A few words from Kito de Pavant

Interview with Jean Loup Robertier

The fleet for this first MEDMAX Occitanie - Resorts will comprise around thirty boats. Were you expecting such success for a first?

KDP It was a bit of a gamble. We're going to put on a great show, we're going to have a great race, so it's going to attract a lot of people. And we had counted on thirty boats, although we knew that sounded very optimistic, even pretentious. Today, we're not far from that figure. Which means that we've worked hard, that we haven't made too many mistakes with the concept and that we have the arguments to convince so many sailors. So I'm pleased. Now, the responsibility is on our shoulders and we have to deliver a great race. But that's almost the easiest part.

Q/ Whether it's Ocean Fifty or Class40, the level is really high. Are you reassured about that too?
KDP : There's a lot going on. In the Ocean Fifty, there will be the ten multihulls that make up the class. In Class40, there are also some strong contenders. Like Ambrogio Beccaria, the Italian, who's winning it all at the moment, or Mikael Mergui, who's just completed a grand slam in the Mediterranean Trophy. Or Aurélien Ducroz, who never ceases to amaze. But there are also some top quality co-skippers. We've heard of a few illustrious names. We're going to keep quiet for the time being, even though we know the names. But they too are going to raise the level of the field considerably.

Not to mention the so-called 'enlightened' enthusiasts...
KDP We have two categories of boats (editor's note: the Ocean Fifty and the Class40) which are similar in terms of the people who make them up. There are people who are very brilliant on the water, who have been through other series, such as the Mini, Figaro and multihulls. And a population of very enlightened amateurs who come to rub shoulders with the most famous sailors. On the MEDMAX, we have this tasty mix of people who have their jobs on the side and who are going to take a nice holiday and the pros who work all year round to improve and optimise their boat so that the races are great".

An international line-up, with many Italians...
KDPWe're lucky in Class40 to have an Italian armada, which I'm really pleased about. Because over the past few years, quite a few Italians have come to Class40, to get a taste of the joys of this series after having had a taste of the Mini 6.50, in particular. They are very talented sailors, a huge reservoir of racers who know how to build a nice boat, capable of designing intelligent boats. And who pass on their knowledge to others. Like Alberto Riva on Acrobatica and younger sailors like Matteo Sericano. I think that's great.

Q : A lot of skippers are praising the fact that you organised this race. Are you proud?
 KDP:A lot of people appreciate the approach, it's true, of trying to create something in the Mediterranean, a great race which is the counterpart to what's happening in the Atlantic. I think they're aware of the energy I'm putting into it. I think that the MEDMAX fills a void that had been created in the Mediterranean and the racers have validated the concept. So I'm very proud of it.

Q: As well as the racing itself, many people also welcome the idea of discovery and travel.
KDP:Not all of them! (laughs). A lot of professionals are here to race. And preferably to win. Others are very attached, and I'm the first, to this notion of travel that is common to all sailors. I think it's important to race somewhere else, another country, another continent. Especially now, with what's happening in France, this project comes at just the right time to re-establish a link with other peoples, other communities who experience the Mediterranean in much the same way as we do. With, of course, a touch of difference in religion, culture, cuisine, music and so on. We're not going to stop there, Morocco is just a stage. But I'm happy that the riders are buying into this concept, this crazy idea.