He is one of those sailors who suffered a "fortune of the sea". This is the paradoxical name given to damage sustained at sea. In such cases, it's more a case of misfortune. During the last The Transat CIC, the 'English' single-handed race in the North Atlantic, against the wind and the current, between Lorient and New York, Goulven Marie dismasted. Five days into the race, in 11th position, having taken in two reefs in 25 knots of wind, the forestay attachment broke, the spar on his Class40 fell off and 'Goul' had no choice but to return, under jury rig (again?), to the nearest port. In other words, around 1000 kilometres away, Lorient, his home port. It's a hard blow for the man who, after testing out Class40 in the 2023 double-handed Transat Jacques-Vabre, was dreaming of this legendary transatlantic race, in a prestigious Class40 field. But that's not enough to discourage this Parisian ("just born"), who has been to Saint-Malo, as well as Languedoc-Roussillon, Béziers, Valras, Sète and Corsica. He has been a sailing instructor, base manager, competitive cyclist in the Elite category, and then, depending on life's ups and downs, to the Côte d'Azur, to share his passion for sailing and set up his own ocean racing business. And, as the Atlantic is refusing him for the time being, it will be the Mediterranean. And the MEDMAX Occitanie - Saïdia Resorts. "It's perfect for bouncing back, enthuses the skipper whose co-skipper, Nasser Arraiss, is no stranger to the other side of the Mediterranean. Originally from Nador ("I left when I was 4 months old".), near Saïdia, with a fisherman father, this entrepreneur whose company Bexa is based in Béziers, is a self-taught sailor. A 6.50 refitted from the bottom of the sea, then a Bavaria to race in all corners of the Grande Bleue, convoying on the other side of the Atlantic, the Spi Ouest France ("With Loïck Peyron on the same pontoon".), an aborted plan to have the kids sail around Morocco on a boat they'd built themselves. And a chance meeting with Goulven. "I'd heard that Kito was organising this ocean race to Morocco. I went for it, it made sense to me. And getting there where I was born". All the more motivation for this duo to do well at the finish!
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