Nothing predisposed Romain Attanasio to become a sailor, since he was born into a family of... high level skiers, from the Hautes-Alpes. As a child, he nevertheless spent all his holidays with a great uncle in Port Navalo. This one took him to sea aboard his Poker, a small family cruiser from the 70s. The destinations were then not very far away: Houat, Hoedic, Belle Ile-en-Mer, the Gulf of Morbihan.
The browser virus is taken. As a teenager, Romain was passionate about big ocean races from his boarding school room in Compiègne. He begins in drifter at the local club and then, against all odds, manages to join the sports-study section of La Baule, by laser. In one school year, he discovered a real talent for sailing.
He managed to set up a Mini 6.50 project, but in 1999 a huge storm hit the Bay of Biscay and his first major ocean race experience - the Mini Transat - was frightening: the boat was turned over, saved in extremis by a cargo ship, then hoisted and repatriated to Spain and France.
Without clothes, without paper and with an improbable look, "I arrive at Orly in flip-flops and tracksuits', with a garbage bag in my hand... Today, I would be arrested by the police with such a look!"
Failed? Not exactly, because his partner at the time found the start experience exciting and gave him the means to continue in Figaro Bénéteau. Romain joins the Pôle Finistère of Port-La-Forêt, the royal road for a Figarist. He is becoming one of its pillars, with excellent results in line with La Solitaire du Figaro and the Transat AG2R. He will follow ten seasons, while also sailing for the best in multihulls, at the time of the Orma trimarans: with Michel Desjoyeaux first on Géant, then with Franck Cammas on Groupama. A skilled strategist, he is often hired as a navigator.
After completing his first round the world voyage in the Vendée Globe 2016-17 in 110 days, Romain is already preparing for the 2020-21 edition.
For this new challenge, he has been sailing since 2018 on Fabrice AMEDEO's former boat (Gitana80 designed by Loick Peyron) called PURE with which he finished 13th in the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe in 2018
Romain Attanasio is preparing today for the Transat Jacques Vabre 2019 and for the Vendée Globe 2020.
2018: Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe - 13th
2018: Dhream Cup - 5th
2018: Transat AG2R - 13th
2017: Transat Jacques Vabre - 13th with Aurélien Ducroz
2016: Vendée Globe - 15th
2015: Transat Jacques Vabre - 9th with Louis Burton
2014: Transat AG2R - 4ème with Sam Davies
2004: Transat AG2R - 3ème with Nicolas Béranger
1999: Mini Transat 6.50 - Retired
| Name | PURE |
|---|---|
| Sail number | FRA 49 |
| Architect | Farr Yacht Design |
| Construction | 2007, Nouvelle-Zélande |
| Former names | GITANA EIGHTY, 1876, W Hotels, RENAULT Z.E., SYNERCIEL, GAES Centros Auditivos, Newrest - Matmut, Newrest - Brioches Pasquier, Famille Mary - Etamine du Lys |
| Length | 18,28 m |
| Beam | 5,80 m |
| Draught | 4,50 m |
| Weight | 9 tonnes |
| Mast height | 29 m |
| Mast type | Mât-Classique |
| Foils | No |
| Surface voile max. | |
| Près | 270 m2 |
| Portant | 560 m2 |
Between now and the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the IMOCA class has decided to share with you some portraits of the duos getting together for the double-handed transatlantic race. Today, we look at the duo made u…
•••It is on Thursday 30 May that the 9th edition of the ArMen Race will set sail from La Trinité-sur-Mer in SW Brittany...
•••A skilled observer of this first event in the IMOCA Globe Series in which he was unable to take part due to the timing, Romain Attanasio gives us his analysis of the first five days of racing...
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