Pacific Cup Profiles: Philippe Jamotte and Alex Dailey

We’re continuing our Pacific Cup profiles with the doublehander duo Philippe Jamotte and Alex Dailey. You might remember Philippe from our story about his singlehanded circumnavigation attempt aboard his 40-ft sloop Changabang. Things didn’t go as well as planned, and Philippe returned to the Bay after five weeks at sea. But he did learn a lot and is now putting that knowledge to good use in July’s Pacific Cup race to Hawaii, which he is doing together with his good friend Alex Dailey.

Entering the race was Alex’s idea. Previously, if one had asked why do the race, he would have answered, “It has always been a dream to sail to Hawaii.” And later, “to win it!” Now, as the pair prepare, train and tune the boat, Alex says it’s all about friendship.

“To do the Pac Cup doublehanded requires an incredible amount of preparation, trust, skill, and teamwork. It’s been fun to build a friendship with Philippe as we’ve taken on this challenge together,” Alex says. “Of course, ask me again when we arrive in K-Bay!”

Philippe adds, “It’s a good incentive to keep Changabang current and do some improvements to her here and there. It’s also the kind of downwind race that she is built for.’

Changabang is a first-generation Class 40, built in a barn in France over several years. “I’ve met many folks who vouch for her red cedar strip-planking construction,” Philippe says. “She’s not perfect, but she often surprises me by the ingenuity of her construction.”

Philippe has owned Changabang for around four years, sailing her mostly offshore. Before the 40-ft sloop he had Double Espresso, which he entered in the 2018 Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race, and sold after arriving in Hawaii. And before that, he crossed the South Atlantic during the 2017-18 Clipper Race aboard Sanya Serenity. “Before that most of my sailing, which started in 2013, was off Redwood City’s Spinnaker Sailing school, where I learned to sail. As a family we also did a two-week cruise from Antigua to Guadeloupe to Les Saintes and back,” he adds. By contrast, Alex has been at it since he was a toddler, sailing aboard dinghies and keelboats, inshore and offshore, and has been crew and skipper for over 40 years.

“I raced Thistle #1075 in the Norcal fleet for many years,” Alex says. “About seven years ago I leveled up on my keelboat systems and spent a few years completing the US Sailing Passage Making program. It gave me a great foundation in boat systems, offshore safety and navigation. That got me hooked on longer ocean passages. I also do a lot of virtual racing online, which is a great way to learn weather systems and routing strategy.”

Philippe and Alex met three years ago, when during a stopover in Half Moon Bay, Alex saw Changabang, thinking she looked like a “double-sized version” of the Thistles.

“I found Philippe’s blog online and emailed him out of the blue: ‘Hi! This is a total moonshot, but is there any chance you’d be interested in chatting for 30 minutes …?’ And the rest is history!”

Although the pair are currently working on upgrades for Changabang, the boat has been well maintained under Philippe’s ownership. She’s also been graced with a twin setup for hydrogenerators, along with work on her standing and running rigging, electrical equipment, sails, and more.

“Racing offshore is what she was designed for,” Philippe adds, “and maybe at the hands of top French sailors she could be a pretender to some of the trophies.

“As for me I’ll be very pleased if we get to enjoy the time offshore, all the while pulling in some good performance. And then of course there’s the return trip. All in all it’ll be another 3-4 offshore weeks aboard Changabang, getting to know her better.”

Among the people who have helped Philippe along the way, he gives special mention to some folks he also considers to be friends of the boat. “François Lucas, who designed her and is always helpful, Sylvain Barrielle of UK Sailmakers, who’s always there to answer our sails questions, [and] Atelier Cables, who helps with all standing rigging. People remember a boat like Changabang, as she was built by a well-known sailor.”

Though he adds, “Alex is really the engine behind our campaign, and I’m grateful for his friendship, support, and engagement.”

And if you ever wonder how two men can get along for such a length of time at close quarters, Alex explains their method.

“We actually carry two buckets for the head, one for each of us.”

We wish Philippe and Alex good luck, with the sailing, and the buckets. Hopefully they’ll have their names on them.

Other 2024 Pacific Cup profiles: Heather Richard, Elliott James, Matt Arno, and Andy Schwenk.