Race to Alaska (R2AK) Singlehanded - Team Pestou’s Story!!!

[@ChristianNally]

Gotta say... this interview aged really well given what went down in 2023. 🙂 Thanks for putting the time into making this interview in the first place!

[@SailingTipsCa]

Thanks - I'm thankful Pestou took the time and also thrilled that he went back and finished the job the following year!

[@hoopaa6231]

Thank you so much for your interview! I really appreciate it. Discussions like these help me learn about how our F-31 will handle in the rougher conditions we have in the channels between the islands here in Hawaii. It’s really interesting to hear about how the weight affects these boats. Fortunately ours has been kept very light by previous owners. We’ll try to keep it that way as we outfit her with more of the cruising comforts. Great job with the interview! I would love to hear from others and see how the boats are set up. Aloha, Cullen Chong, Delta Vee, Corsair F-31, Honolulu HI.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Glad you found it helpful! We normally sail our F-82R double-handed in day races, but we have loaded it up with a third person and overnight gear for longer races and it's a completely different boat! But with a sailing weight of 2400 lbs adding the third person and overnight gear added about 10%. Basically the lighter the boat the more weight-sensitive it is. Your F-31 is a bit heavier so a tiny bit less sensitive, but still wise to keep it as light as possible!

[@marcantoineroussel]

Wow, that was such a great interview! I would have listened to both of you four hours more. At first I was looking forward to next year R2AK, but now I hope you interview him again much sooner.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Glad you enjoyed it! We chatted for more than an hour but I had to edit the video down to make it a more manageable length. I hope Eric agrees to chat again soon because there's so much we can learn from him!!!

[@mhummels3273]

What and outstanding interview! As a crew member of Ruf Duck, I have nothing but respect for Eric. He made our shortlist of teams to watch before R2AK ever started. His performance on the water only helped to cement our impressions of him. I would point out that while the advantages you describe about keeping weight down are valid, they neglect the multi-day nature of R2AK. I am sure Eric would agree, there is a balance to be had on every boat of crew/weight vs boat performance vs overall time doing r2AK. It is arguable that the overall weight savings (and increased performance in boat handling) that Eric had would have resulted in a faster overall time doing R2AK over the period of a week (compared to a crew of 3 or 4 people). I think perhaps this is the difference in mentality between a sailing race, and an adventure race. While I have nothing but HUGE respect for Eric's attempt to go solo, there are also clear advantages to adding weight in the form of extra crew. The video showing Team Pestou and Ruf Duck passing by Team Narwhal was incredible - and telling. It certainly DOES show the disadvantages of weight. And - only to emphasize that argument - every additional crew member requires additional water (about a gallon a day). Assuming 6 days to get to Alaska, every 160 lbs crew member would result in an additional 210 lbs of additional weight. By that measure alone, the Ruf Duck was carrying an additional 840 lbs. And that doesn't include all the other incidentals (food, gear...). That certainly is a disadvantage when it comes to sailing speed and boat handling. The primary reason the Ruf Duck had 5 members (a lot by any standard for a multihull) had more to do that we are all friends and wanted the shared experience. And, if speed and maneuverability are your only goals, I would certainly agree - if you want to go fast, keep your weight down. Just be aware - these advantages come at a cost. Lastly, for the record - When Ruf Duck passed by Narwhall, we did see them. They are friends both on and off the water. We called out to them as we passed asking if everyone was okay. They gave the affirmative via a thumbs up and a motion to go on. Sailing Tips - Keep doing interviews like these! They are outstanding!

[@SailingTipsCa]

Thanks so much for your first-hand experiences and insight! I totally get that R2AK is an adventure race, that many people do it for many reasons, and that doing it with a team of buddies for a shared experience is an excellent reason! Your larger crew would certainly bring more longevity and less risk that Eric's approach. Also good to know that you saw Narwhal and they gave you the thumbs-up. They appeared to have everything "under control" in their video, and also by virtue of the fact that they shot a video, got the mast back on board, and made it back to the dock. And thanks for the encouragement to do more interviews!

[@Redmanuka]

thanks, good interview. Love the discussion around handling multihulls in the conditions. would be great to have more content regards multihull sailing from experienced skippers. Not much about on this topic.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Glad you liked it! I've found the same thing i.e. difficulty getting good information about multihull techniques in various conditions. Hopefully Eric can teach us some more!!!

[@garthharrington9683]

Enjoyed that. Nice to meet Eric. Good interview. Handling tips travelling over waves very good. Landing on the float going over the top puts huge stress on the beam. The forward beams have extra reinforcing layers of carbon compared to aft beams IF emphasizes those in the plans. Landing the float bow on a log is like dropping the boat on the ground on one side. Amazing! Must’ve shook the hull. I’m interested to hear about the repair especially if there were any voids where the resin cloth matrix was not bonded thoroughly. Cloth fibers must have torn. Hopefully it can be cleaned up and rebonded and reinforced. Do plans exist for this boat. I can send copies of F9A CMModule construction and bonding to hull. They would be different but would give some insight into structure.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Interestingly there was very little damage to the external hull, likely because the edges of the production boats have pretty thick resin. The damage was only readily apparent with the mouse fur peeled back, which revealed what appears to be a sub-standard tabbing job of the structural frame to the hull, with some resin voids etc. I think all production F-boats that are sailed hard could benefit from some inspection and possibly reinforced tabbing, especially adjacent to the forward beam mounts.

[@MiNiD33]

Eric is more inspirational than IMOCA 60s sailing the earth. I'm not sure how he fits his huge diamond coated nuts through the companionway. Leading a race while solo in frigid log infested waters. Hope you have another go Eric and get a good shot at the 1st place.

[@SailingTipsCa]

I know, Eric is quite literally in a league of his own, at least around here!!!

[@iamronus]

trop fort le cousin!! hate de voir ça l'année prochaine !

[@SailingTipsCa]

Certainement - moi aussi!!!

[@polcarrasco]

Great interview! Does somebody know which autopilot does he use?

[@SailingTipsCa]

Glad you liked it! He uses a Pelagic tiller pilot.

[@polcarrasco]

​@@SailingTipsCaexcellent, here in Europe we have the sister called PcNautic. Thank you very much, and keep your great work with your videos, I love them!

[@GeorgeTheotokis]

Respect.

[@SailingTipsCa]

Yes Eric is the real deal!!!

[@mastpg]

Yeesh, look how f'ing reef'd Pestou is coming into harbor! This is like The Barkley of sailing. How are these maniacs doing ANY of this?!?! I get that intense conditions can be fun, but holy hell.....

[@SailingTipsCa]

Yeah I think the conditions were slightly beyond fun in that Proving Ground leg! Pretty cool that Pestou broke the record this year…he is after all a French guy on a trimaran!

[@davidedwards2764]

What seat is that on the left?

[@SailingTipsCa]

It’s a custom seat he made for his pedal drive, which is also adjacent to all the boat controls. It also has a head rest for napping!

[@alecmackenzie8363]

Excellent interview! Eric really knows his stuff. As a long time Bad Kitty crew, I can viscerally relate to everything Eric experienced. Depressing to drop out, but the right thing to do. Very important to return and complete unfinished business. It took Bad Kitty two R2AKs and three Newport to Encinitas races to get that job done! kzbin.info/www/bejne/poOwkHeIfq2lbK8

[@SailingTipsCa]

Thanks - I was pleased to hear that Eric was thinking ahead to next year! You guys have also been incredibly inspiring. I was also there in the 2015 VanIsle360 per your Nahwitti Bar video - the only time I ever had my 42’ monohull completely under water!!! Your broken rear beam repair with a salvaged drive shaft in Winter Harbour was amazing. Sold that boat and switched to multis to race with you guys instead!!!