The GP Multi 50 is quoi??
The format is simple, with bananas and courses close to the coast allowing boaters on the water as well as shore walkers to enjoy this incredible spectacle during a beautiful weekend in September. And given the amazed and admiring gaze of the walkers, multihulls are still a dream come true, nothing like getting closer to the public to promote our sport.
And then the harbour of Brest lends itself marvellously well to the practice of show regattas: a flat sea, from the bottom, coastal effects to no end. This harbour is full of traps or opportunities depending on the height of the water in the glass halfway through... Here the tactician is of prime importance, he has to analyse the current, the site effects, the clouds, the positioning of the competitors, all this is happening at breakneck speed.
The crew is at the highest level of concentration on these small courses where everything is on the line. As the ability to accelerate is proportional to the slowdown, all it takes is a slacker or a laughing stock to reshuffle the cards. The heats are very open, the change of places and the twists and turns are numerous. Victory is not only about speed, the efficiency of the manoeuvres is also crucial. At this level of performance, chess is played and the pieces move between 15 and 25 knots.
During the weekend of 5th and 6th September 2020, it is the crew led by Arthur Le Vaillant on Leyton who will win with 7 victories out of 9 races. However, the team led by Sébastien Rogues on Primonial gave him a lot of trouble. Not to mention the attacks of Thibault Vauchel Camus on Solidaires en Peloton - ARSEP, those of Ciela Village led by Erwan Le Roux and also Gilles Lamiré on (Groupe GCA - 1001 smiles) always in ambush, you have to have strong nerves. The Multi 50 Grand Prix line-up is made up of 5 teams. It's relatively few, but the level is very qualitative. We can also count on Lalou Roucarol who should join the fleet next year.
At the heart of the action
Seen from the outside, the image of these sailing ships dancing on three legs is magnificent, but immersed in the heart of the symphony where each one plays his score at the highest level, it is an experience beyond the name. The crew is made up of 5 to 6 people mixing young talents and stainless steel racers.
The small cockpit of these ocean racing trimarans is totally dedicated to the piano and coffee grinder columns. This is where the crew will produce the kilowatts needed to make these boats dance. Like an orchestra playing crazy music, the crew grinds endlessly, activating the jammers and the throttles. At the windward buoy, you could see the evaporation from the spine of the boats. The headsails, gennaker or code 0 sails go up and down, while the solent appears and disappears. With each tack or gybe, the skipper lets go of the tiller and crosses the boat from side to side. A well tuned music and orchestra.
A living ship that can be felt and heard..
On these nervous trimarans, you can physically feel the forces at work, the accelerations are as brutal as the decelerations. The most astonishing thing is probably the centrifugal force which drags us along and seems to push us in the back with each tack. It must be said that these machines enter the turn very quickly, but slow down enormously when facing the wind, so in order to cross your bed, you don't hesitate to push very hard on the helm.
At high speed, you can hear the deep thud of the sheets squeaking and squeaking around the winches. As soon as you reach 16/18 knots, the vibrations of the appendages can be heard, especially the foils whistling their vibratory frequency. With only 15 knots of wind, the central hull is just waiting to lift itself out of the water. 15 knots is in fact our speed upwind, and on the beam edges under code 0, we'll hit 26 knots in a reef barely reaching 20 knots. It's so fascinating! Sébastien Rogue even admits: "I don't think I'll be able to race any more on a boat making 6 knots upwind..." Yes, we can understand that.
Tightrope walkers, trimarans balanced on a float at full power, the surface of the water rising in a smoke of foam gushing out of the floats, these are the beautiful images offered to the walkers and yachtsmen of the Brest harbour, who have all become photographers for the occasion. A grand prize is the opportunity to show the public one of the most beautiful facets of our sailing sport: the oceanic trimarans who are engaged in jousts at the feet of the public.
