ANTOINE ALBEAU
I think that we were lucky in previous years that no big crashes have happened. We are going really fast in places like Fuerteventura and also super close together, so it is inevitable that racers lose control and crash. I don’t think Taty crashed on purpose when he came so close to Pierre and myself. I think he just lost control, the wind was really strong and we are pushing the limits. I always try to avoid all collisions that I see developing. I try to sail far from people and escape situations when I can, I will never try to make contact with someone as I know it can be dangerous and can make me fall as well! I think the ‘no rules’ is still fine as I remember when I started the tour that many times we had to stop racing in slalom for protests and lost so much time. Sometimes up to an hour for one protest! We maybe need to have the ‘Dangerous Sailing’ rule applied more efficiently. The PWA crew need to be more aware of what happens and give more “sanctions”. We need fines for sure and also disqualification as well! The marks can be really dangerous, when Ethan fell at the jibe another racer went straight into him and he couldn’t avoid the contact and Ethan was badly cut! What can you do when someone falls in front of you? I think we could wear some sort of safety gear in high winds but we will look ridiculous. You will put a helmet on and you will cut your leg, you will put leg protection on and you will cut your body, so how far do we need to go? We are competing in an extreme sport, that is it!