By Aurora “Rory” Meunier Mott
Photos by the author and Erica Lush
Rory does some delivery route planning.
Who knew that a meeting over coffee would lead to a plane ticket to France? At the end of December 2024, I was invited to a breakfast meet and greet with my friend Ellie Menezes (with whom I’ve been sailing for about five years), Joe Cooper (my Prout Sailing coach) and shorthanded offshore racer Erica Lush. I’d heard of Erica and wanted to know a bit more about what she does as a sailor. Before breakfast, I learned she was going to France to train for the Solitaire du Figaro.
During breakfast, Coop asked Erica if she needed any help in France and I got excited. She said she had to sort logistics, but she’d love for Ellie and I to help her in the spring, and to check in with her at the end of February. We did, but then Ellie was recruited for an all-women’s J/70 regatta in Monaco (see page __). and I realized I’d be going to France alone, from March 17 to April 4.
Lacing the lifelines on Erica’s Hope
Let me take a step back and introduce myself. My name is Rory and I’m 18 years old from Westerly, RI. When I started sailing six years ago on my high school team, the only thing I knew was that I wanted to try something new. Seems like yesterday, but at the same time like forever ago. I instantly fell in love with it and got on the water any chance I got. The moment I realized I wanted to start offshore sailing was when The Ocean Race came to Newport in 2023. I was a junior, and Prout Sailing took a tour of Malizia. When I stepped off of the boat, I told Coach Coop, “I want to do that one day.” He took it very seriously and soon found me opportunities helping with deliveries and “big boat” races. Looking back to where I started and the fact that I was going to France, for a second I thought I was crazy.
I had mixed emotions while saying goodbye to my family. I’d really miss them but was ready for this new adventure and excited for all of the possibilities that this would lead to. During the flight I had so much adrenaline. I was in the middle seat for seven hours with very little room. I only slept two hours and the next twelve after landing were gonna be a challenge. I had to find my luggage and go through customs, then find the Metro which was leaving sooner than I expected and I was on a tight schedule. If I missed it, I’d miss my train to Lorient and it would’ve been a complete mess.
Also on my mind were all the things my mom warned me not to do. For example, “Don’t look like a tourist.” I’m sorry Mom, but how could I not look like a tourist in a place I’ve never been, but I must’ve done a good job because I’m 95% sure I was not pick-pocketed. When I made it to my train I could relax and take a much-needed nap. Once I made it to Lorient and found Erica, I could finally tell myself that I did it. I traveled solo at 18 to a country across an ocean. I know that sometimes I think I am an adult and technically I am but, this was a whole new level of adulting.
After Erica and I dropped off my luggage we went to La Base where she was keeping her boat. It was endless lofts with different businesses including sail lofts, electronics stores, restaurants and basically anything a sailor would need. The docks were filled with Figaros, Class40s, Mini 6.50s and a few others. Once we got to her boat, I got right to work even though I was exhausted. I had promised myself that I’d make every second count.
Rory (right) with Francesca Clapcich
My first full day in Lorient was a training day for Erica and she brought me along. The wind was around 15-18 knots, and the plan was to go upwind and do some speed testing. Then fly the gennaker on a reach, take it down, then put up the spin and go downwind, for which the conditions were perfect. Before we could get on the water there was a meeting with all the other sailors in the training. I understood very little because they were going so fast and I hardly knew any French with about a month of cramming duolingo. While we were launching and getting the main ready to hoist, I was feeling a little nervous. This was a boat I’d never sailed and I wanted to impress Erica. By the time we were going upwind I felt so much better; in my element. The rest of the practice was great. I learned more about the foils and when to adjust them. The Figaro 3 has foils, but not for lifting the boat out of the water. When it’s heavier wind, you want to rake them back to give you more stability, but if it’s light you want less rake to reduce drag; as well as when to adjust the jib with the foils’ up/down and in/out.
The next couple of days, we did some boat work before our delivery to Concarneau. A moment that made me feel competent was when Erica left me alone to do some splicing and lacing on the lifelines. I asked Erica questions and looked at other boats, making sure I was doing it right. After an hour and half I was finished, hoping it was done the way she wanted. When Erica came over, she said she loved it and she never went to change anything. I mean, everyone loves a compliment, but this was different. I felt a sense of accomplishment. It was a small job, but it was nice to make Erica’s work list just a bit smaller.
The timing of my trip was perfect because Erica and I as her guest were invited to a workshop hosted by Francesca Clapcich, who recently announced she is doing the 2028 Vendee Globe. The name of the workshop was Believe, Belong, Achieve.
Erica Lush casts off for the Solo Guy Cotten Concarneau.
Here are Francesca’s words about the workshop, from her website: “I want to inspire people to believe that there is a place for them, to open doors, and to foster inclusivity within the sailing community, creating a culture of belonging. It’s about setting the highest standards of integrity, both on and off the water, embracing diversity as the catalyst for innovation, and taking proactive steps to address the disproportionate impact of our actions on marginalized communities worldwide.” Which I think is what the sailing world needs. We need to be open to others’ backgrounds and what it took for them to get to where they are. There were so many different people there with different experiences and different dreams. For us to all come together and share personal stories was very powerful. It showed the best parts of the sailing community and the unity that a lot of us want.
The inshore race days and training was done and it was time for the offshore distance race. I think I was more nervous than Erica. I kept making sure she was feeling good and asking if she needed anything. Before a race I usually am in my head and trying to figure out if I forgot anything. Erica was confident and she had every right to be. She’d worked hard for this moment and I was so excited for her! Erica was off and I was on my own for two days. It was time to do some shopping and sightseeing. I went to see a fort named Base Merimee and called the “walled little town.” It reminded me of the town from Beauty and the Beast, with cobblestone streets and cute little stores the whole length of the fort. There was also a walkway around the top of the wall looking out to the ocean. If you’ve ever been at Fort Adams on the walkway looking out to the Newport Bridge, it was exactly like that.
Exploring Base Merimee
Once Erica was back from her race and had recuperated, we planned our delivery back to Lorient. The delivery day was absolutely amazing. It was 75 degrees, clear skies and 12 knots. I asked Erica if she could teach me some more doublehanded maneuvers and she was more than happy to. She explained the steps for a gybe: Ease the windward runner and then put tension on the leeward runner. Once that was done, I told Erica I was ready and she started to turn the boat while I was pulling the new sheet. Once we gybed, I did a big ease of the sheet and Voila! It took about two gybes for us to get in the groove. It felt natural and I felt relaxed.
At this point, my trip was almost over. I had four days left, and two more amazing opportunities fell in my lap. I met Naho Takahara, a sailor from Japan who invited me to sail with her on her Mini 6.50. It just so happens that I have a Mini in my backyard that I’m fixing up to sail locally. I of course said, “Yes!” and fell even more in love with the Mini.
The second opportunity was when Coop connected me with one of his mates in Lorient, Stu McLaughlin, who was the boat captain of Malizia, the boat that got me interested in the offshore scene. It was very convenient because the Malizia loft was right on La Base. Stu gave us a tour of the loft, which had Malizia 2, Malizia 3 and two other IMOCAs in it. We got a full in-depth tour of Malizia 3.
Seeing Malizia again brought some feelings up for me. What if I’d missed practice that day or had never voiced my interest to Coach Coop? All these ‘What ifs?’ popped in my head, and I realized if I’d made a different choice would I have ever found my favorite thing in the world to do? I don’t know if anyone else feels this way but I love it when I am sailing and I can see no land; the sense of peacefulness; or when dolphins are sailing in your wake through bioluminescence and it seems like it isn’t real; or the full concentration that it takes to get across the deck in rough waters.
Erica Lush completed the Solo Guy Cotten Concarneau 2025, her first qualifier for the Solitaire du Figaro, aboard Hope, which she named after the Ocean State’s motto. Follow her at lushsailing.com.
I can’t thank Erica enough for inviting me along for the adventure. I learned so many new things and met so many amazing people. Thank you Coop for setting up the initial meeting and all your help along the way. I couldn’t have imagined a better trip. It also made me realize what I might want to do in the future.
2031 Mini Transat? To be continued… ■
Aurora Meunier Mott is a graduate of The Prout School and a member of the University of Rhode Island Sailing Team.
