The skippers
Kito de Pavant is a child of the south. He discovered sailing as a child, between two outings on horseback, aboard an Optimist built by his father, on the pond of Milhac. He begins to sail seriously in dinghy on the side of Port Camargue, after he moves with his family to the Mediterranean. He then moved to the cockpit and tacked on the Mini Tonn, Macro, Quarter Ton, Transmed and other Mediterranean classics.
He bought a sailboat in family co-ownership, then a 45-foot racing catamaran and spent 10 years sailing the Mediterranean and the West Indies on charter. He then bought a piece of beach, which he managed while dreaming of ocean racing. He also continues to convoy to the four corners of the globe and races for pleasure.
He has always been attracted to regattas and discovered lake sailing. He persevered and showed all his talent during the Solitaire du Figaro 2002, which he won. From 2005 to 2013, he sails for the Bel group, which allows him to highlight his qualities as a competitor and to live his passion around the world.
He then created the Made in Midi team, and the arrival of the HBF Group (through the Otio brand) and Bastide Médical, allowed him to start the 2014 Route du Rhum in Class 40. He arrived third in Pointe-à-Pitre.
From now on, he continues his adventure on the Imoca circuit on Bastide âeuros Otio with the main objective of the 2016 Vendée Globe. However, he is as comfortable in monohulls as in multihulls, having tested many different types of boats: class40, Multi50, Leges 24, Multicoque Orma, Figaro-Bénéteauâeuros¦
He has more than 40 transatlantic races to his credit. He has participated in all the major ocean races: 8 Solitaire du Figaro (win in 2002), 7 Transat Jacques Vabre (2nd in 2009 and 2013), 4 Transat AG2R (win in 2006), 2 Route du Rhum (3rd in 2014), 2 Tour de France à la Voile (win in 2003), 2 Vendée Globe (2008 /2012) and Barcelona World Race in 2011.
Yann Régniau will be the co-skipper of Kito de Pavant on Bastide Otio, but in reality he is a sailmaker at North Sail. After school, he spent his time drawing boats and sails and it is on the job that he learned his trade. He started at 18 years old at Class Sails and then at Technique Voile in La Trinité-sur-Mer. Today, he has been working for North Sail for 17 years.
Over the years, he has built up a wealth of offshore experience by sailing some of the finest racing boats. Recently, he worked on the design of the sails of the maxi trimaran Spindrift 2, the new Macif, Sodebo Ultim' and several IMOCA 60.
It was on Jean Le Cam's Bonduelle trimaran that he met Kito de Pavant for the first time in 2003. Kito's crew member in 2011, he will take the start of his second Transat Jacques Vabre.
The boat
An innovative IMOCA 60, Virbac-Paprec 3 has had two successful years: two victories in the same year in the Transat Jacques Vabre and the Barcelona World Race and 2nd in the Rolex Fastnet in 2011.
Technical specifications
| Class | Imoca |
| Sail number | FRA 30 |
| Length | 18,28 m |
| Width | 5,70 m |
| Draft | 4,50 m |
| Displacement (weight) | about 7.8 tons |
| Number of drifts | 2 |
| Height matte | 29 m |
| Keel sail | Steel |
| Home port | |
| Architect | Guillaume Verdier and VPLP |
| Construction site (builder) | Cookson Boats (New Zealand) |
| Launch date | 2010 |
| Upwind sail area | 300 m2 |
| Downwind sail area | 590 m2 |
| Source of energy production on board | Port Camargue |
Awards
| Race | Skipper | Running time | Ranking |
| Barcelona World Race (31/12/2014) | Alex THOMSON & Pepe RIBES | TDR | |
| New York - Barcelona (01/06/2014) | Pepe RIBES | 14d 02h 44m 30s | 1 |
| Vendée Globe 2012-2013 (10/11/2012) | Jean-Pierre DICK | 86d 03h 03' 40'' | 4 |
| Europa Warm'Up (19/05/2012) | Jean-Pierre DICK | 4 | |
| Transat B to B (05/12/2011) | Jean-Pierre DICK | 7 | |
| Transat Jacques Vabre 2011 (30/10/2011) | Jean-Pierre DICK | 1 | |
| Barcelona World Race (31/12/2010) | Jean-Pierre DICK | 93 days 22h 20' 36'' | 1 |
| Route du Rhum (31/10/2010) | Jean-Pierre DICK | 14 days 15h 11' 13' | 4 |
