Ultim : les dernières infos Tip & Shaft

More than a month after setting out from Brest, the leader of the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest has rounded Cape Horn and his four pursuers are continuing to make headway despite the changing moods of the Deep South. To analyse the fifth week, Tip & Shaft interviewed Thomas Rouxel, a member of Sodebo Ultim 3’s routing team, Xavier Guilbaud, associate architect at VPLP Design, and Jean-François Cuzon, CEO of Pixel sur Mer, a specialist in onboard electronics and former racer. 

After 26 days of racing on the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest, difficult weather conditions in the Southern Ocean have forced Charles Caudrelier to slow down, Armel Le Cléac’h to take an atypical route, and Thomas Coville to stop over in Tasmania. To talk about these twists and turns, Tip & Shaft interviewed Nicolas Lunven, member of the Maxi Banque Populaire XI routing team, Francis Le Goff, race director of the last Transat Jacques Vabre, and Arthur Le Vaillant, former Ultim skipper now in the hands of Eric Péron under the colors of Adagio.

As the third week of the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest draws to a close, half the fleet is now in Cape Town or heading there, following major damage, while Charles Caudrelier set a new solo reference time at Cape Leeuwin on Thursday. To analyse these developments, Tip & Shaft spoke to meteorologist Christian Dumard, a member of Actual Ultim 3’s routing team, Christian Le Pape, former director of the Finistère ocean racing centre in Port-La-Forêt, and Renaud Bañuls, one of Sodebo Ultim 3’s designers.

The second week of the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest has been a busy one, with Armel Le Cléac’h’s stopover in Recife, damage to SVR Lazartigue and Charles Caudrelier, who has just passed Good Hope, almost setting a new 24-hour record. To analyse these events, Tip & Shaft interviewed Sébastien Josse, winner of the last Transat Jacques Vabre with Armel Le Cléac’h, meteorologist Jean-Yves Bernot, member of SVR-Lazartigue’s routing team, and Gildas Morvan, race director of the last Finistère Atlantique.

To analyse the first few days of the Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest, Tip & Shaft interviewed François Gabart, who has left the helm of SVR-Lazartigue to Tom Laperche, Franck Cammas, former skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, and meteorologist Dominic Vittet, a member of Sodebo Ultim 3’s routing team.

Ariane de Rothschild, president of the Edmond de Rothschild Group, and Cyril Dardashti, managing director of the Gitana Team, officially announced on Thursday in Paris the launch of a new Ultim, designed by Guillaume Verdier and built by CDK Group. Tip & Shaft was present and tells you more about this new project.