Fabrice Amedeo? That's right! That was the likeable French soloist and journalist who lost his boat during the Route du Rhum 2022 transatlantic regatta after a fire on board. Amedeo was able to transfer from his Imoca "Nexans - Art & Fenêtres" to the life raft just in time after an explosion with a jet of flame and was later happily rescued by a container ship.
Barely escaped the hell of flames
"All my dreams went down with my boat," he said after the hellish voyage in November 2022. The water ballast tank on board burst first. Hundreds of litres of water had emptied into the boat. The battery failure was followed by a power failure and thus also the failure of the electronics, computers and autopilot. Amedeo wanted to try to save himself in Cascais, Portugal, but half a day later he suddenly had heavy smoke in the boat.
The smoke initially dissipated, but it returned the next day. Yellow and ugly. Quickly followed by an explosion. A stream of flames shot out of the cabin through the cabin roof. In the midst of the flames, Fabrice Amedeo managed to get the life raft into the water and jump at the last minute. Half an hour later, he had to watch from the life raft as the boat sank in which he had planned to start his second Vendée Globe in 2024 after finishing eleventh in 2016/2017.
With an iron will and loyal partners
The drama took place nine months ago. Amedeo's retirement from the 2020/2021 Vendée Globe was even longer ago, when computer problems stopped him diving into the Southern Ocean. The incidents have not broken Fabrice Amedeo's resolve to compete in another solo race around the world. The 45-year-old is not one to give up. His partners have also remained loyal to him in good times and bad.
Fabrice Amedeo now sails Arnaud Boissières' former Imoca. The new old "Nexans - Art & Fenêtres", an Owen Clarke design from 2007, is not a foiler, but has just undergone an extensive refit. Amedeo deliberately looked for a German co-skipper for the Transat dress rehearsal - and found the best candidate in Andreas Baden. Amedeo wants to take on the Transat Jacques Vabre with the Rhinelander, who lives in Kiel and runs the yacht electronics company NG Yacht Systems with DSV surveyor Robert Jacobsen, among others.
For Franco-German friendship
The duo will be pursuing several goals together in the 30th anniversary year of the transatlantic race from Le Havre to Martinique: A good result, but also a safe race, as Fabrice Amedeo still has to qualify for the Vendée Globe with his Imoca, which was not possible in 2022 due to the accident. Amedeo and Baden also want to promote Franco-German friendship, which is also important to the project partners. And they want to raise awareness of sustainability.
"I am very happy to be able to join Fabrice's project, whose DNA matches my values," says Andreas Baden. He continues: "Like Fabrice, I have a very close relationship with nature. I studied agriculture and environmental sciences, specialising in environmental protection. Today, in addition to sailing, I am involved in consultancy in the field of sustainable energy and energy transformation. In my opinion, this is also an important topic for Fabrice and his partners, who are planning to sail around the world without relying on fossil fuels."
On the podium with "Rafale" in the RORC Transatlantic Race
In sporting terms, Andreas Baden considers himself well prepared for the challenge: "I'm looking forward to the start of this great transatlantic regatta that lies ahead of us. I'm really looking forward to reporting on our adventures on the high seas together with Fabrice and delivering this wonderful message in favour of the energy and climate transition and the protection of our oceans, both of which are very close to my heart."
The 34-year-old German was already sailing as a teenager. After school, he moved to the north of Germany to Kiel, the centre of sailing. Most recently, Andreas Baden was navigator for the Berlin "Rafale" team led by skipper Philipp Kadelbach at the RORC Transatlantic Regatta in January. They took third place on the podium.
As soon as I'm on the water, I feel like I'm immersed in another universe" (Andreas Baden)
Andreas Baden got off to a good start in the big boat scene back in 2001 when he was accepted into the One4All sponsorship project, where he spent a year and a half learning for his sailing future. Baden was active for many regatta teams on boats such as "Moana", Jens Kuphal's "Intermezzo" and also on the ClubSwan "Tango".
Like Fabrice Amedeo, Andreas Baden is also a passionate sailor: "As soon as I'm on the water, I really feel like I'm immersed in another universe. I love being surrounded by nature, in this raw element, the vastness of the sea. You are confronted with yourself, you have to deal with what you are offered and find your balance. These are emotionally charged moments that create many unforgettable memories and bring you back to the essentials."
It's only natural that I chose a German co-skipper, as I really appreciate this country and its culture and the people there are becoming more and more interested in ocean racing thanks to the achievements of Boris Herrmann" (Fabrice Amedeo)
Andreas Baden sees joining forces with Fabrice Amedeo for the Transat Jacques Vabre as the logical next step in his sailing career. He has postponed a planned Class 40 project of his own for the time being. He had had his eye on the French offshore scene for some time. The challenges that arise with minimal equipment on board, particularly in double-handed mode, are particularly appealing to him.
"I'm delighted to have Andreas, a German sailor, on board for the Transat Jacques Vabre," explains Fabrice Amedeo, who also speaks German. The Ocean Calling fund he founded aims to bring together companies and citizens who want to contribute to the preservation of the oceans. Amedeo says: "We want to take our sports and civic project beyond the borders of France to reach a wider community and get in touch with our partners, who are often based all over the world."
Focus on competition and sustainability
There are other reasons for choosing Andreas Baden as a team-mate, as Amedeo explains: "It's quite natural that I chose a German co-skipper, as I really appreciate this country and this culture and the people there are becoming more and more interested in ocean racing thanks to Boris Herrmann's achievements."
Baden and Amedeo are closely linked by the topics of sustainability and the energy transition while sailing. Andreas Baden has advised local authorities in the Schlewig-Holstein energy and climate protection initiative, for example. Accordingly, he wants to combine "competitiveness and sustainability issues" in the campaign. "I'm passionate about this area," he says, and also has an eye on construction and equipment materials in the Imocas professional scene.
First to the ORC World Championship in Kiel, then to France for Transat training
Baden doesn't want to be a know-it-all, but perhaps in small steps a do-gooder: "When I sit at the harbour in Lorient and see that campaigns have sustainability written large on their flags and then half the team comes to work in cars, then there is certainly room for improvement."
In sporting terms, Fabrice Amedeo and Andreas Baden are tackling the Transat Jacques Vabre with ambition within the given possibilities. Baden explains: "We are competing because we want to be in the mix. We have ambitions to show in the non-foilers with a light boat that we have a solid ship that can be pushed. The return regatta is very important for Fabrice, but we won't be sailing with the handbrake completely on. We will only step on the gas if there is a risk."
With Boris, Will, Lennart and Melwin to the Transat Jacques Vabre
From 20 August, the entire team will meet in Lorient and start preparing for the Transat Jacques Vabre together. "Then, with qualifiers, training and other events, there will hardly be any breaks until the Transat," says Andreas Baden. There are still a few weeks left before he travels to France. He will spend some of them at the ORC World Championship in Kiel starting next week. "But I won't be sailing there myself, there wasn't enough time," says Baden, "I'll be there with a small team to support our customers on site."
For the 16th Transat Jacques Vabre start since 1993, around 100 boats with 200 sailors in the four classes Ultime, Ocean Fifty, Imoca and Class 40 will line up at the starting line off Le Havre on 29 October. In addition to the Imoca experts Boris Herrmann and Will Harris on "Malizia - Seaexplorer", Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink will also be taking part for the first time with their "SignForCom" in the Class 40. German "shares" in the French-influenced single-handed and double-handed regatta sport are increasing.
Allow me: The new old Imoca, with which Fabrice Amedeo and Andreas Baden are competing in the Transat Jacques Vabre. Amedeo will also take the boat around the world in the Vendée Globe 2024/2025 as a non-foiler without the stub foils removed:
