The forces at work

News, Spotlight, Class40, Ocean Fifty

In "les jumelles" by Jean Loup Robertier, a detailed examination of a complete sports set.

Class40: Franco-Italian rivalry

While the track record of some will speak for them, their knowledge of sailing in the Mediterranean will speak for others.
And here, the Franco-Italian rivalry is set to rage on. Facing Mikael Mergui (Centrakor), "king of the Med", Achille Nebout (Amarris), the rising star (from the South) or Aurélien Ducroz (Crosscall), surprisingly adaptable, stands the Italian armada.

Between Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande - Pirelli), who has teamed up on the race with his 'brother in arms' Alberto Riva (they should have been head to head, had Riva not lost his Acrobatica on the Québec-Saint Malo), who have just made sparks fly across the Atlantic, and Andrea Fornaro (Influence 2), with his knife between his teeth, the transalpine competition is going to be tough. All the more so as they are all sailing on the latest generation of Class40s.

Behind them, the 'Pure South guys' Mathieu Foulquier-Gazagnes (Sotraplant TRS), Matthieu Claveau (Prendre la Mer - Agir pour la Forêt) and François Verdier (Phare40), with older boats, will also have their Italian targets in their sights, along with the young Matteo Sericano (Tyrolit) and Marco Guerra (Imagine Act).

But they will also have to rely on the "very enlightened amateurs" Benoît Garibal (Altair-Maiia), Laurent Camprubi (Glaces Romanes), Goulven Marie (Qwanza), Edgard Vincens (Teata), Joël Paris (Rêve à perte de vue), Nicolas Toury (Hydra) and German Chris Kerl (Aquamarin), backed up by experienced team-mates. They will be counting on the vagaries of the weather in the Mediterranean to "make their mark".

Ocean Fifty: a fight between partners

The special feature of the Ocean Fifty class is that the ten teams taking part are 'partners' in the management of the system. That doesn't mean there won't be a fight once they're on the water.

In this 2024 season, three teams have just entered the game, seven boats have changed hands and two new boats have been built. Erwan Le Roux, aboard a reboosted Koesio, and Thibault Vauchel-Camus (Solidaires en Peloton), a multihull specialist since his birth, stand out from the crowd.
However, the youthfulness of Baptiste Dulin, who has just taken the helm of Viabilis Océans, will have to be taken into account. As will the experience of the 'doyen' of the series, Fabrice Cahierc, in partnership with Aymeric Chappelier, on a brand new 'Realites'. Just like the 'Primonial' of an ambitious Sébastien Rogues. Aboard 'Le Rire Médecin - Lamotte', which went through the clinic after breaking down in the last Transat Jacques-Vabre, Luke Berry will not be outdone, as will the 'local' in this MEDMAX, the only skipper to be based in the Mediterranean, Christopher Pratt (Wind of Trust - Fondation pour l'Enfance) from Marseilles, who is determined to remain in control of 'his' big blue.

As for the three newcomers, we'll have to keep an eye on the all-female crew of "Upwind by Merconcept", Anne-Claire Le Berre and Elodie Jane Mettraux, who are determined to make a difference, as are Laurent Bourguès and Clément Giraud (Mon Bonnet Rose) and Matthieu Perraut and Kevin Bloch, two duos who are very much at home on their new boats.