Departure from Brest
The first edition of Brest Atlantiques will be launched on November 3, 2019 at 1:02 p.m. from Le Goulet de Brest, between Pointe Saint-Mathieu and the Toulinguet lighthouse (which will also serve as the finish line).
This triangular course of 14?000 miles is the longest ever offered on the Ultim 32/23 circuit. The competitors will leave Brest in the direction of Rio, before reaching Cape Town and then returning to Brest. The trimarans will have to leave the Cagarras Islands to port in front of the famous Ipanema beach in Rio Bay and Robben Island off Cape Town, South Africa.
Meteorological traps
Along the Cape, competitors will have to avoid several weather traps, particularly along the Cape.
"The first part looks like a Jules Verne Trophy or a solo record round the world, especially with this passage of the Doldrums (Intertropical Convergence Zone) which will require skill. Then, it will be necessary to juggle with the high pressures of the South Atlantic, which offer various possibilities to these fast trimarans, depending on their positioning. What is new is this crossing point between the Cagarras Islands, which can slow down participants and reduce gaps.
The second part is an unknown with a route back to Cape Town from the South Atlantic that could lead to unusual strategic decisions and allow the last to return to the first.
It is also necessary to take into account the race time. 30 days is a long time and a first for the Ultimates." comments Jacques Caraës, race director.
An exceptional plateau
Four trimarans are participating in the first Brest Atlantique race, which will be held in doubles. A mediaman will be on board with the mission of transmitting splendid images and videos.
- Actual Leader : Yves Le Blévec/Alex Pella
- Maxi Edmond de Rothschild : Franck Cammas/Charles Caudrelier
- Macif François Gabart/Gwénolé Gahinet
- Sodebo Ultim 3 Thomas Coville/Jean-Luc Nélias
The field will be raised as these 8 sailors have accumulated 11 victories in the Transat Jacques Vabre, 5 in The Ocean Race, 4 in the Route du Rhum and 2 in the Solitaire du Figaro and the Mini-Transat and 1 in the Vendée Globe, the Transat AG2R and the Transat Anglaise.
Let us not forget either that 5 of them hold or have already won the Jules Verne Trophy and that two have already set the solo round the world record.
The main absentee in this new offshore race will be Francis Joyon, who will be setting several records on his Maxi trimaran Idec Sport in Asia.
"In addition to the quality of the boats that are, offshore, the fastest on the planet, the quality of the crews has nothing to envy them: the eight sailors departing from Brest Atlantic have a breathtaking list of achievements and are among the best in French and international offshore racing. I have no doubt that we should attend a very high-flying naval battle." explains Emmanuel Bachellerie, Managing Director of Brest Ultim Sailing.
9 days of celebration in Brest
This will be the first time that Brest will host a racing village for such an important period of time. The official village of Brest Atlantiques will be inaugurated on Saturday 26 October at 10am and will close its doors at the end of the afternoon on Sunday 3 November after the boats leave.
On the 300-metre-long Quai Malbert, visitors will be able to discover the four state-of-the-art trimarans that will take part in this great race.
