A veritable Prévert list, minus the poetry. In fact, there are well over a hundred very specific points that the inspectors from the Fédération Française de Voile (French Sailing Federation) conscientiously tick off on a pre-established list concerning the boat's safety equipment and the skipper's proper preparation. The checkpoints vary according to the class of boat and the category of race. Admittedly, the MED MAX I Occitanie-Saïdia Resorts is no Vendée Globe. But all the same, when it comes to the vagaries, even the wraths, of the Mediterranean, it's no laughing matter. Whether you're on a Class40 or an Ocean Fifty.

"The safety of the skippers is paramount," explains Isabelle Journiac, FFV ocean racing inspector, working on Mathieu Claveau's Class40. "Sometimes, we even have an educational role," adds Dominique Elayac, an inspector more focused on Class40 compliance. And it's true that the list is as long as a spinnaker.
The smallest detail can be vital.
Lights, an emergency buoy, a first-aid kit, even an old-fashioned foghorn, a working AIS (to keep track of surrounding traffic), communications equipment (VHF, Iridium telephone), Argos beacons and a life raft. Or the operation of the companionway hatch that closes the saloon (opening and closing from the outside and inside), or the brightness of the colour of the orange zone (part of the deck that can be spotted by a helicopter). Even the simple knife, which must be easily accessible in the event of an emergency on deck, is ticked off. The most insignificant details can prove vital once at sea.

"Even if our boats are used to big races, it's useful to get everything back in our heads," admits Mathieu Claveau, skipper of "Prendre la Mer - Agir pour la Forêt", who is not taking part in his first ocean race, and not just in the Mediterranean. "We have a lot of equipment, but sometimes we don't know how it works or where it's placed on the boat," admits Edgar Vincens, skipper of Team Cycl'eau - Teata. "So these checks are demanding but also very useful. And I know what I'm talking about", grins the skipper whose brand new Class40 caught fire at sea during the delivery trip for the Transat Jacques-Vabre 2023.

Survival course, first aid training
Then there's the 'training' side of things for skippers, again to ensure safety, such as the ISAF survival course, offshore medical training or PSMer (first aid at sea), all of which are compulsory to be able to take the start. Here too, the list is vast. Because the MED MAX Occitanie - Saïdia Resorts is not just a simple regatta between friends, but a real ocean race, which will send twenty-six double-handed crews to face the Mediterranean feared by all. It's worth being a little fussy.

JLR