The partnership between Mathieu Claveau, from the Ardèche, and Christophe Fialon, from the Haut-Alpes, was sealed in 2019, and it hasn't taken long for their 2008 Class40 FRA89 to make its mark on the main races in the category. Whether in the Atlantic or the Mediterranean, the aeronautical engineer, skipper and owner, and the social worker from the MJC in the Briançonnais area, an 'old' amateur sailor, have been able to combine their skills and their shared passion to offer some great sailing. And to brandish the message of their "Taking to the Sea - Acting for the Forest". The highlight: the 2019 Transat Jacques-Vabre and a 14th place out of the forty or so Class40s in an eventful edition dominated by the Lipinski-Hardy duo. This was followed by Mathieu Claveau's superb solo adventure, with a 28th place in the Route du Rhum 2022, which thrilled his native Ardèche.
As for the ambitions of the Claveau-Fialon duo, both members of the CNTL club in Marseille, for this MED MAX Occitanie-Saïdia Resorts, they are clear. Not to give the 'foreigners' a chance to add their name to the list of winners in this race, which is unprecedented 'back home'. Mathieu Claveau: "The MedMax is the high point of my Class40 season. I learnt to sail in the Bay of Aigues-Mortes and did my first offshore races in the Mediterranean. I'll be playing a bit of a home game.