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Double handed line honours for Quintin and Rigal

Home 2025 Double handed line honours for Quintin and Rigal

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Michel Quintin and Yann Rigal crossed the finish line of the 2025 Rolex Sydney Hobart exhausted, soaked and relieved — the first double handed crew of the 17 entries to cross the Castray Esplanade finish line in Hobart.

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Time & Date: 30/12/2025 - 1045 (93.7 hours after the start)

The pair’s efforts were the culmination of a race that tested both boat and body, and one that played out not just on the water, but on mobile phones and kitchen tables back home.  

For much of the opening day of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 80th Sydney Hobart, Quintin and Rigal were out in front in BNC- my::NET Leon, keeping a close watch on the fleet and on close friend, Alexis Loison, sailing Min River with its owner, Jiang Lin – also sailing double handed.  

 

A stunning sunrise for BNC- my::NET Leon - ROLEX/ Kurt Arrigo pic.

For the New Caledonian pair, sailing double handed on the 35-foot BNC- my::NET Leon, there was no hiding from the conditions. 

“The first day we were leading, so we were keeping eyes on the other boats,” Quintin said. “The first 48 hours were really hard to get rest. It is a very wet boat and it was shaking. It’s not like Comanche — we are a 35-foot boat.” 

“When the other is tired, we know. We take care of each other,” he said. 

Let the celebrations begin: Michel Quintin (left) and Yann Rigal - CYCA/Salty Dingo pic.

Despite the hardship, Quintin found moments of pure enjoyment — particularly early in the race. 

“The highlights were the start, the finish and the upwind steering,” he said. “On the first day I was feeling the boat so well. On the second day it was tough and wet. I’m not used to it — but I liked it.” 

The challenge escalated in Bass Strait, where technology began to fail at the worst possible moment. Part of the boat’s electronics stopped working, robbing them of true wind data and disrupting the autopilot. 

“We couldn’t see the true wind on our instruments, and the autopilot was not steering to true wind,” Quintin said. “I need the autopilot in tough conditions. We had to adapt ourselves, and it was not comfortable.” 

En route to the finish - ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo pic.

Sleep was almost non-existent. Quintin admitted he barely slept at all during the opening two days. 

“I didn’t sleep much,” he said. “For the first 48 hours, when I went to rest, I couldn’t sleep.” 

Food became fuel rather than comfort — chicken curry, rice, bolognese, lasagna and sweet-and-sour pork eaten whenever there was time. 

By the time they reached the finish, the emotion was simple and overwhelming. 

“Just relieved,” Quintin said. 

All smiles on board BNC- my::NET Leon - CYCA/Salty Dingo pic.

As they crossed the line, Quintin raised his phone for a quick selfie — a small act that carried big meaning. 

“We have people following us,” he said. “It’s good to send footage so they feel like they are doing the race with us.” 

Among those watching were his children, Zoe and Eliott, tracking every movement of the boat from shore. For them, the race unfolded in anxious bursts of screen-refreshing and sleepless nights. 

“We were checking our phones every hour,” Zoe said. 

“No sleep last night,” Eliott added. “We were checking and checking and waiting. It was very stressful.” 

Their pride was unmistakable as the finish finally came into view. 

BNC- my::NET Leon nears the finish line - CYCA/Salty Dingo pic.

“It’s amazing. We’re so proud,” Zoe said. “The speed for the finish — it was so wonderful.” 

Quintin and Rigal have sailed together for five years, but only began sailing double handed in 2020 and ironically, Rigal had his doubts. 

“When Michel called me and said, ‘Are you in?’ I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy but yes, let’s go’,” Rigal laughed. 

Quintin, born in Sydney to an Australian mother and French father, downplayed any talk of Overall victory earlier today, saying the race was always about testing limits rather than chasing outcomes. 

“We came here to test ourselves. We didn’t really know what result we would have,” he said. 

What he does know is what makes double handed sailing different — and addictive. 

Chatting to the media - CYCA/Salty Dingo pic.

“It’s not the same sport,” he said. “You are doing everything on board. You have to be really a team together — much more than with a big crew. There is always something to do. Sleeping is extra. That’s difficult to manage, but that’s part of this sport.” 

BNC – my::Net Leon last did the Sydney Hobart in 2017 when known as Banque De Nouvelle-Caledonie and Quintin skippered it to 30th overall to win Division 4. Under the ownership of Gery Trentesaux and co-skippered by Quintin as Courrier Leon in 2015, she finished second overall to again win Division 4. 

Led by Quintin, she also finished first in ORCi in the 2016 Groupama Race around New Caledonia and third in IRC. Quintin is also the 1987 and 1990 Windsurfer world champion and campaigned for the Olympics in the Mistral sailboard until 1996. 

Greta Quealy & Steve Dettre/RSHYR media