The Skipper
Retired: 1 December 2022 – rigging issue
Arnaud had been facing severe barnacle and rigging issues for several days that hampered his sailing to weather. Not being able to go upwind because of mast compression made it impossible to reach Cape Town on time to repair and continue to Hobart before the gate closing on 31st January 2023.
From Blois, France
Arnaud Gaist discovered sailing in the Paris underground where he immerses himself in the works of Moitessier, Slocum, Vito Dumas etc.
At the age of 23, he decided to leave his photography career behind to buy a 25ft sailboat (7.6m), learned to sail and leaves for a trip that will last 3 years.
At 25 years old, he crossed the atlantic self-handed and in rough conditions, without an engine without any communication, without a lifeboat, without a radar, using maps sometimes hand-traced, without a bathroom, insurance or a planned budget.
He shares Moitessier’s view that by waiting to be fully prepared before leaving, one risks not leaving at all.
Today, at 48 years of age, though he now sails in a more comfortable and safe boat, he has not lost his appetite for long solitary crossings, fluorescent plankton in the trails behind the sailboat on moonless nights, long swelling waves, the sound of water on the bow. To him, the rhythm and the approach to the crossing are as important as the arrival. In 2018, when he first heard about the 2018 GGR, it was obvious that this race was made for him and his boat – a Barbican 33 mk2 keel version. Commited and driven to give his all to lead this journey to its end and close the loop.
His motto: ‘It’s not because it’s impossible that we should not do it!’
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arnaudgaistggr/
The Boat
| Boat Name | Hermes Phoning |
| Boat Type | BARBICAN 33 MKII (long keel version) |
| Designer | Maurice Griffiths |
| Builder | Barbican Yacht Construction Ltd |
| LOA | 9.96m |
| LWL | 7.72 |
| Beam | 7.72 |
| Draft | 1.22m |
| Displacement | 6900kg |
| Sail Area | TBA |
