A season debrief interview with Franco American Classe Mini skipper Ambre Hasson
by David Schmidt 27 Aug 2024 16:00 BST
August 27, 2024
Ambre Hasson racing in the 2024 Mini Fastnet aboard On the Road Again (618) © Manon Le Guen
Big dreams demand big amounts of preparation. Just ask Ambre Hasson, a Franco American Classe Mini skipper who has dedicated her 2023 and 2024 sailing seasons to building the skills, experience, and prerequisite miles needed to compete in the Mini Transat 2025. For Hasson, this included losing her first Classe Mini to an unexpected wave, before working to become familiar with her second ride, a Finot-Conq designed prototype Mini, On the Road Again II (618), which she acquired in late 2023. Then there was the not-so-simple matter of racking up experience and nautical miles needed to compete in next year's Mini Transat.
While Hasson's 2024 season included a ton of solo nautical miles, including a 1,000-mile solo run in July, it also included two doublehanded and two singlehanded races.
On the doublehanded side, Hasson sailed the 250-mile Plastimo Lorient Mini (April 4) with co-skipper Albain Pouliquen, and the doublehanded, 600-mile Mini Fastnet (June 9), which she sailed with co-skipper Geert Schouten. Sailing alone, Hasson completed the 500-mile singlehanded Mini en Mai 2024 (May 20), and the 500-mile Mini Transmanche (August 18).
This is a lot of sailing on a 21-footer, but, given that her plan for 2025 involves racing across more than 4,000 bluewater miles by herself, this is exactly the kind of experience pyramid needed to be competitive (and safe) on this far bigger adventure.
This is the fourth of four interviews this year with Hasson as she prepares for next year's singlehanded Mini Transat.
(The first three interview can be found here:
part 1,
part 2, and
part 3.)
I recently caught up with Hasson, via email, to debrief her 2024 season.
Congratulations on wrapping up a huge season! Looking back on all the miles that you raced this year, both alone and doublehanded, what were your best and worst racing moments?
My worst racing moment was probably during a solo race when a squall hit while I was battling light and unstable air upwind at night. Exhausted and having mismanaged my sleep, it took me a while to regain my bearings. It was a stark reminder to avoid pushing myself too far into exhaustion.
On the flip side, one of my best moments was during a front when I pushed the boat to its limits under a gennaker with the wind building intensely. It was an exhilarating experience, managing to hold the gennaker up to 28 knots amidst huge waves—it felt like a battle, but an amazing one.
What were the biggest challenges that you faced this year, and how well do you think you managed them?
The biggest challenge was getting the boat in racing shape. It took more energy and resources than I anticipated (doesn't it always, haha) and so I found myself spending all my time between training and races working on the boat.
Despite the rush, it's been incredibly rewarding; I've gained deep knowledge of my boat, boosting my confidence in handling potential issues at sea.
Can you please compare and contrast where you were as a sailor a year ago with where you are now?
The contrast is stark.
Last year, every race felt like survival—my boat was constantly breaking, and I was on a steep learning curve.
Now I'm actually racing: there's nothing like skidding across the waves under spinnaker with 25 knots of breeze!
Looking back on your 2024 season, what are the biggest/most important lessons that you learned?
I learned the power of resilience.
Violently losing my boat last year left its mark—when I re-started training, I had recurring nightmares about breaking my new boat.
In the beginning my fear got in the way of my learning, but I kept going out on the water. By facing these challenges and celebrating every small victory, I've grown significantly more comfortable and capable on my boat.
How are you feeling in terms of your big-picture learning curve ahead of the 2025 Mini Transat? Are you where you need to be? If not, how do you plan to close any persistent gaps?
I'm right where I should be, the boat and its skipper have now been well-tested. Now the fun part begins, we can start working on optimizations and performance.
My goal next year is to work on the fine tunings of the boat and keep learning weather strategy.
Do you plan to make any modifications to you boat (hull/foils), sailplan, rig and rigging, or running rigging over the winter (or ahead of the 2025 Mini Transat)?
There're definitely some changes planned for this winter.
I'm going to change the running rigging and standing rigging, and—in the process— adding three degrees more to the adjustable [mast] rake.
I also am looking for a better solution for heavy downwind sailing, potentially adding a reef to my medium spinnaker.
I'm also thinking about lengthening my rudders and adding more tilt to my keel to create a bit more lift.
Do you plan to winter in France? If so, what are your plans for the off season? Or, is there no such thing as an off season with such big singlehanded plans for 2025?
This winter I'll be planning and working on the winter refit of my boat, so I will have my hands full. But I'm also planning on coming to the States in October to see my family and attend the Annapolis Boat Show—if you're around and would like to meet up in Annapolis, feel free to reach out!
Is there anything else about this season, or about your thoughts ahead of the 2025 Mini Transat, that you'd like to add, for the record?
This year has been incredibly transformative, and with the 2025 Mini Transat on the horizon, I'm looking for more partnerships that align with the spirit of adventure and resilience that defines offshore sailing. If your brand values perseverance, boldness, and authenticity, please reach out.
[Editor's note: Hasson's website is www.ambresails.com, her email address is ambre@ambresails.com, and her Instagram handle is @ambre_sails.]