After a winter marked by round-the-world records, the Ultim fleet is now looking ahead to the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, which, for the first time in the class’s history, could bring together up to eight trimarans. Between the launch of Gitana 18 and the announcement of two new builds, the class is experiencing an unprecedented period, despite a reduced 2026 programme following the postponement of the Odyssée Ultim.
The 2026 season was shaping up to be promising for the Ultim class, with plans to explore the Mediterranean in the spring and a sold-out Route du Rhum. However, it got off to a difficult start with the announcement, on 19 February, of the postponement of the Odyssée Ultim, a new crewed race initially scheduled from 29 April to 10 May 2026, starting from Antibes.
“We faced both a budget issue and a lack of entries, explains Patrick Gilliot, General Secretary of CapMed, the event organiser. We had been working on an ambitious event requiring significant funding, particularly due to the very high port costs in the Mediterranean. We had secured 80% of the budget [which he prefers not to disclose, Ed.], but that was not enough to proceed.” In addition, on the sporting side, Gitana 18 and Sodebo Ultim 3 were not ready to take part, reducing the fleet to just three boats, SVR Lazartigue, Banque Populaire XI and Actual Ultim 4, an insufficient number given the organisers’ investment, who are now targeting a new window in October 2028.
For Samuel Tual, head of Actual and President of the Ultim class, this postponement is “a major disappointment” and highlights the need to build a solid racing programme, something the class regularly emphasises but has yet to achieve over time. “It is essential to have flagship events such as the Route du Rhum, the Arkea Ultim Challenge or the Transat Café L’Or, but also complementary races, particularly in the Mediterranean. We are working hard to establish a structured four-year calendar.”
Three Ultims in the Mediterranean
The three teams initially entered in the Odyssée Ultim will nevertheless head to the Mediterranean over the same period, each maintaining their planned hospitality operations. A joint gathering is even scheduled in La Seyne-sur-Mer from 6 to 9 May. “It will serve both as an exhibition and a shared training session. It will help fill the gap,” says Yves Le Blevec, director of Team Actual.
For SVR Lazartigue and Banque Populaire XI, the “friendly match” will begin as early as the delivery trip between Brittany and the Mediterranean, which the two teams plan to sail together. “We are effectively relaunching a new version of our Ultim, with a new set of foils and new rudders. This delivery alongside a serious competitor will give us an early indication of our performance,” notes Antoine Gautier, in charge of the SVR Lazartigue project at MerConcept.
The first event bringing Ultims together in 2026 will be the Drheam-Cup in July, with SVR Lazartigue, Sodebo Ultim 3 and Actual Ultim 4 expected to compete, while Banque Populaire XI will not attend due to summer refit works. In September, a training camp is scheduled at the Finistère offshore centre in Port-la-Forêt, ahead of the 24H Ultim in Lorient (single-handed), the final rehearsal before the Rhum.
Eight on the Rhum start line?
The Route du Rhum is shaping up to be exceptional for the class. Five skippers are, barring unforeseen circumstances, certain to line up: Charles Caudrelier (Gitana 18), Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire XI), Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue), Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim 3) and Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 4). Three more could join them, including one making his Ultim debut from the Imoca class and close to acquiring Actual Ultim 3 (ex Macif, VPLP design launched in 2015). “Things are progressing well, discussions are positive, says Yves Le Blevec. If everything goes as planned, the boat should be sailing under her new colours in June.”
Guirec Soudée, who recently set a westabout round-the-world record, has also expressed, as soon as he returned to Brest, his intention to compete in the Route du Rhum and later in the Arkea Ultim Challenge. But he must first secure a new sponsor, as his contract with MACSF ended alongside his circumnavigation.
What about Idec Sport and Alexia Barrier? “The boat was due to be handed over to another skipper, but that is no longer the case, explains the sailor, who completed the Jules Verne Trophy with her all-female crew at the end of January. I would like to be on the start line in Saint-Malo, but I don’t yet know if that will be possible. CIC, Sopra Steria and Richard Mille continue to support me, and I am waiting for feedback from other partners, particularly Idec. I’m not putting pressure on myself, I’ve just come out of a major project, if I race the Route du Rhum, great — if not, it’s not a drama. We should know more in the coming days.”
Gitana 18, “the great unknown”
Whatever happens, the battle for victory looks set to be tight. “We are doing everything we can to be part of it, says Greg Evrard, team manager of Sodebo. Hence the upgrades made after the Jules Verne Trophy, including a new set of foils and probably a new daggerboard. Our competitors will be operating at a very high level. The big unknown is Gitana 18. We trust that they have done an excellent job in the design and build phases. The boat has huge potential, but she still needs to be fully exploited. Now, their challenge lies in the development timeline.”
Antoine Gautier adds: “Gitana 18 will be something of a wildcard. There are so many uncertainties around this boat that it’s difficult to position ourselves against it. As a result, our priority is to make sure we are ahead of Sodebo, Actual and Banque Populaire.” When will the first real confrontation with the Verdier design—sailing off Lorient since early March—take place? “We are currently in a development phase that will take us through to the end of the summer, with our first competitive benchmark being the 24H Ultim,” the Gitana Team told us, adding that the boat’s foils are expected “in the coming weeks”.
Antoine Gautier is in any case highly enthusiastic about the level now reached by the class: “I’ve been involved in offshore racing and the Ultim class for a long time, and I’ve never seen such a level of boat development and team commitment.” This momentum shows no sign of slowing. Banque Populaire has indeed announced the construction of a new Ultim (see our article)—could others follow? “It naturally attracts attention, but for now nothing has been decided on Sodebo’s side, replies Greg Evrard. There will very likely be an Ultim in Sodebo colours on the start line of the 2030 Route du Rhum. The current one or a new build? We don’t know yet. It’s not a decision to be taken lightly.”
For Antoine Gautier, the outlook is clear: “By 2030, we won’t be competitive with the current boat. Gitana 18 and Banque Populaire 19 mark a step change and usher in a new generation of flying boats. It gives us ideas, but for now, the absolute priority is to renew our partnership [which expires at the end of 2026, Ed.] so that Tom Laperche can line up for the Arkea Ultim Challenge 2028.”
Argo, it’s on!
Meanwhile, another trimaran has just been announced, for American owner Jason Carroll, who has been sailing for years on the MOD70 Argo. It will be a VPLP design, built by Multiplast, which received the green light on Tuesday evening. “The aim is to launch the construction phase by the end of the year; it should last around two years, leading to a launch in early 2029,” project manager Chad Corning told Sailorz. The boat will initially be dedicated to crewed record attempts: “We have several major targets: the North Atlantic, the 24-hour record and the Route de la Découverte, he continues. Then, as the boat matures and proves her reliability, we will consider a Jules Verne Trophy attempt, probably two to three years after launch.”
Could this VPLP design one day join the Ultim class? “That is not the objective at this stage, replies the project manager. She will not compete directly against the other Ultims, except perhaps in certain races such as the Fastnet Race. However, as the trimaran is designed with potential class compliance in mind, it remains an option for the future.“
For Quentin Lucet, partner naval architect at VPLP, “designing from the outset an Ultim-sized boat optimised for crewed records opens up exciting design perspectives. This project is also part of what promises to be a rich collaboration between Anglo-Saxon and French cultures. It will allow us to push the development of the platform, and therefore the associated performance, to a level beyond what we currently see in the Ultim class. It’s a very positive dynamic.”
Photo : Ultim Sailing
