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For his first solo race, and one month from the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, the skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild impressed. First to cross the start line of the 24H Ultim yesterday at 12 noon off Groix, Charles Caudrelier never let go of the lead, easily containing his adversaries. He won the 24H Ultim this Sunday, October 2 at 7h 54 minutes and 52 seconds after 493 miles of racing at an average speed of 24.71 knots, after 19 hours 54 minutes and 52 seconds of navigation.
Debrief on arrival: “I'm happy with my first solo race on this boat. I had the challenge to enlarge his long list of victories, the bet is successful. It necessarily gives me confidence before the Rum, I see that I'm comfortable, I'm maneuvering well, the boat is going fast. It's always good, I feel good. Our new foils are very promising, this boat is easy single-handed, it is very pleasant for that. I've been sailing on it for three years, I know it by heart.
That said, we have made good progress but we can see that the competition is there, there is little difference between us. I didn't sleep a wink throughout the race, it was intense: we were constantly adjusting the boat, manoeuvring, anticipating maneuvers. These 20 hours were a real sprint! ?
Armel Le Cleac'h second
The skipper and his Maxi Banque Populaire XI largely kept up the pace. Armel Le Cleac'h proves that he will have to be reckoned with in a month: he crosses the finish line in second position at 8h 19 minutes and 59 seconds, only 25 minutes and 7 seconds after the winner. He completed the course in 20 hours 19 minutes and 59 seconds at an average speed of 24.4 knots.
He says: “As expected, it was very intense! We had no moments of respite, a lot of maneuvers to perform, wind - rarely less than 20 knots - and the sea. We stayed in contact with Maxi Edmond de Rothschild almost throughout the race, c It was good to be able to compare in speed. Unfortunately we had a few little technical issues, let's say it's better now than in a month… We're going to repair and improve the reliability to be optimized for the Route du Rhum.
I would have liked to be closer to Charles, we came back each time so it's rather positive, we know that we are at roughly the same level of performance. It was also interesting to do a lot of solo maneuvers. It was a very interesting exercise to do one month away from Rum. "
Thomas Coville completes the podium
Crossing the line at 9h 33 minutes and 10 seconds, i.e. 1 hour 38 minutes and 18 seconds after Charles Caudrelier, Thomas Coville takes third place with his Sodebo Ultim 3 after 21 hours 33 minutes and 10 seconds at sea at an average speed of 22.83 knots.
He explains on his arrival: “An event at home with such brilliant boats, a committed course… To be done again! There is everything, physical, technical and even strategy. It's not the best we've done, but being in direct contact with Banque Populaire for 80% of the race was really good. A 7 mile gap alone on this kind of boat which sails at 30-40 knots, that's crazy. It shows a hell of a mastery of the guys who lead them. Kudos to Charles! Today he is the one who has mastered the exercise the best, with a boat that has really been tried and tested. He is immediately at the right angle and in addition he maneuvers very well, it reflects the level of the guy. "
24 hours in 20 hours
Once again, the Ultims showed their extraordinary potential. Led drum beating by their skippers at exceptional speeds, they swallowed 24 hours of racing initially planned in 20 hours. Something to delight the designers and organizers of the event, as explained by Emmanuel Bachellerie, manager of Ultim Sailing: "No matter how much we've gotten used to these boats for ten years now, their performance is magical and will be more years. When we compare Finistere Atlantique (with a crew) and the 24H Ultim, the gap between the first two is roughly the same. We can therefore see the degree of performance of the boats and this 24-hour format by drawing a box in the Bay of Biscay with different speeds gives a taste of Rum. These are always interesting lessons. "
Mathieu Sarrot adds: “We designed and organized these 24H Ultim at the request of riders who wanted to test themselves one last time before the Route du Rhum. It was necessary to organize this race quickly since the idea germinated last July following Finistere Atlantique Challenge Action Enfance with Armel Le Cleac'h and Charles Caudrelier. We worked with the Morbihan department, the city of Larmor Plage and Lorient Agglomeration and the Brittany region to be able to organize this race here. We are also happy to count once again on the support of Banque Populaire Grand Ouest. When we presented them with our project in terms of the design and production of offshore racing events and the outfitting of a racing boat, they were won over.
They were present for the BPGO Trophy organized for the Figaro Beneteau Class in April, they are there for the 24H Ultim and I hope that the future holds other collaborations for us. ?
Arthur Le Vaillant, still at sea aboard Mieux, should cross the finish line around 3 p.m.
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