Linking two citadels
After the Nice Ultimed, this is the second time since 2018 that the Ultims have competed in the Mediterranean. After two years of exchanges between the class and its various partners, the Finistère Atlantique will offer its competitors a new course.
The start will be given on Saturday, September 28 in Concarneau. The trimarans will set off on a short coastal course, before tacking the Jaune des Glénan.
After crossing the Bay of Biscay, a first tricky passage will have to be negotiated between Cape Saint Vincent and Gibraltar. Competitors will have to keep their distance from the DST, before a free ascent along the Balearic Islands.
A course marker will have to be turned off Marseille, before a final stretch to Antibes, some 2,000 miles of crewed racing.
Crews well-versed in contact racing
Each Ultim will be crewed by six people, and only two women will be on board, namely Amélie Grassi on SVR Lazartigues, and Marie Riou on Actual.
For this sprint around a part of Europe, the figurists and other sailors used to contact racing will be on board. For three Ultims, the crews will be the same as for the Jules Verne attempts this winter.
A route that could spring a surprise
Francis Le Goff, race director of the Finistère Atlantique, described the course and the surprises that could be in store for the crews:
" It's going to be a great Ultim race, with a Bay of Biscay that can hold some surprises, then an entry into the Mediterranean that requires a lot of attention because of the traffic and weather conditions. It's a complete and very technical course, and the success of the crew will be predominant in this sprint. There could be some big transitions, if the gribs of recent years are anything to go by"
Anthony Marchand, skipper of Actual, confirms that particular attention will be paid to the weather, especially in the Mediterranean:
"Weather preparation is mostly done 3 days before the start. On a course close to the coast, you get to know the general topography and the shallows. It's great to be sailing with a crew again. After a season of solo and double-handed sailing, you have to learn to share the space with several crew members. "
A lovely show for the public
The festivities will begin on Wednesday, September 25 in Concarneau, where the five ULTIMs will be grouped together, as in the first edition of Finistère Atlantique in 2022, which saw the victory of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. The official race village will be inaugurated at 5pm that day. Thursday September 26 will be dedicated to meetings between crews and students. The competition will resume on Saturday September 28, with a scheduled start at 1pm. Francis Le Goff estimates that the race will last around five days, depending on weather conditions.
The five maxi-trimarans will be welcomed to Antibes under optimal conditions. The village will be open at the Port Vauban from Thursday October 3 at 11am for four days of festivities, giving the crews the opportunity to meet the local public.
Friday October 4 will include meetings with students and visits to ULTIM. Saturday October 5 will be devoted to speed races on the Antibes waterfront, and the prize-giving ceremony will take place on Sunday October 6 at 11am. The day will also feature meetings between sailors and local freedivers. Every day, musical entertainment will accompany the event, making this second edition of Finistère Atlantique a true sporting and popular celebration.
