The third edition of the 40' Malouine LAMOTTE, organised by the Société Nautique de la Baie de Saint-Malo, will kick off in just under two weeks. More than twenty-five boats have already confirmed their participation in the event. The event will be divided into two parts: a 24-hour solo race between the Channel Islands to give the various skippers in the running a final opportunity to compete before the famous Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, and the LODI GROUP Trophy, which will be contested by a crew and will provide an opportunity for privileged exchanges and sharing.
After two promising first editions in 2019 and 2021, which brought together 12 and 22 boats respectively, the 40' Malouine LAMOTTE is preparing to bring together between 25 and 30 Class40s, from 15 to 18 September. "Initially organised every two years, the year of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the 40' Malouine LAMOTTE is making an exception this year in order to meet a demand, both from partners and racers, for the Route du Rhum. The fact of having an extra event in the calendar before the transatlantic race, in solo, is obviously interesting. It not only allows us to get back into the swing of things after the summer break, but also to have one last opportunity to evaluate the forces at work two months before the season's flagship race", explains Luke Berry (Lamotte - Module Création), first and third in the first two editions, who is particularly attached to the format of the event, which is both complete, demanding and friendly.
Like back-to-school
"For all of us, it's the start of a new school year. This 40' Malouine LAMOTTE is a perfect opportunity to share our preparation with some guests before the Route du Rhum with our partners. It fits in with our training and sailing schedules," notes Axel Tréhin (Project Rescue Ocean), who, like most of his rivals, is just finishing off a meticulous summer work camp. Sometimes trying. "With two and a half months to go before a deadline that I describe as crazy, I feel like I'm finally able to see the surface after a good big freediving record, and I can assure you that I'm very keen to take advantage of this second part of the season," says the former Ministe, who has essentially been trying to optimise his mount over the last few weeks. "The idea was not to revolutionise everything on the boat. What has been done is above all to improve reliability. The upcoming race will allow us to check the different systems, to make sure we haven't forgotten anything, but also to compare ourselves with the competition. In this sense, it is always more fun when there is a starting line and then a finishing line", underlines the Nazairian, also driven by the desire to push back his limits and to perform, but also to share and pass on. "Welcoming partners on board for a visit or a navigation is a great source of pride", comments Axel, who is delighted with his stopover in Malouine, a perfect combo in this respect.
Ideal for getting back into the swing of things
Corentin Douguet, the skipper of Quéguiner - Innoveo, is equally enthusiastic, having achieved three podium finishes in the three races he took part in this year aboard his new Lift V2. "For me, the summer break was necessary after a very busy start to the year following the launch of the boat. I was able to take a good break and I'm now looking forward to lining up on this 40' Malouine LAMOTTE. It will allow me to find my bearings, to validate the new sails but also to get some bearings on the water before the Rhum. Nothing but good ideas", says the sailor from Nantes who would like to add the event to his list of achievements, even if he knows that the competition will be tough.
Technicality on the menu
And for good reason, apart from the big guns like Luke Berry and Axel Tréhin, previously mentioned, the winner of the 1000 Milles des Sables will be up against such big names as Antoine Carpentier (Redman), the title holder with Pablo Santurde del Arco, Mikaël Mergui (Centrakor), 2nd and 1st this year in the Au large Saint-Tropez and then in the Duo Max, Matthieu Perraut (Inter Invest), 3rd in the CIC Normandy Channel Race and 2nd in the Class40 World Championship, Cédric Château (Sogestran - Seafrigo), 3rd in the last Transat Jacques Vabre with Jérémie Mion, and Martin Le Pape (Fondation Stargardt), a former Figaro racer, to name but a few. "The event will give precious indications on the level of preparation and form of each person. The idea is obviously to be able to play up front. The fact remains that if the result is always important, the content is perhaps even more so, as we know that in places like these, with strong currents and major site effects, the elements can sometimes decide for us what happens on the water", concludes Corentin Douguet, who prefers to remain cautious, Well aware that the 180 miles of the course devised by Franck-Yves Escoffier between the Channel Islands will be full of traps to avoid and that the locals of the stage, Luke Berry, but also Florian Gueguen (Dopamine Sailing Team), Jules Bonnier (Nestenn - Entrepreneurs for the Planet), Baptiste Hulin (Rennes Saint-Malo Mer Entreprendre) and Hervé Thomas (Bleu Blanc), will certainly have their own tricks up their sleeves!
Source : SNBSM
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