Although the skipper of the IMOCA yacht Hublot is already taking part in his third Vendée Globe, his passion for ocean racing is undiminished. Alan Roura knows no routine and has big plans: Together with Simon Koster and Élodie-Jane Mettraux, he wants to set up a Swiss academy for offshore racing and prepare its members for The Ocean Race 2027. However, the Swiss is not giving up single-handed regattas because of this. He has already announced that he also wants to compete in the Vendée Globe in 2028.
Interview: Quentin Mayerat
How is the preparation for the Vendée Globe going?
After two difficult years, I’m very happy with the changes to the boat and my preparation, because I was able to sail all the planned races this year. Since 2022, I have crossed the Atlantic six times, four of which were last year. I wasn’t able to complete one of these crossings in race mode because my foil broke during the Transat CIC. This last trip across the Atlantic was very emotionally draining, the tiredness was in my bones. I was relieved that I had qualified, but I couldn’t get the accident out of my mind. The stress, the excitement, all the pressure was gone in one fell swoop. I knew that I had performed well at both the Transat CIC and the Vendée Arctique in a wide variety of conditions, not just when jibing in the trade winds.
What is your goal for the start of the Vendée Globe after this new experience?
My goal is simple. I have to reach the Southern Ocean in the top ten or fifteen to keep my chances alive, because experience shows that accidents and damage tend to pile up after that. In terms of speed alone, I can’t keep up with the best. So I have to make sure that I stay in the Atlantic and then sail north again from the Southern Ocean with a reliable boat that I know very well.
This is your third Vendée Globe.
Will you sail differently than the first and second time?
Yes, clearly, I’m starting from scratch. My second round the world voyage was based on what I’d learnt from the first. I naively said to myself: ‘You’ve already done the Vendée, you know what’s going to happen. I’m going into my race with a very different mindset. I’m no longer going to try to finish my round the world race at all costs. it can break. During my first Vendée, I kept telling myself that everything could stop at any moment. I want to make the most of this third round the world race and enjoy it to the fullest.
Don’t you dream of something else after three solo circumnavigations?
(Laughs) A little bit. I haven’t had time to think about it since the start of the last Vendée Globe campaign. On the way back from New York, I started thinking seriously about my future. I’ve been sailing single-handed for ten years now and I’m having an incredible amount of fun. But solo projects are difficult and I can’t pass on my experience. I no longer want to have to manage projects on my own and want to be able to share my knowledge. There is no question that I will continue to sail single-handed in the future, but at the same time I also want to sail a lot as part of a team.
“After thirty races on an IMOCA, I can tackle The Ocean Race without any complexes.”
What are your specific plans?
I am working on a great project: a Swiss academy for offshore racing. Switzerland has an incredibly dynamic sailing scene, the best-known examples being the SailGP and Alinghi Red Bull Racing. However, there is no broad-based project for offshore sailing. I would therefore like to set up a joint project that carries the colors of our country into the world. My aim is to train a team that will take part in European regattas and circumnavigations. I have a purely Swiss program in mind, like we experienced with Merit and Disque d’Or at Whitbread.
So you are planning a project for The Ocean Race. Who is supporting you?
The members of the academy are to take part in double-handed, single-handed and team regattas. We outlined the main features of the project immediately after my return from the last Transat. I met with Simon Koster (editor’s note: co-skipper of the Hublot at the last Transat Jacques Vabre) to discuss the whole thing. We then contacted Élodie-Jane-Mettraux together. We know and understand each other well and she has all the necessary qualifications. Not only is she a talented and experienced regatta and offshore sailor, she has also taken part in the Volvo Ocean Race several times. The fact that she is a woman is also a perfect fit, because we want to promote gender equality.
So there are three of us running the project. We are currently looking intensively for partners. Our aim is to take part in the Ocean Race Europe 2025 with a mixed team of professionals and amateurs on my current IMOCA Hublot, which is equipped with new foils. It’s also about finding new talent and preparing them for an Atlantic race as a team in 2026 and a circumnavigation on a newer boat in 2027. There are an incredible number of talented young sailors in Switzerland who are showing their skills in other boat classes and who might be interested in getting into offshore sailing. I know how difficult it is to start a career. I want to give them a chance, just as I have always been given opportunities during my career.
ÉLODIE-JANE METTRAUX HAS ALREADY PARTICIPATED TWICE IN THE VOLVO
OCEAN RACE TWICE. SHE WILL CONTRIBUTE HER EXPERIENCE TO THE SWISS OFFSHORE RACING TEAM.
So this is a new stage in your career?
Yes, for me this step is associated with many obligations and a great deal of commitment. The idea of a team regatta around the world has always appealed to me, but I didn’t have the necessary skills or enough experience. After thirty races on an IMOCA, I can tackle The Ocean Race without any complexes, I don’t have to hide. However, our technical team will have to double or even triple in size. In the longer term, we would like to sail with two boats: the current IMOCA and a newer model. This would allow us to compete in The Ocean Race Europe 2025, the New York Barcelona 2026 and The Ocean Race World 2027, as well as chasing records. And then I still have to qualify for the Vendée Globe 2028 by taking part in a certain number of single-handed regattas.
So you want to compete in the Vendée Globe again?
All good things come in fours (laughs). Our goal is to take part in the Ocean Race and, if possible, the Vendée Globe straight afterwards.