Belgian skipper Quentin Debois hopes to make world record waves as he speeds across Atlantic under sail

Belgian Quentin Debois has set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in an ambitious bid to enter the record books, readily admitting that Lady Luck will play a part in him achieving his target.

The 38-year-old from Liege aims to cover 7,200 km to the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas in less than 30 days to become the first Belgian record holder for a solo Atlantic crossing on the smallest ocean-going racing boat, a 6.50m sailboat.

An official commissioner from the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) launched the bid when his yacht Les Poupoules crossed the starting line, between Puerto Sherry and the port of Cadiz in Spain.

His spokesman said: “His speed is quite good for the moment and Quentin aims to arrive in San Salvador at the end of January.”

As he set off on his adventure, Debois was “completely ready and calm,” adding, “my boat is also completely ready, checked down to the smallest detail. All that remained was to give the hull a final clean to ensure that seaweed did not slow the boat down and to load the 110 litres of water I'll need for the crossing.”

The solo seafarer spent two weeks on standby awaiting favourable sea and wind conditions, which allowed him to “fine-tune everything and set off in optimal conditions, both mentally and technically speaking.”

Debois’ vessel was initially planned to be transported from Nieuwpoort on the Belgium coast to Cadiz by road, but this was ultimately done partly by sea. On 5 December, it was launched in Argelès-sur-Mer near Perpignan and, after eight days of sailing in good conditions, Debois arrived at the port of Cadiz.

He said: “My navigator and I took advantage of this voyage to put ourselves in the conditions for the record attempt. This experience was particularly valuable for testing the new equipment such as the autopilot, wind sensor and sails, plus fine-tuning the settings, and validating the technical choices. This full-scale test gave me the opportunity to get a feel for the boat, get into race mode.”

Before setting off from Cadiz on 6 January, the WSSRC official commissioner inspected the boat and verified the installation of the official Black Box: a GPS device that is essential for the record attempt to be certified.

Debois is currently heading south towards the Canary Islands to take advantage of the trade winds which blow from east to west, generally between 15 and 30 knots, and promote relatively stable and continuous sailing towards the Bahamas.

“I will check in every day with my router Basile Rochut, who will be my co-pilot from land,” he noted. “His role will be to analyse the weather conditions in order to find the best route to arrive as quickly as possible. Given the size and speed of my boat, we can only forecast conditions 15 days ahead.”

Rochut added: “Every day, I will send Quentin routings and comments on the strategy for the day, the next day, and the medium and long term. Quentin will be able to view them, give his opinion, and make his choices. It is always the skipper who makes the final decisions on board.”

Debois said that to succeed he “want to stay close to the areas of strong wind, but always within reasonable limits. Every decision is made by weighing up the benefits and risks. It is the ‘good sailor’ who has the final say over the competitor. The first thing I have to think about is the safety of the boat and myself.”

If the skipper aims to complete the crossing in 27 days, his success will depend on four major factors, he said. “Technical issues, such as breakages, wear and tear, boat failures, the human factor, routing strategy, and finally, luck. At sea, I know I can count on the support of my shore team, especially my coach Quentin Droneau, and my sponsors who will be following my progress on social media.”

Debois insists: “If we break a record, it will be a team victory.” Regardless of the outcome, he will attempt another world record in June: crossing the Atlantic from west to east, from New York to Lizard Point in the UK.

Following this second feat, the business entrepreneur would like to continue his career as an offshore skipper. “For me, it is important to keep challenging myself, to push my limits. There are a few legendary races that I dream of, but for now I am taking it one step at a time.”

Debois grew up in Marchin in the province of Liège, and nothing predestined him for offshore racing. After discovering sailing at the age of 31 when a friend who invited him to sail in the North Sea, he was immediately hooked and took his first lessons the following week on the Belgian coast.

From 2021 to 2023, he underwent intensive training at an offshore racing training centre in the Loire-Atlantique region of France. In 2022, he bought his first boat, a Mini 6.50, the smallest racing boat in the world capable of crossing the Atlantic and in 2023, he completed his first solo transatlantic crossing.

Debois is now trusting on his experience and sailing instincts to guide him in this first world record bid across the Atlantic waves.

Photos: Departure of Quentin Dubois from Cadiz