An iron will for Actual and Yves le Blévec
In December 2017, Yves le Blévec capsized off Cape Horn as he attempted to sail around the world "upside down", against the prevailing winds and currents, aboard his trimaran Ultime Actual. The skipper was quickly rescued, but his boat could not be recovered. After a few months of reflection, the skipper's sponsor - the Actual group - has just announced that Yves le Blévec will be present at the start line of the Nice UltiMed, Mediterranean race, reserved for Ultimates - who now have their own class called Ultim Class 32/23 .
Team Actual, supported by the 32/23 Ultim Class, was able to count on the solidarity of the Class owners to take part in this new race. Yves le Blévec will set off on 28th April on board the ex-Gitana, which was lengthened in 2010 to 80 feet and is now chartered by the company Grand Large Émotion, which organises sea trips for the general public aboard the maxi trimaran.
The ex-Gitana 11 has passed through the hands of several great skippers: Loïck Peyron, Lionel Lemonchois (winner of the Route du Rhum in 2006), Yann Guichard (4th in the Route du Rhum in 2010) then Sébastien Josse. Before being sold in 2015 to the Grand Large Émotion team, to which Karine Fauconnier belongs for the 2018 season, a leading multihull specialist.
"Being present on Nice Ultimed allows you to keep your finger on the pulse of the action in the 32/23 Ultim class. It will be an interesting maritime and sporting experience. And it shows that Actual is giving itself the means to be present. It truly holds its position as a historic partner in sailing sponsorship in France and co-founder of the Ultim Collective" explains Yves Le Blévec.
Yves' usual crew and other sailors from Grand Large Émotion will complete the crew: Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant, Loïc Lingois, Antoine Rabaste, Julien Jeudy, Karine Fauconnier and Éric Defert (alternating).
Good news for race organizers
The city of Nice and Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), organisers of the event, are very pleased with this turnaround. They will therefore be 4 trimarans to take the start of the event this 12-day race, made up of two 1000 nautical mile courses in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea which will depart on 25 April 2018. We'll find Macif (François Gabart), Sodebo Ultim' (Thomas Coville), Idec Sport (Francis Joyon) alongside the former gypsy skippered by Yves le Blévec.
"After his terrible misadventure this winter, Yves le Blévec managed the minor miracle of lining up on Nice UltiMed, after a real race against the clock lasting a few weeks to find a new boat. We are particularly pleased to welcome him, in a way, back. The presence of Actual-Grand Large Émotion at the start is an example of determination and perseverance, but also of the solidarity of the various players who have rallied around Yves to enable him to get back on the water as quickly as possible in a multihull. It also illustrates an incredible ability to bounce back, to renounce fatality. This "return" of Yves carries an inspiring message, which further strengthens our desire to share the extraordinary with Nice UltiMed" says Jean-Baptiste Durier, director of Nice UltiMed.
