Transquadra

Michel Bolo had competed twice in the Course de l’Aurore and three times in the Solitaire du Figaro. In the 1980s, being a professional solo sailor was not yet a full-time job… and like many experienced amateurs, he had an onshore profession, but sailed as often as he could in his spare time! In 1980, Jean Chapel created the Vieux Safrans, a coastal solo stage race reserved for sailors over 40. This summer event on series production sailboats, which were often family-owned, was a success. A few years later, in 1993, a young quadragenarian nicknamed “Mico” became the Vieux Safrans race director, changing its name to the Course des Îles, but he also dreamed of racing solo across the Atlantic on board his Sélection 37. He could have entered the Transat des Alizés event, but he was not interested in crewed races. Besides the Route du Rhum or the English transatlantic race (Ostar), there were few solo events and they were reserved mainly for multihulls and professional skippers. So, he came up with the idea for a transatlantic race exclusively for amateurs over the age of 40, on series boats between 8.50 and 12 meters, which he named the Transquadra Solo. He did not want professionals or young sailors “looking to cut their teeth!”, and he justified this, saying: “If you are not a pro at 40 in offshore racing, you never will be…” Like many participants, who were mainly executives, business owners and self-employed professionals… as well as heads of boat yards, master sailmakers, dealers and other players from the boating world… Mico Bolo had to check his diary and knew, like them, that he could not afford to take several weeks off work in the autumn just as things were picking up again after the summer break.