FORMER Kingdown schoolboy Rob Bunce is hoping to make waves after swapping Warminster for the French sailing scene.

The 20-year-old is a member of the Artemis Offshore Academy – the UK’s only training school for solo offshore sailors – having earned his place at a gruelling selection trial last year.

After establishing himself as one of the country’s brightest prospects, Bunce is now set to embark on his maiden solo racing season.

As part of that, he will take on some of the continent’s best sailors in the famous Solitaire du Figaro race – an epic four-stage contest which covers more than 2,000 miles in May.

With it being his first year of competition, Bunce will compete amongst the rest of the rookies and he has already set his sights on finishing top of the class.

“I’m a rookie, so it’s my first year but my target is to finish top of the rookie class,” said Bunce.

“People have done it before so I know that it’s possible and you have to believe in your own abilities.

“I know I can sail well, so I have to back myself to do that when it matters.”

In preparation for the event, Bunce has been living and training alongside other sailors in the French coastal town of Lorient since December.

He will compete in several warm-up events before setting sail in the Figaro, starting with the 200-mile Solo Basse Normandie race at the end of March.

Bunce explained: “We’ve got a nice big house close to the beach and not far away from the harbour.

“The hub of sailing in this region is just around the corner so it’s a perfect location really.

“Things are going really well so far but sailing here is quite different to being in the UK. Here you have the full force of the elements to deal with whereas in the UK our waters are quite sheltered.

“We’ll stay in Lorient until about mid-March and then after that we’ll be on the road.

“The Solo will be a nice warm-up and everyone who is racing the Figaro will take part in the three races beforehand too.

“I’m looking forward to when the racing starts.”

Bunce was first taught to sail as a youngster by his father while the family were living in Germany and it has been his passion ever since.

“After leaving Kingdown I toyed with the idea of going to university but sailing is something I’ve always loved and that’s what I wanted to do,” said Bunce, who moved to Wiltshire at the age of six.

“I moved to the South Coast so I could sail and race much more.

“I was just trying to get an opportunity to sail as often as I could and if you’re based there it’s much easier to come by that than if you are travelling down and back all the time.”