The Nice UltiMed
The year 2018 saw the birth in April of the first edition of the Nice UltiMed the first Mediterranean crewed race, reserved for Ultim 32/23 class trimarans. This event, organized around a nautical stadium and offshore sprints, brought together a limited number of teams. With the Macif trimaran shipyard and the capsizing of the Maxi Banque Populaire IX, only 3 crews participated.
On the starting line were Idec Sport, Sodebo Ultim' and Actual euros Grand Large (a trimaran lent to Yves le Blevec by the Ultim' collective after his boat capsized in 2017 during the round-the-world race).
This first edition was marked by the close battle between Idec Sport and Sodebo Ultim' on a course between Sardinia and Corsica. In the end, it was the second boat that won the edition.
The Route du Rhum
If 2017 was the year of records in Ultimates euros, notably with François Gabart's 42-day circumnavigation of the globe, 2018 will have been tougher for the giant trimarans.
And more particularly for Armel le Cléac'h's Maxi Banque Populaire IX, victim of two consecutive capsizings, the first in April and the other in November. The last one occurred during the Route du Rhum and will be fatal for the boat, recovered in pieces in the middle of the Atlantic .
The 2018 Route du Rhum did not only "damage" the Maxi Banque Pop' as Sébastien Josse saw the bow of his starboard float torn off, forcing him to abandon the race. Thomas Coville also suffered damage to his link arm, which he repaired in order to be able to set off again.
But what we will definitely remember about this anniversary edition is this anthology final between François Gabart (Macif) and Francis Joyon (Idec Sport) . While the first one leads the race all along, even though he is amputated of a starboard foil and a port rudder, it is the second one who will win the race only 7 minutes and 3 seconds ahead of the skipper of the Macif trimaran. A remake of the first edition and the breathtaking final between Mike Birch and Michel Malinovsky.
Questions and future
With the numerous damages that occurred during the 2018 Route du Rhum, questions have arisen about the reliability of the Ultimates. Indeed, a few days of racing will have been enough for a fleet of five boats to experience damage to floats, rudders, foils, and even a capsize. Are these boats reliable and safe enough to compete on the world's oceans? Yet, Sodebo in the hands of Thomas Coville and Macif in the hands of François Gabart set incredible circumnavigation records in 2016 and 2017 respectively
One might wonder if the latest generation Ultimates, the Maxi Banque Populaire IX and the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, are too "extreme" for solo sailing? Or are they not too optimized for flying in optimal conditions and not versatile enough to face the big seas where flying is out of the question. When a boat is destroyed, it is very difficult to make a structural analysis of the causes of the accident. This is why many questions remain open and architects, teams and skippers are thinking about the future.
euros on this subject, Brest-Oceans euros solo round the world race reserved for the Ultim' 32/23 euros class, which was supposed to take place in 2019, has been postponed due to the lack of the entire fleet at the start. According to our estimates, it could be held in 2021 or 2023.
Fleet update
For the time being, Spindrift 2 is still waiting for a favorable weather window before setting off on yet another Jule Verne Trophy quest. As for Francis Joyon (Idec Sport), he is heading for Asia for the next two years (2019-2010). Finally, the programs of the other trimarans are still unknown. With the postponement of Brest Océans and the Lorient-Les Bermudes-Lorient race, there are no more major races on the Ultimates program for 2019
Macif will enter the winter refit in Lorient in January (as a reminder, another trimaran is under construction and should be launched in 2020). Sodebo Ultim' 2 has been bought by the Actual team and will now be sailed by Yves le Blévec. Thomas Coville for his part should get his new giant trimaran Sodebo Ultim' 3 during 2019.
If Armel le Cléac'h and his sponsor Banque Populaire have just invested in a Figaro Bénéteau 3, the rumors from the pontoons suggest that the "bank of sailing" will recommit to a new Ultime project. The official answer should be given during January 2019.
