Left: François Gabart was mentored on his winning Vendée Globe debut by two time race winner Michel Desjoyeaux who currently manages the Corum Vendée Globe programme of Nicolas Troussel. Above: Gabart’s 60-strong company Mer Concept had barely moved into their new premises when the news came that Macif were to withdraw from the Class Ultim (though continue with their Figaro team). Opposite: François Gabart trains on Macif in 2017 prior to his successful attempt on the round the world record. Gabart’s first singlehanded multihull circumnavigation took 42 days 14 hours, three days less than Loïck Peyron’s 14-man crew on the much larger Banque Populaire V and just two days more than the current Jules Verne crewed record of 40 days and 23 hours set by Francis Joyon in 2017. Gabart took his round the world record at the first attempt (left), particularly impressive when viewed against the backdrop of the many crewed Jules Verne challenges which end in technical failure
said that these boats have fascinated all the foreign skippers who’ve had the opportu- nity to discover them… Jimmy Spithill, to name only one, was clearly hooked.’ And even though a couple of adventur-
ous private owners have recently cam- paigned MOD 70s, such moves have remained very timorous and a foiling 100- footer is another beast altogether, requiring a different level of coaching and mentoring. Which, incidentally, happens to be part
agendas), being able to offer a broader val- ues-based project seems like a clever move. ‘It won’t be done in a mere few weeks,’
says François, ‘but what I would like for the new Ultim boat (which Mer Concept will finish building, that part isn’t in ques- tion) is to fly the colours of a brand or group of brands that carry a clear environ- mental proposition.’ Interestingly, and that shows how much
he is capable of projecting himself, François talks about this in terms of ‘new project’ even though he’s still picking up the pieces of Macif’s withdrawal. ‘I have to take this opportunity and start to drive change, with a view to bringing new processes and ways of working – our sport needs to clean up its act and contribute innovations that can reach a meaningful scale.’ However, concluding that the laboratory
element will take precedence over the sport- ing ambitions would be a mistake: ‘Our intention is to quickly go into round-the- world mode as soon as the new trimaran hits the water,’ the skipper emphasises. One thing we have not mentioned so far,
but which is crucial in the story, is the impact on the Ultim collective, and subse- quently its potential role in Gabart’s recov-
ery. For a class struggling with numbers los- ing such a prominent actor is obviously a massive blow: it therefore has a vested inter- est in helping Mer Concept stay in the game, and it’s not a stretch of the imagination to think that well-connected captains of indus- try could pick up the phone to call peers who could be persuaded to come and play. ‘Indeed, I will benefit from support on
that front’, Gabart says without yet going into any specifics. With his business hat on, François doesn’t shy away from talking fig- ures, and confirms that budget-wise the cur- rent trimaran represents a bargain. The price dropped from ⇔6.7 to ⇔5million in a week (meanwhile, a new Ultim like Macif 2 costs around ⇔15million to put in the water.) Equally interesting is the fact that the
next-generation Ultim is well in hand, being built by Mer Concept’s expert team, meaning that a sponsor can turn up late in the process and take ownership of a race- ready machine without having to do any technical heavy lifting. The jury is still out on whether a foreign company could be tempted, or if the class remains intimidat- ing for non-Gallic players. ‘To be transpar- ent, my ecosystem and network is pretty franco-French,’ says François, ‘yet having
of Mer Concept’s portfolio of activities. Naturally this expertise can be applied beyond the handover of the Ultim boat. François’ company could yet develop a fully fledged ‘up-your-game-with-confi- dence’ range of services, aimed at foreign teams – though not exclusively. ‘It’s definitely an option,’ he says, ‘and
something that would be very welcome. I want these boats to sail, I want the class to grow, and as a skipper I’m now available to sail with whoever feels I could help them take that step up… perhaps with a little more confidence. ‘I have my ups and downs,’ François
admits when asked how he feels. ‘The weight of responsibility when it comes to the team and the social and human impli- cations is considerable, but I’ve also always been of a very optimistic nature. ‘We built something we can be
immensely proud of, and I’m grateful for the years spent with Macif. We have a giant trimaran taking shape, the work with both Apivia and 11th Hour Racing is fas- cinating, the perspective of creating a foundation for the oceans is thrilling. It would be indecent to complain.’ Jocelyn Blériot
SEAHORSE 55
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CHRISTOPHE LAUNAY/ALAMY
CAVAN/ALAMY
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