Kito, how did you come up with this new event?
It wasn't an easy race to fit into the calendar, between the America's Cup, the Vendée Globe and events taking place in Brittany. I'd been dreaming of setting up this project for some time, as the racing conditions in the Mediterranean are extremely interesting. The few skippers who have taken part in past races, such as the Transmed or the Triangle du Soleil, have great memories of them.
We saw an opportunity just before the Vendée Globe, which coincided with the availabilities of the different classes, which enabled us to make the project a reality.
Integrating a new event into a busy calendar is quite a challenge. Was it a success?
Yes, to bring together so many competitors in the Mediterranean has not been seen for a very long time, and it's a great source of pride to have achieved this. For this first edition, we succeeded in attracting crews based in the Atlantic, but also foreign profiles, notably Italian.
Our aim is to make this great first a permanent fixture in the racing calendar of both classes.
Why bring the Ocean Fifty and Class40 together?
The two classes are complementary and share the same philosophy. The idea is to sail competitively, but with a human approach in which budgets are limited to avoid an uncontrollable arms race.
For me, it's an excellent approach, in keeping with the spirit of the times, and allows old boats to cohabit with the latest protos. It's also why we haven't imposed entry fees on teams who, for the most part, are already struggling to make ends meet. Our business model differs from that of other racing organizations, but we still manage to offer a prize money of 100,000 euros to podium finishers in both categories.
What will be the main challenges along the way?
We're on a double-handed course, which is rather tricky, with plenty of tactical coups to be attempted. Competitors will be alternating speed runs across the Gulf of Lion with contact racing in transition phases. The Mediterranean is difficult to get to grips with. The fleet will have to deal with relief, site effects, and sometimes areas with a lot of shipping traffic.
Originally, my ambition was to do a slightly longer course, in which the fleet would round the Greek islands. But for a first, we decided to shorten the course a little.
