making landfall in Guadeloupe with the boat in great condition would be fantastic. In any case, it’s the primary objective for me, even though finishing the race well placed would obviously be even better. I hope to sail well and not make too many mistakes”, concludes Léandre, who is being careful not to close any doors going forward in case the offshore bug has an even stronger grip when the adventure comes to an end.