Marc Guillemot And Charles Caudrelier Benac On Safran (Photo by Jean Marie Liot / DPPI)

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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Hugo Boss Open 60. Shown here as the yacht is launched from slipway at Green Marine, Southampton (Photo By Lloyd Images)

The latest incarnation of the HUGO BOSS IMOCA 60 was given a brief airing on Friday  as it was transferred from the Green Marine shed at Spitfire Quay, Southampton to Alex Thomson Racing’s base in Gosport.

 Over the last 4  months the boat has been undergoing a dramatic modification and re-fit under the guidance of boat designer Juan Kouyoumdjian that will provide Alex Thomson with the most powerful IMOCA  60 in the World.

 The boat, now virtually unrecognisable from the original Kouyoumdjian designed Pindar, features a number of radical changes that sets the boat apart from the IMOCA 60 fleet but, under the new grandfathering rule, keeps the boat within the restrictions set down by IMOCA. Alex Thomson Racing is confident that the results will lead to some exciting sailing. 

Hugo Boss After Refit In Southhampton, UK (Photo by Lloyd Images)

 “We’ve worked closely with Juan to create something that’s a bit special and we’re all really pleased with the result”, said Alex Thomson. “We’re in the process of fitting the rig and then we’ll be able to try her out. I’ve been looking forward to that moment for quite a while now”.

  HUGO BOSS is due to be officially unveiled in all its glory at a high profile launch event in May. Alex Thomson will then embark on a six-month sailing programme that will take him up to the start of the Barcelona World Race in December where he hopes to go one better having finished second in the 2007/8 race.

Alex Thomson's New Hugo Boss On The Move (Photo by Lloyd Images)

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Fonica In Straights of Gibraltar (Photo by Jacques Vapillon)

Since the end of the day yesterday the first boat of the Istanbul
Europa Race fleet has entered the Atlantic, leaving the Mediterranean
in its wake. One by one, on the same single tack, the crews have
followed in the tracks of leader Michel Desjoyeaux, who has been
leading the way towards Brest for more than the last 24 hours. Though
all are making modest speeds, the passage of the Straits of Gibraltar
has mixed up the competition on this third leg more than ever,
particularly among the boats vying closest to take on the leader.
Veolia Environnement and Groupe Bel have been having quite a battle,
which Paprec Virbac 2 is doing its utmost to join. Further back, the
Spaniards aboard 1876 have been contending with a mast problem which has slowed them down, while the Mediterranean has yet to finish with the men of DCNS…

For its first edition, the Istanbul Europa Race has the pleasure of presenting a fleet of around fifteen boats,  helmed by the top sailors of our time. The trust the sailors display in the organising company, together  with the scale of the event and the course on offer,  greatly appeal to sailing  professionals.

In terms of image,  the skippers are perceived as adventurers, sacrificing everything for their passion and a far cry from overpaid stars. In addition they practise a sport which, though given a lot of media coverage, is sheltered from the numerous excesses you can observe in other sports (structured finance, doping), and benefits from a ‘clean’ image in every sense of the word.

As such  these top level offshore racers have expressed a desire to accept the invitation to what is to be an unmissable race in their professional career. Among them we can already mention:

The Istanbul Europa Race, in the prestigious IMOCA class, is the latest great sailing race in the yachting calendar. Its long course through Europe is to make it a major sporting event from its very first edition. In the great tradition of stage races, the Istanbul Europa Race will bring together a fleet comprised of some of very best sailors of our time, taking them on an ideal course and offering a genuine invitation to travel.

From One Sea To Another (Photo courtesy of Group Bel)

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