François Gabart will be able to continue sailing in Ultime! The skipper - whose collaboration with La Macif ended last year after 10 years - has found a new partner, the French cosmetics group Kresk. Owner of the SVR, Lazatigue and Fillmed cosmetics brands, the group chaired by Didier Tabary has bought the flying multihull.
"It happened very quickly. The first exchanges with the partner's teams took place at the end of March 2021. I met Didier Tabary, the man who owns the SVR, Lazatigue and Fillmed brands and the main decision maker to launch a project like this, with the support of his teams, just 6 weeks ago. It's pretty crazy how fast this project has taken off.
He is an entrepreneur with a passion for the sea, ocean and sailing. He himself sails a lot and has been following the race for many years. He was aware of my situation and could find an opportunity with the boat I had just built.
We had a real human feeling and a very good contact. He had a very strong conviction that this project could help the development of the brands that the group carries."
An innovative boat
The trimaran currently being finalized in Concarneau will bear the colors of the three brands of the group and will be named SVR-LAZARTIGUE.
31 m long, 23 m wide, she will have the same "measurements" as the skipper's previous Ultime. It is distinguished from the other boats in the class by three rather innovative characteristics:
- The appendices
"We have worked a lot on this subject. It's becoming a development area, because it's an important performance factor. They will be unveiled when the boat is launched on July 22. The foils will be bigger, thinner to take off faster, with hopefully a more stable flight, to be able to go at high speeds without cavitation problems."
- Aerodynamics
"From the moment the boat flies, the aero brake becomes important in the overall drag of the boat. This led us to make a radical choice with a cockpit structurally integrated into the central hull of the boat. There is no additional roof, the cockpit protection is structural, which is rarely the case. We've made a lot of progress on this."
- A new way to navigate
"This last point is a consequence of the choices dictated by the aero. The cockpit being in the central hull, we had to reimagine a way of sailing and organizing ourselves in the cockpit. We worked on the ergonomics, especially with a very different steering system, with electronic controls.
The objective is to adapt to high speeds, over 40 knots for several hours. You have to be well organized to be able to sail at those speeds safely."
A 4-year program
On the agenda for these 4 years of partnership, a desire to be part of the Ultim 32/23 class program. Thus, François will do his first race in the Transat Jacques Vabre at the end of 2021. This will be followed by the Route du Rhum in 2022, the solo round the world race in 2023 and the Jules Verne Trophy in the winter of 2024/2025. A program that is likely to evolve, of course.
Protecting the oceans
In parallel to its responsible cosmetics activity, the group has decided to invest in the protection of the oceans with the creation of the Kresk4Oceans endowment fund. The main idea is to fight against plastic pollution, by setting up awareness and education operations and by financing scientific projects of general interest in the field of recycling and the development of new eco-responsible materials.
"At the same time, we had a common desire to have a strong societal and environmental impact by focusing on the protection of the oceans. Didier Tabary already had the idea of creating an endowment fund in this sense, and our partnership accelerated the process. I'm delighted to see how quickly it all came together.
To win sailing races, you have to go fast on the water. And with the timing we're in, to try to perform in the Transat Jacques Vabre, you also have to be fast on land. It's a collective thing. I admire the ability of this businessman and his teams to launch this project so quickly. Especially with a long-term vision, since we are committed for 4 years. It's great that an ocean racing project is moving quickly on land and at sea. I'm blown away!"
