At the helm of this Lagoon 52S is Valérie Fumat, the only female captain in the fleet, who is supervising seven trainees from VogWeek, a cruising school developed as an extension of the crew-matching website Vogavecmoi.
"We're running an offshore cruising course. The trainees are here to learn how to organize an ocean crossing, everything involved in chart navigation, but also celestial navigation using a sextant and the stars, and of course all the logistics that need to be put in place."
For some, the adventure represents a real leap into the unknown: three crew members have never even spent a night at sea! At the other end of the spectrum, one of the participants already completed an Atlantic crossing last year. Valérie therefore has to manage a wide range of experience levels, as well as several generations, with ages ranging from 28 to 68.
Another distinctive feature of Takamaka is that women outnumber men on board, with four women and three men among the trainees, plus their female skipper.
VogWeek organizes numerous cruising courses departing from France, particularly in Corsica. By taking part in the Rallye des Îles du Soleil, the seven trainees will have the opportunity to put theory into practice in the very real conditions of an ocean crossing.
For Valérie, the goal goes far beyond simply reaching the Caribbean: it's about passing on the skills and confidence her crew members need to become bluewater sailors in their own right.
