It is certainly not the 50th birthday present that Groupe Bel skipper Kito De Pavant was looking for, especially not ‘second time around’.

Such is the ironic timing of the Laughing Cow’s crossing of the international date-line later today and tomorrow that De Pavant was passing his first 50th Birthday concerned about the weather situation but tomorrow he will facing up to the formidable tropical cyclone Atu when the ‘second edition’ of his 50th birthday comes around.

Both De Pavant and Spain’s Pepe Ribes, who both left Wellington on Tuesday night together on Groupe Bel and Estrella Damm, expressed their concern about how they would best deal with the trajectory and force of the challenging weather system which will propagate very strong winds and big, confused seas. Their key decisions will be based around the speed at which the system moves and both duos have been tracking the system consistently since before they left the Kiwi capital.

“ We don’t really know which way to deal with the problem: either by the south or by the north. What we do know it that it lies right on our course.” SaidDe Pavant this morning, “ It is a pretty violent and unpleasant character, not what you want for your birthday. The cyclone brings with it a lot of rain, a lot of wind, and big seas. It is a small but very compact phenomenon which can damage the boat, very risky.”

Pepe Ribes said this morning: “ The passage of the Atu cyclone will be very complicated and neither Alex nor I have ever been confronted by such strong winds and I don’t really know what it will do to us and we are worried to look after the boat. We have been looking at if for a while and still don’t know how we will cross it.”

The system is due to pass swiftly, the two boats which were in Wellington, will have it directly in their path, giving them the option to pass to the north which will at least give them the chance to use the westerlies on the north side of it, but they would need to sail a steeper angle and more miles to get there. The pragmatic solution might be to simply slow and avoid the worst of it

At the front of the fleet Spain’s Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez got to within 25 miles today of the long time race leader MAPFRE. The leading duo are nicely placed on the southern side of a progressive high pressure system which is allowing them a classical arc up to the NE to respect the second ice gate of the Pacific without having to worry about manoeuvres, simply having to sail fast towards the same target. As an instructive insight into the relative speeds of the 2007 generation former Foncia, built prior to the IMOCA Rule’s power cap, and the latest generation design, and of course the sailors potential, this is proving a thrilling encounter which is due to continue for a few days more at least. 

It was a triumphant but difficult passage through ‘home’ waters for the Barcelona World Race’s only Kiwi, Andy Meiklejohn who passed through the Cook Strait today, feeling a real mix of different emotions.

On the one hand Meiklejohn was feeling devastated and helpless at the earthquake which hit Christchurch, on the other he was intensely proud to be bringing the powerful Hugo Boss past Wellington, foregoing any technical stopover.

Having started the race with stand-in co-skipper Wouter Verbraak the duo have sailed a smart race so far, rising to seventh place, and now within 650 miles of the race’s podium. Alex Thomson was on the water off Wellington with technical manager Ross Daniel to greet the two co-skippers on the wet, bumpy ride past the capital.

“ We have had a tough time of the last seven weeks with several issues forcing us to be slower than optimal, this was also after a very light exit to the Med, conditions that the heaviest boat in the fleet definitely did not like.”Wrote Meiklejohn, “Wouter and I have managed to pool together our resources, our common strength and the belief  and with the support of Alex and our shore team to keep the yacht in the race, and here we are just 400 miles behind 4th place and the battle begins again.”

“ Our troubles however are insignificant compared to the disaster that has just hit the Christchurch region of New Zealand.  This is an area with incredible pride and emotional toughness.  They boast an unrivaled sporting success through their Cricket teams, netball teams and the All-conquering Crusaders rugby outfit who have dominated southern hemisphere rugby for the last 15 years.”

“ So it’s with real sadness that I sail up Cook Strait in sight of home, its hard to feel excited when there are so many people feeling so much pain.  Its great to celebrate what we do and getting to the halfway stage is an achievement in itself but it pales in comparison to what happens in the real world.  It’s a real mix of emotions that’s hard to contain and harder to put down in words.  We Kiwis are brought up to be hardened to tragedy and sadness but sometimes it doesn’t feel right, sometimes there’s a bigger picture.”

“ Christchurch, our thoughts are with you.  Look after each other, give those you don’t know a hug or a helping hand, it’s with that bond that you will once again pull through and, like the phoenix, rise again.”

Rankings at 1400hrs Wednesday 23rd February 2011

 1              VIRBAC-PAPREC 3  at 10076 miles to finish

2              MAPFRE 38 miles from the leader

3              RENAULT Z.E at 812 miles

4               NEUTROGENA at  940  miles

5              MIRABAUD at 1066  miles

6              GROUPE BEL at  1278 miles

7              ESTRELLA DAMM Sailing Team at 1282 miles

8              HUGO BOSS at 1454 miles

9              GAES CENTROS AUDITIVOS at 1482 miles

10            FORUM MARITIM CATALA at 2966 miles

11            CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA at 3284 miles

12            WE ARE WATER at 3900 miles

RTD         FONCIA

RTD         PRESIDENT

Quotes:

Alex Thomson (GBR) Alex Thomson Racing Team/Hugo Boss: “ It was amazing to go out there and see the boat and see the guys, a bit weird in a lot of ways, but the guys were in great spirits, the boat looked fantastic and I just feel very proud of what they have achieved so far in a very difficult set of circumstances. They continue to stay positive and are really looking forwards at the possibilities.

The mast track problem means they can’t currently sail with the mainsail above the first reef. So basically upwind in anything less than 17 knots of wind they are compromised, going slower, and downwind in anything less than 22 knots they are going slower. So the boat is definitely not being sailed to its potential, but when you look at the options to stop or not – losing 48 hours, potentially nearly a 1000 miles – when there is the possibility of them doing the repair on board was too difficult for them to bear, and if I was in the same situation I would have made the same choice.

We went out and were alongside them for about half an hour and both Ross, our operations manager, and I had a happy conversation with them for about half an hour on the VHF, lots of laughing and joking, them suggesting I get a hair cut. It was fun, but it was also difficult: Andy and I had planned to be doing this race together so for both of us it was probably a bit strange, but I think that the reality is that the guys are in the groove, they have worked together brilliantly, they have formed a great partnership. Their place is on the boat and my place is on the land on this one. That is just a fact.

It is a difficult one. The guys speak to our team every day, sometimes more than once a day, but usually it is about media stuff, or about technical matters: the media stuff does not involve me and my forte is not the technical side, so I am acting as a bit of a supporter really, a little bit of a mentor really. It is kind of strange and I feel at a bit of a loose end at times. But I have accepted the situation but today it was real proof to me that I feel good about the situation, There is nothing I can do about it. I can be happy about where they are that they are fighting and they are doing a great job.”

Kito de Pavant (FRA), Groupe Bel:“Fifty years old, it is the fourth Cape of this round the world race for me. I am not feeling very birthday. We did not have very much time to prepare anything because we were a bit preoccupied in Wellington, there was a lot of work to do. The weather conditions before we stopped were not so good, and we have lost a lot of time. And so the festivities have gone by the by. It is not that important, especially with a cyclone which is approaching, and we don’t really know which way to to deal with the problem: either by the south or by the north. What we do know it that it lies right on our course. It is a pretty violent and unpleasant character, not what you want for your birthday. The cyclone brings with it a lot of rain, a lot of wind, and big seas. The sea, especially will be huge and the winds might be 70-80kts. It is a small but very compact phenomenon which can damage the boat, very risky.

Wisest would be to leave it to the north but that does not take us towards Cape Horn. And of course if it gets dangerous then we would just turn and avoid the worst of the waves.

The difficult conditions should not last very long, 24 hours maybe and then after that we should have some strong winds which should allow us to go quickly towards the ice gates. The Spanish crew are just behind, we can see their lights. It is reassuring to be with them facing the same things. But the truth is that in such circumstances the second boat would not be able to do too much. We ate together yesterday evening and it would be good if we remained together until Barcelona.

It took us a few weeks to get into the rhythm of the race and now you feel like its starting again from zero. We have enjoyed the comforts ashore and so now it is not so easy to set out again. And the 48 hour stopover is not good, it is too long or too short. But this is a curious birthday, because as we pass the date-line I will have two birthdays!

Pepe Ribes (ESP) Estrella Damm:“We have Groupe Bel about a mile away and it will eb good to sail with someone again as a reference. The passage of the Atu cyclone will be very complicated and neither Alex nor I have ever been confronted by such strong winds and I don’t really know what it will do to us and we are worried to look after the boat. We have been looking at if for a while and still don’t know how we will cross it.

Our morale is not so high and so we must get back to the feelings we had and stop thinking about were we were in the race and what has happened to us. We need to get back into that mind set because the race is only half way.”

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by Colin Merry

“Alarm call at 0500hrs. this morning. but as Pete’s minder last night I was up and about at 0400hrs. in order not to miss the wake up call.  Quick slurp of coffee then down to the boat.  The rain was easing as we slid into the lock prior to being released to the sea. Even at this hour the lock sides were lined with waving cheering people!  ”

  ”A lot of them looked as though they had been partying all night! Slipping out through the entrance we headed seaward greeted by a magnificant sunrise, a good omen we hoped.  ”

“Several hours followed where Pete and Tom got the boat set up whilst I helmed. Normally not a problem for me, but this time it was different. ”

“I have never experienced so much responsibility, and it was getting more crowded by the minute. After nearly four hours and with twelve minutes to go we wished him well and jumped into the waiting rib.”
 

“Sorry that most of the pics. are of Class40′s but we were intent on following DMS for several miles and naturally we were surrounded by other 40′s. “

After a studied start keeping clear of the mayhem that is a start line Pete broke out the fractional kite and settled into the race.

With the wind easing it was not long before he went up a gear and raised the masthead kite.

Before we broke off the chase he was overhauling a few boats and looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself! So 3500miles to go and a possible encounter with a hurricane. (there is a cyclone winding itself up out the West atlantic which has been upgraded to Hurricane ”Tomas).

 
We at C&A wish him and skippers well in their endeavour to be in Gaudalupe first.

by Colin Merry

 

 

 

 

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Crowds flocked to the skippers reception last night.   Even a vociferous demo by the French unions (complaining about France’s rise in pensionable age) couldn’t dampen the way in which each skipper was applauded as they mounted the stage.   People crowded the whole area stretching back as for as the eye could see! 

 Some climbing trees and still others clinging to the lamp posts! Everyone was determined to get a glimpse of these brave men and women before they set off on the ”Route de Rhumb”.   I was particularly warmed by the reception Pete Goss got as his name was announced and he mounted the stage to what was the loudest applause and cheers all night.   The French still hold him in very high esteem to this day.

 
After the reception Team DMS, the sponsors and guests retired to a pub for some very welcome R&R.  I say pub but once inside it became clear that this was a strange hostelry indeed!   Dolls and weird bric a brac everywhere.  

 The bar seats were swings hanging from the ceiling.   Oh and did I mention the three piece ensemble that entertained us?   They were completely off the wall but good in a ‘different’ sort of way.

 
Anyway, back to the race.   I walked past one tri for the best part of a week before recognising her. None other than Ellen MacArthur’s B&Q!

  Gone is the familiar livery and now she is plain white. Turned into a Pizza delivery judging by the logos being applied as I watched one evening.

 
On DMS we have a constant stream of visitors, Media crew who want interviews.   Other skippers. Sponsors and guests. Plus old friends of Pete and Tom’s that reads like a who’s who of sailing.   One such visitor was Frederick Meunier, the boat builder responsible for DMS. 

  Fred’s Tunisia based yard ”MC Tech” has order books full until next May for the ”Akiliria” brand known as the RC2.   As we sat and chatted he was looking around at the mods that Tom had made since she left his yard.   A testament to Tom’s attention to detail when said he reckoned that she was the best turned out boat in the Class 40′ fleet.
 

As crowded as our boat was, at times it paled into insignificance compared to the crowds who by now had swelled to massive proportions!   It was gridlock on the roads in and around St. Malo and it threatened to become gridlock on the pavements too.   Looking out from a high vantage point it seemed that the predicted 1.2 million visitors had all arrived together today!   I can’t even begin to envisage what 18,000 people on the water tomorrow are going to look like.   Also add to that 100 ribs that will be inside the exclusion zone prior to the start and you begin to get some idea of the huge logistical enterprise that is the ”Route de Rhumb”.

 

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There is an air of expectancy about the port of St. Malo,and the main topic of conversation with the race teams is the weather or more importantly the wind! Projected weather and wind reports have been flowing in for several days now, and are eagerly studied in their minutest detail. One weather guru is saying ”stay north of the Azores” whilst another favours the more southerly route. With no definate pattern emerging it may be a lottery as to who makes the correct call on the day!
 
One thing however is certain. The big Tri’s will be across and into Quadalupe long before the other fleets. Rough estimates with presently predicted winds are for 9 to 15 days for their race. The Class 40′s however will still be at sea their predictions being somewhere between 19 and 25 days.

 I include in my report today a gallery of just some of the ”Cate’gorie Ultime” boats.      ‘Sodebo’ skippered by Thomas Coville looks good with her graphics that represent childrens doodles! I had the good luck to meet Thomas whilst I was on holiday in Bali a few years ago. I managed to get an interview for C&A and he gave me a guided tour of his rocket ship! I for one would love to go for a blast, maybe one day.

‘Idec’ with Francis Joyon is another very powerful looking boat. Well proven she will be one to watch.
 

Sydney Gavignet will be piloting ‘Oman Air Majan’. This boat is beautifully turned out and certainly looks the business.

 
As a complete contrast two lovely old ‘Gaffers’ lay near the multihulls and what a pretty sight they made. Respendant in perfectly varnished wood they were getting as many admiring glances as the ‘rock stars’ further along the Quay!

 
Also moored a short distance from the race boats was the all aluminium ‘Pen Duick VI’ Built in 1973 she still looks the business today

 
With everything now completed it was party time last night for the team on DMS. Pete Tom and myself welcomed on board the main sponsor Dave Summers and his family.

Dave’s company packages vinyl and CDs for the music industry, and a few years ago Dave made up his mind that he would get rid of all plastic used in the packaging process. I think to date there is only 10% of his packaging that is plastic but this will reduce to 0% in the next couple of years. This is a tremendous gesture and one which needs to be taken up by all packaging manufactures. Plastic never goes away or degrades, it’s here to stay! Hence the logo on the hull of ‘DMS’ reads ”PACK IT IN”. Just sitting on the pontoon she has had many asking about her message. Just wait till she gets her monster kite up with ”Barney” emblazoned thereon. A sight that will surely stay in everyone’s mind!

 

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Crowds are filling the wharf as thing start hotting up (Photo by Coin Merry)

Rookies to legends, the IMOCA class skippers are as one when it comes to being ready to go, they say.

 

Challenge and Adventure’s Colin Merry in his daily check-in wrote today how things were hotting up in St. Malo and he spoke of the atmosphere there. “We are now well sorted on DMS.   She has now passed all her safety checks and is virtually ready to go.   Not so with all the boats though.   I see anxious faces on some of the Skippers as they seek to come within the scrutineers beady eye!   For others it is a mad dash yet again to the Chandlers for some forgotten item. Or to replace a broken piece of equipment.

Tom (boat captain on DMS) was splicing more spare sheets and making chocks for the spare anchor to sit in yesterday. All done in almost a leisurely way. This air of calm is one that now pervades DMS. The reason being, that Pete and Tom have been working hard with a set plan of objectives for each and every day that we have been here. The hard work has paid off and we are sitting pretty. I myself was spared the job yesterday of donning wetsuit and cleaning the hull as Tom reckons we can do it nearer the start date. Instead I mounted the ‘Argos’ unit on the guard rail and attended to the sponsors flags that we are flying. Then I went food shopping! (someone has to be house mother you know!) Shopping in St. Malo can be fun, as for a short cut you can walk around the city wall when the streets get too crowded. Of course, when on the wall loads of opportunities arise for photography. So I include a few of my shopping shots!
 
Even on a cold day such as Wednesday the crowds are out in force. Whilst on the wall I grabbed a pic. of the 50′ tri’s lined up like dragonflys. The sheer volume of people is amazing!

 

Christopher Pratt (DCNS) is the rookie in the IMOCA Open 60 class is keeping up to speed with his sponsor and media commitments. After the talent search programme of his sponsors DCNS – which is one of France’s largest naval defence construction and shipbuilding companies – which he won, there are very many young students from the major colleges visiting the boat to meet the skipper here.

PRB’s visitor programme is very comprehensive. The sponsors of 2004-5 Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou have 300 guests most days to see the boat, and they have been running such a programme since the new boat was launched and sailed her maiden race around Spain in June. On board PRB everything is ready for the start.

Latest launched IMOCA Open 60 is of course that of Michel Desjoyeaux and his team are busy each day with the fine details, while the skipper catches up with his sleep and de-stresses after the remarkably quick six months build of his new boat.

Each afternoon the double Vendée Globe winner catches up with a two hour nap.

And Marc Guillemot, the IMOCA world champion and winner of the last Transat Jacques Vabre is also in great shape, ready for the off. He will be signing copies of the book he co-wrote with his wife after his 2008-9 Vendée Globe.

Jean-Pierre Dick will show Belgian comic actor François Damians over his new VPLP-Verdier design and then Loick Peyron, who JP will pair up with for the imminent Barcelona World Race, will be here this evening.

On Friday Arnaud Boissières will host world match racing tour leader Mathieu Richard aboard Akena Verandas, as well as Christine Janin, the first French woman to climb Everest.

Armel Le Cléac’H of Brit Air has been home with his family and will arrive this evening, whilst Roland Jourdain, the defending champion, is totally chilled out and ready with his new Veolia Environnment. Routing is of course forbidden in this class, and so preparations with external advisors is paramount leading in to Sunday.

Groupama made for a lonely looking boat as she lay all on her own in the outer harbour. This not because she has been excluded.  No, they just couldn’t get her into the lock!  She is sporting a much smaller rig for this race because the normal rig would be too much for one man to handle.

An indication of the attention to detail that the Groupama team approach their projects is shown in the extent of changes made to the giant trimaran in order that one man (Frank Cammas) can handle this beast.  As well as the obvious switch to a lower-aspect rig the boats ergonomics have been re-evaluated and modified with the installation of a hand and leg driven system for the winches and the hydraulic system.  This with many other mods. should enable one (very fit) man to manage this 103′ behemoth!

The skippers will all be at the top of their game as they head out

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The Imoca skippers are due to meet up again in St Malo on 31st October for the Route du Rhum-la Banque Postale and in Barcelona on 31st December for the Barcelona World Race. 9 boats are set to compete in the Rhum and at least ten for the Barcelona.

At the present time, some skippers are finishing off their projects in order to make it to the start line, while others are adding the final touches to their brand new prototypes.

The new projects:
Four major projects are under way at the moment. The most advanced of these belongs to Vincent Riou (PRB), whose new boat has been on the water since the spring, and Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac – Paprec 3), who recently moored up in Lorient at the end of a long delivery trip from New Zealand via the Panama canal. Meanwhile, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) is completing a race against the clock so as to make the start of the Route du Rhum, before gearing up for the Barcelona World Race. The three sailors have all opted for a Verdier – VPLP design, acknowledging the respective performances of Safran and Groupe Bel. Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) is continuing with the construction of his Kouyoumdjian designed boat at the Decision yard in Switzerland.

Continuing to sail
Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) has traded in his Lombard design, which was beginning to get a bit dated, for the Farr designed boat previously skippered by Sébastien Josse during the last Vendée Globe. Bilou’s aim is to defend his title during the next Route du Rhum. Roland will once again be competing against Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel), who is continuing to optimise his monohull, as well as Marc Guillemot (Safran), who is keen to repeat his performance from the last Transat Jacques Vabre.

For this year’s Route du Rhum, Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas) is now in possession of a boat which once belonged to Vincent Riou, while Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air), winner of the Solitaire du Figaro, will be racing on his Finot designed boat again.

Looking ahead to Barcelona, Dominique Wavre and his new partner Mirabaud will be at the start of the next Barcelona World Race; while Dee Caffari will be teaming up with Anna Corbella (GAES Centros Auditivos).

Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) will also be at the start of the race, aboard a boat previously skippered by Brian Thompson (Pindar). Alex is gambling on the boat’s power and his new boat is certainly a looker.

The Spanish are also intending to be out in force on the IMOCA circuit as several crews are actively preparing for the Barcelona World Race. Alex Pella is teaming up with Pepe Ribes (Estrella Damm) on Loïck Peyron’s former Farr design; Pachi Rivero is partnering Tonio Piris (W Hotels Nova Bocana) on Jean-Pierre Dick’s former boat, while Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez (Movistar) are benefiting from the advice of Michel Desjoyeaux after purchasing the winning boat from the last Vendée Globe.

A few other projects will also be taking part in the next Barcelona World Race and they are discreetly being finalised.

Strategic choices for the future
By opting to register the next three editions of the Barcelona World Race in its schedule, Imoca had gambled on its internationalisation and the complementary nature of single and double-handed races.

They’ve pulled it off! The 2010 Imoca season will comprise over 20 entries in its World Championship.

Naturally, the 2008 Vendée Globe was an exceptional event, with 30 competitors at the start. 18 competitors lined up for the 2004 edition, so we should be able to count on the 2012 edition being just as exceptional.

Between these two round the world races, the Europa Race will go around Europe, starting in Istanbul on July 2nd 2011.
An action-packed season
As they all prepare for the two major events, namely the Route du Rhum and the Barcelona World Race, a number of races have welcomed the sixty foot monohulls, enabling a series of often highly instructive confrontations between boats from different generations.

As usual, the Douarnenez Grand Prix welcomed the IMOCA boats for an event which brilliantly combined speed runs and offshore courses. It proved to be a great opportunity for Vincent Riou to try out his brand new PRB and for Marc Guillemot to validate the latest modifications carried out on Safran. The Spaniards on Movistar, Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez, benefited from a prestigious guest in the shape of Michel Desjoyeaux, who was able to pass on a few of the secrets to powering up his former boat. Brit Air skippered by Armel Le Cléac’h and Veolia Environnement skippered by Roland Jourdain, completed the line-up. Ultimately the Spaniards took victory just a whisker ahead of PRB and Safran.

Estrella Damm and W Hotels Nova Bocana battled it out on an original double-handed course between New York and Barcelona with a view to achieving a new record.

The SNSM Record meantime saw the victory of Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) ahead of Akena Vérandas skippered by Arnaud Boissières.

At the same, the Vuelta Espana a Vela played host to eight IMOCA crews for a race between Hondarribia and Barcelona, passing through Santander, Gijon, Sanxenxo, Calpe and Palma de Majorca. Given the results of the first two stages, we could have imagined the race would be completely dominated by the two Verdier VPLP designs skippered by Marc Guillemot (Safran) and Vincent Riou (PRB). However, with every leg, the Spanish crews got stronger and stronger, to the extent that they were a regular source of worry for the two leaders of the fleet, twice just missing out on a leg victory that went right down to the wire. It is clear that the emergence of some top level Iberian crews is excellent news for the internationalisation of the class.

Finally, the Artemis Challenge around the Isle of Wight, an event reserved for IMOCAs, proved to be a must during Cowes Week with Mike Golding (MGYR), Roland Jourdain (Véolia Environnement), Dee Caffari (GAES), Ryan Breymaier and Boris Herrmann (VE1), Steve White (Toe in the water) and the Artemis team vying for the top spot. Mike, the outright winner of the event, was able to hand over a cheque for £10,000 to the R.N.L.I.

News
From 3rd to 5th September, the Happy Baie, a new nautical event in La Trinité sur Mer in Brittany, is inviting the 60’ IMOCAs to join in their races and festivities.

As has become the custom the day before a big meeting, the skippers of the 60’ IMOCAs will head for Port-la-Forêt, South-West Brittany, at the end of September and the beginning of October, for some training sessions in preparation for the next Route du Rhum. It will be an opportunity for the new projects to measure up against the tried and tested boats, which were extensively optimised over the winter.

Some of the Imoca sailors themselves have been subjected to some rigorous on-the-water training this summer, albeit on the smaller craft of the Figaro circuit. Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) has shown that he has lost nothing of his clairvoyance by scoring a blinder in the Transat AG2R La Mondiale in association with Fabien Delahaye, before totally dominating the Solitaire du Figaro.

We offer our sincere congratulations to our 2008 World Champion and his partner Brit Air.

Armel was not the only Imoca skipper to compete in the Solitaire. Jérémie Beyou (BPI), Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel), Yann Eliès (Generali), Sébastien Josse (Vendée), Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) and Jonny Malbon (Artemis) also took part in this great summer classic.
Those taking part in the Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale
Arnaud Boissières – Akena Vérandas
Armel Le Cléac’h – Brit Air
Christopher Pratt – DCNS 1000
Michel Desjoyeaux – FONCIA
Kito de Pavant – Groupe Bel
Vincent Riou – PRB
Marc Guillemot – Safran
Roland Jourdain – Veolia Environnement
Jean-Pierre Dick – Virbac Paprec 3

Those taking part in the Barcelona World Race
Jean-Pierre Dick – Loïck Peyron, Virbac – Paprec 3
Michel Desjoyeaux – François Gabart, Foncia
Dominique Wavre – Michèle Paret, Mirabaud
Anna Corbella – Dee Caffari, GAES Centros Auditivos
Alex Pella – Pepe Ribes, Estrella Damm
Pachi Ribero – Tonio Piris,  W Hotels Nova Bocana
Iker Martinez – Xabi Fernandez, Movistar
Alex Thomson – , Hugo Boss
Juan Mederiz – Fran Palacio, Central Lechera Asturiana
Boris Herman – Ryan Breymaier – (VE1)

In addition to these ten entrants, three to four crews are finalising their projects. The former Roxy, Super Bigoud and Kingfisher may also be lining up at the start…

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Marc Guillemot   -  Safran

Born on 25th June 1959 in Quimper (Brittany, France)
Lives in La Trinité-sur-Mer (Brittany, France)
IMOCA Skipper since 2006

Before taking the helm of the SAFRAN monohull, Marc Guillemot was one of those, who used to hop around multihulls, the giant 60-foot trimarans, which he sailed single-handedly and at high speeds. His return to monohulls impressed the ocean racing world, but if we look a little more closely, it is certainly not down to chance.  Here’s a portrait of a born competitor.
Never making more noise than necessary, Marc Guillemot is however, one of those sailors that figure in the elite group of top level yachtsmen.  Apart from a list of achievements that tells us a lot (read below), his return to racing aboard a monohull definitely left a deep impression this winter during the Transat Jacques Vabre (2nd) and the Transat Ecover B t B (5th). For someone, who willingly admits « not having raced in a monohull since 1994, with Eric Tabarly on board La Poste during the crewed round the world voyage,» we might have feared some less spectacular results.  As, if he had not suffered from damage to his spinnaker in the Jacques Vabre, he would have been battling it out at the front with Michel Desjoyeaux and if he had not had a problem with his keel system in the Transat Ecover B to B, he would probably have finished up there with the winners…
Unanimously congratulated by his peers and by the specialist media on the speed of his SAFRAN and his ability to sail it quickly and on the right track, this pure Breton, brought up in the sea air of Bénodet and who quickly caught the ocean racing bug, has thus already marked a triumphant return to one-hulled boats.  At the age of fifteen, Marc was already doing delivery trips, by eighteen, his first major races alongside another top name, Bertrand de Broc. As a teenager, Marc Guillemot sailed in the wake of the Poupon brothers, until he had quenched his thirst for ocean adventure, before becoming interested, even back then, in the design and build of racing yachts.
Results

- 4th in The Artemis Transat 2008
- 5th in the Transat Ecover B to B 2007
- 2nd in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2007 (with Charles Caudrelier)
- 7th in the Route du Rhum 2006
- 2nd in the Route du Rhum 2002
- 2nd in the Europe 1 Star (single-handed transatlantic race from England) 2000
- 2nd in the Quebec – Saint-Malo 2000 as part of a crew
- 4th in the Route du Rhum 1998
- 4th in the Quebec – Saint-Malo 1996
- 4th in the Open UAP 1995
- 2nd in the Transat Ag2r two-handed race Lorient-Saint-Barth’ 1994
- Winner of the Open UAP 1993
- Winner of the Multihull Trophy 1989
- Winner of the Quebec-Saint-Malo 1988
- Atlantic record in 7 days 6 h 32 minutes in 1988
- 3rd in the Round Europe race 1985
- Atlantic record in 8 days 16 h 36 minutes in 1984

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