Sailing: Med Max, the race of the future from Port Camargue to Morocco

Organisateurs, partenaires et skippers étaient présents pour la présentation de cette nouvelle course. – Robin Christol

Kito de Pavant a présenté officiellement, vendredi 27 octobre, au Havre, à l'occasion de la Transat Jacques-Vabre, une course au large en Méditerranée qui partira en septembre 2024.

As a symbol, it was sunny on Friday in Le Havre, while the day before, it had been typically Norman weather with heavy showers. A little Mediterranean air that was just right since the skipper of Port Camargue Kito de Pavant was presenting the offshore race he is going to launch, the Med Max Occitanie Saïdia Resorts.

An announcement that was close to his heart, with the desire to follow in the footsteps of the past events – the Porquerolles Solo which became the Generali Solo, the Cap Istanbul, the Triangles du Soleil and the TransMed – and to take over well. “I wanted to take on this challenge.” To do this, he surrounded himself with his friend Christophe Carniel, founder and CEO of the Montpellier sports tech VOGO, and a sailing enthusiast. I wanted to contribute to making this offshore sailing race project in the Mediterranean possible."

Three continents crossed

It is thanks to him that the one who will participate in his 12th Transat Jacques-Vabre met the Moroccan sports authorities, who wanted to develop tourism and nautical activity. It is therefore at the Saïdia resorts, on the north-east coast of Morocco, that the event will arrive. These representatives Farid Salaheddine and Kirmane Hassani had also travelled to Le Havre, happy to host “this major event which will have a major impact in terms of economic benefits and notoriety”.

Before that, the two series invited to the event, the Class40 over 2,000 miles and the Ocean fifty over 3,000 miles will pass through some of the most emblematic places of the Big Blue: Strait of Bonifacio, Aeolian Islands, Strait of Messina, Ithaca, Sicily, Greek Islands, Malta, Balearic Islands.

The event will therefore link three continents (Europe, Africa, Asia) and as the president of the French Sailing Federation, Jean-Luc Denéchau, pointed out, “sport is a fantastic vehicle for doing things together”. Especially in these times. He also welcomed this initiative because “France has a magnificent Mediterranean coastline that is still underexploited in terms of offshore racing. One can be a great navigator even if one is not located in the northwest quarter of France.

Around twenty boats at the start

And more precisely from Port Camargue, where the start will be given on September 29, 2024 and which the skippers will have reached eight days earlier. They will even offer the public a prologue on September 22. The Med Max should last between eight and ten days and should involve around twenty boats. «With our partners, we have been trying for several years to set up a homogeneous circuit with a reasonable number of boats, capped at ten», specified the president of the Ocean Fifty class, Erwann Leroux.

The Class40s should be more numerous according to their manager, Pietro Luciani. "The Class40 really needs and wants to diversify its offer for its members. This race is a great opportunity for the Mediterranean Trophy and for the class."

It is also a chance for the Occitanie region which is a partner of the race but also the clubs and volunteers.

I subscribe to read the rest