Romain Tellier and TEMO, on their way to the Mini Transat 2021!

We are pleased to announce the start of a new partnership between TEMO and Romain Tellier, skipper! As part of his Mini Transat project, he needed a clean and practical solution for maneuvering in ports or confined spaces.

Romain Tellier is one of the young skipper talents of recent years. Having grown up near the sea, he cut his teeth in Optimists and Hobie Cats. He then set sail for two years with his family in 2009, where he learned the specifics of offshore sailing . The call of the open sea has always followed him ever since. After finishing his higher education and starting to work, he had a breakthrough. He decided to get his captain's certificate and began delivering various types of boats. In 2018, he started racing and met Clément Giraud , who was preparing for the 2020 Vendée Globe. Subsequently, he joined his team as a co-preparer and together they participated in the Grand Prix Guyader. All these experiences confirmed his choice and his desire to be a skipper.

Today, his plan is to participate in the 23rd edition of the Mini Transat , which will begin on September 26, 2021. This is a 7,500 km solo transatlantic race , without any computer or land-based assistance. As if the challenge weren't already great enough, the crossing is made on 6.50m boats . A slight change this year is that the start is from Les Sables d'Olonne, and the course and stages have been modified. A first stopover is planned after roughly a week of sailing on the island of Santa Cruz de Palma in the Canary Islands. The fastest boats will arrive in Saint-François , Guadeloupe, two weeks later. In short, this race is like a skipper's baccalaureate exam , an intermediate step on the long road to the Vendée Globe.

Since August 2020, Romain and his entire team have been preparing for the crucial moment. We contacted him by phone to get an update on his project and preparations :
“We’ve already started participating in several races and regattas to train, and our goal is to maintain a fairly demanding training schedule. We should normally cover more than 10,000 miles over two years. The aim of the first year was primarily to familiarize ourselves with the boat and develop our handling skills. In the second phase, we’ll learn all the specifics of solo offshore sailing.”

Unfortunately, the COVID crisis has greatly disrupted his plans, whether in terms of training, morale or financial aspects.

“Many events and races were cancelled, and I had to learn a lot on the job during my open-sea races. Managing sleep, nutrition, and physical condition is very important for these kinds of races. Being someone who does a lot of sports and trekking, I was still able to find my rhythm quite quickly.”

As for Romain's boat, it is the Maximum , little brother of the Magnum 747, designed by David Raison .

“This boat stands out with its rounded bow called “Scow” and its canting keel managed by a pulley system and a crankshaft. It has 19 victories, including the last two editions of the Mini-Transat, and generally a podium finish in every race it has participated in. Such a boat also requires a lot of time, attention, and preparation.”

When we think of races and regattas, we think of all the difficulties at sea, but there are others! From launching to setting sails at sea, a lot happens, and that's where TEMO comes in . Even if these boats aren't the biggest, maneuvering without an inboard engine in sometimes narrow harbors can prove complicated.
“My boat is in a port in Marseille that's relatively difficult to access by sail and oar, and one day I heard about TEMO at the port. I then went to find out more on their website and immediately saw the product in me. Lightweight, portable, and clean, it perfectly meets my needs. Plus, if it happens to be made in France, even better!”

Furthermore, in his project Romain defends environmental values ​​and wants to fight against ocean pollution, especially plastic .
“Despite my many voyages on the high seas, not a day goes by without seeing a piece of plastic floating in the water, even in the middle of nowhere.” Therefore, it was important to him to choose a clean propulsion solution , even for short trips.

It was with great pleasure that we answered Romain's call.

We look forward to following his adventures and will keep you updated on the progress of his project on our social media . We also invite you to follow him on his Facebook page for more details about his project or simply to show him some encouragement and support!

Good luck Romain and best of luck with the rest of your adventures!