Brest Atlantiques for Ultim Trimarans:
2019: Brest Atlantiques… during the Transat Jacques Vabre
They needed to find a replacement for the
Transat Jacques Vabre. That was why
Brest Atlantiques was created, a way of thanking the city at the tip of Brittany. This non-stop double-handed triangular race across the Atlantic will go
from Brest to Brest with two islands to round near Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town. A voyage halfway around the world on waters they know well (almost 14,000 miles). "It was vital to stay in the Atlantic this year to ensure the safety of the sailors and boats if there is a problem," explained Cyril Dardashti, head of
Gitana Team.
It has been suggested that there is not enough upwind sailing to test the trimarans. "At 45 knots in the trade winds,
they will be tested in any case!” replied
François Gabart. “
The aim of the Brest Atlantiques is to clock up the miles and get to know the boats, without breaking them. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but the goal is to have a real battle between the boats all the way to the finish."
The
four boats that are expected to compete – Macif, Maxi Edmond de Rotschild, Sodebo Ultim 3 and Actual Leader – will take a media man aboard and “pit stops are allowed” added Jacques Caraës, the Race Director.
The budget announced by Brest Ultim Sailing, the organiser of the solo round the world race that was postponed, is
1.3 million euros, just under half of which is funded by local authorities with registration
fees set at 65,000 euros pre-tax.
As for the date, it is also a way to express what they think about the Transat Jacques Vabre, which prevented the maxi-trimarans from competing.
The Ultims will set off on 3rd November, a week after the start of the Jacques Vabre and the winner of the latter will still not be known… "We had to put something in place for 2019 and
there weren’t 50,000 dates possible," explained Emmanuel Bachellerie, Delegate general for the class. "I’m surprised about the choice of date,” declared Gildas Gautier, delegate general of the Transat Jacques Vabre. “
This decision does nothing to create harmony in the ocean race calendar."
