French lord of dance calls tune for Comanche in line honours bid

The Andoo Comanche will be one of four supermaxis racing for the Sydney to Hobart line honours – aided by a Frenchman who has been part of all three wins by the legendary yacht.

Julien Cressant, aged 49, aboard the super maxi, Andoo Comanche, training on Sydney Harbour ahead of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race on Boxing Day. Friday, December 16, 2022. Picture: Nikki Short

When pre-race favourite Andoo Comanche hurtles towards ­Hobart on Monday, a northerly filling its spinnaker, standing at the heart of the supermaxi, meticulously choreographing the crew’s operations will be gloved French pitman Julien Cressant.

His job is to lead the execution of tactical manoeuvres in time with the rest of the team, every movement measured and precise.

“When you have 24 sailors, you need to have a good choreography – if even two people don’t do their job, then the whole manoeuvre falls apart,” said Cressant, 49.

Andoo Comanche is one of four supermaxis set to race in the Sydney-Hobart this Boxing Day, with the line honours favourite to be skippered by John Winning Jr, while former America’s Cup racer and Olympian Iain Murray will be the sailing master.

For the first time since 2019, the 2022 race will run without Covid-19 restrictions that saw all sailors competing last year required to be double-vaccinated and have negative Covid tests prior to the race start.

The 2020 race had to be ­cancelled for the first time since the competition was established in 1945.

A total of 109 yachts will ­compete for line and handicap honours, but forecast northerly winds are expected to favour the larger supermaxis, giving them a flying start down Australia’s east coast that could see the 2017 ­record broken.

Comanche set that record, ­arriving in Hobart in an incredible one day, nine hours and 15 minutes, to record the second of its three line-honours victories. While weather conditions look favourable for a quick start, crew member Sam Fay said almost anything could happen on the day.

“(Breaking the record) is up to the weather really – at this stage, it’s looking favourable with very downwind conditions,” Fay said.

“But we will just have to wait and see what comes on Boxing Day. We’re just focusing on doing our jobs correctly and hopefully we get the right weather and the rest will look after itself.”

The crew of Andoo Comanche train on Sydney harbour. Picture: Nikki Short

Andoo Comanche has become like a second home for Cressant, who first raced on the boat when it was fully manual and just called Comanche.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be part of the Comanche since the beginning,” the 49-year-old pitman said.

“And even now I still get ­excited like a kid, with the same passion to join this new adventure with the Andoo Comanche.”

Cressant has taken part in all three of Comanche’s Sydney-Hobart wins, in 2014, 2017 and 2019. This will be the boat’s first return since winning 2019 line honours under former skippers Jim Cooney and Samantha Grant.

“I am at the centre of the boat between decisions made by John Jr, Iain Murray and the ­tacticians and executing the ­manoeuvre,” Cressant says. “So my role is quite central in handling the boat, and making sure we are synchronised.”

After the yacht was acquired by Winning, Cressant could only say yes when the call came through requesting his return.

“I definitely think (my long history with the boat) was part of the reason why they called me,” he said.

The key to Comanche’s success, Murray said, would rest on the team’s ability to work seamlessly despite only knowing each other for a few months.

Getting the Andoo Comanche up to speed and under sail requires a precise choreography from its cutting-edge crew. Picture: Nikki Short

“The technology has vastly evolved and the boats are going immensely faster so … the ­associated dangers of sailing a boat fast out in the ocean with waves and water rushing by ­requires greater skill,” Murray said.

“But what doesn’t change is that we need to do our job and we need to have fun – and that’s what brings camaraderie to the team.

“The kind of pressures the team is put under – if the team is right, they bond and perform which is what we do.”