At the age of 18 years and 8 days, Paul Gauchet is the youngest participant of the 15th edition of the Marie-Agnès Péron Trophy. He is a professional skipper who started sailing at the age of 7 on a dinghy. Teenager, attracted by keelboats, he started sailing on J80, Open 5.7 as well as Classic Sail. He has been sailing for 5 years now and has already participated three times in the Spi Ouest-France race.

Paul has long dreamed of solo sailing offshore and found out about the Mini on Youtube by chance. This type of navigation seems to be one of the best ways to pursue his dreams since the challenge of a transatlantic on a small boat of 6.50 meters seems simply fantastic. The atmosphere and fame of the Mini Class skippers have strengthened Paul’s choice. He is currently training with Julien Pulvé at La Rochelle.

The Marie-Agnès Péron Trophy will be its 5th Mini race and the 4th race of the season. He took part in all the Atlantic races of the Mini 2019 circuit. His boat is the 616, “Vida Pura”, a 2006 Manuard Tip-Top.

« Pass your Mini first ! »

Thanks to his partners and the unfailing support from his parents, Paul takes part in two races at Douarnenez (in team with Thomas Racoupeau for the Mini-Fastnet) and aims for 25/30 in the overall ranking. “What really matters to me is finding the right management of my time and energy during the race. “