Photo: Gullain Grenier
When did you start sailing and racing?
Ingrid Petitjean: I first sailed a keelboat with my parents when I was a child. My family thought it very important that their children participate in a sport, so I started in the Optimist. I was in a competitive club and quickly found that was what I wanted to do.
Are there any mentors, or other key figures that have influenced your sailing?
Nadège Douroux: A little from everyone. When we started sailing the 470 in 1998, I watched what the top sailors were doing and tried to learn from them. I have been inspired by many, such as French teams Gildas Philippe/Tanguy Cariou (World Champions ’98) and Benoît Petit/Jean François Cuzon (World Champions ’99), the Australian Men’s and Women’s gold medalists, and the Ukrainian team. The have really influenced how we think about our sailing program. Now, I admire the Olympic sailors who have been on the top for so long.
IP: Not any one person. My family taught me the importance of hard work, and the different coaches I’ve had since I started sailing in 1988 have each taught me something special. Of course, top competitors teach you a great deal; each situation is a new chance to learn.
Is there another side to you that you'd like to share?
IP: It was important for me to keep up with my studies, even when sailing was nearly a full time job. I just finished a Master’s degree in Sport Management and Training.
Why did you switch to double-handed sailing when the Laser Radial replaced the Europe?
IP: I sailed the Europe class until 1998. I changed to the 470 because I was too light for the Europe and never managed to put weight on. Now, I’m happy about that change; I like the 470 and enjoy sailing with another person.
You have been in the top of the ISAF circuit for over two years. What is your secret to success?
IP & ND: I don’t think there is a secret. We train a lot. Sailing is our job. Once we finished university we put forward 100% of our time for sailing, and that helped a lot. Also, we have good support from our country, great coaches, and great training partners. We help each other.
You sail well in both light and breezy conditions. Which do you prefer?
IP: My crew, Nadège, and I are quite consistent over different wind conditions. She is very tall and I’m quite small, so we can be fast in stronger wind without being too heavy. We used to prefer windy conditions because of that speed advantage, but this combination is also good for light air, which I now think is the most interesting and fun because tactics are so important.
The 470 is a highly technical boat and many sailors create their own systems. What separates your boat from the others?
IP & ND: The 470 is quite sophisticated. We are very lucky to be French because there is so much interest in this boat. A Frenchman designed it, and there were many good sailors in France to teach us when we started. While we like to have the boat clean and ready, we are not interested in creating new systems—maybe that’s our girly side! Fortunately, we have good people helping us with the equipment. Our boat is not that different from others, but it suits our sailing style.
Do you have any feedback or thoughts about McLube™ or Harken® equipment on your boat?
ND: We use both products. Most of the time, we use McLube™ for the sails and the centerboard. We use it when things get hard to move.
IP: Harken fittings have great reliability and performance, and that's what we care about most when racing. We especially like Carbo blocks. The main and the spinnaker sheets have Carbo Ratchamatic® and standard Carbo blocks because they are very light and strong. We use the big cam cleats for all of our sheets because they are strongest and we can be really confident in them. Of course, simple items like the 16 mm block are everywhere on our boat. We use so many Harken fittings that I don’t know which to talk about!
How do you prepare for racing?
IP & ND: I follow a routine from the time I wake up to put me in the optimal mindset for racing. I also have some words that I’ll repeat or I’ll write on the boat to focus my mind. We work with a mental coach who has helped build our routines.
How do you deal with the stress that comes along with racing at such a high level?
IP & ND: We are used to it. If we set achievable goals, the stress is fine. We would be stressed if we were trying to achieve things that we couldn’t. On the other hand, some stress helps you stay competitive. Everything has to be a good balance, and we work on this with our coaches.
What is your most memorable race?
IP: That’s a hard question! So many races had something special. I won’t choose one.
What do you find most fun or rewarding about this sport?
ND: I like the excitement of sailing a dinghy. I like being on the water and having someone else on board to share the race and the emotions. We are very lucky.
IP: I think sailing is a very complete sport, and I find dealing with all aspects of a sailing project very interesting. What I like about sailing is that there is both a physical and a mental game. Factors like the wind and other boats make tactics fun; it’s always different, always changing. I also like traveling and meeting people from all over the world.
What advice would you give a sailor that is new to the sport?
IP: It’s most important to have fun. You need to enjoy it if you are going to spend a lot of time on the boat, and you need to spend a lot of time on the boat to do well.
How are you preparing for the Olympics?
ND: When we train in France, we try to find places with light winds and currents that are similar to Qingdao. We are still experimenting with different equipment for the Games, and this winter we will train for two months in Australia.
What do you see on the horizon beyond the 2008 Olympics?
IP & ND: We will see, but at the moment we plan to keep on sailing, in whatever boat that may be.
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