After 4 days 7 hours 24 minutes and 8 seconds at sea, the Maxi Banque Populaire XI won this Wednesday October 2, 2024 at 8:24 p.m. the second edition of the Finistère Atlantique between Concarneau and Antibes. A few minutes after crossing the finish line, its skipper, Armel Le Cléac’h, expressed his satisfaction at finishing the 2024 season in style.
Two years after finishing second in the first Finistère Atlantique, you won this second edition, what flavor does this victory have?
She has the flavor of a job well done. The whole crew was fantastic, we got along really well during this race, both in terms of the maneuvers, the atmosphere, and the tactics. We had worked well beforehand, the seven of us had done quite a bit of sailing to be ready for this confrontation. We saw two years ago that it came down to small details, that was the case again this year, we had to contain Gitana (the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, editor’s note) until the end, we managed to control leading the race almost from start to finish, it’s great, because it shows that we had the right crew and that the boat responded. We had almost no problems throughout this race, even though the conditions were varied. A big congratulations to the entire technical team who did a great job so that we could use it 100%!
Strategically, where was this victory played out?
I think the start of the race was important. We had to go ahead, because we knew that after passing the front at Cape Finisterre, there was going to be a level crossing with the backbone. We really wanted to be at the front, not to fall behind at the start and chase after the others. We managed to be in front, we managed that well and then, after passing Lisbon and the damage to SVR-Lazartigue, we found ourselves in a duel with Gitana almost until the end. We managed to maintain the lead in the Mediterranean, which was not easy, because the conditions were complicated, very changeable, and not necessarily in line with the weather forecasts. We also had to look at the water, discuss with the crew to be in the right place at the right time with the right sails. We managed to do it until the arrival in Antibes, digging deeper to keep enough of a lead.
When we look at the number of tacks and jibes you performed, we say to ourselves that you must have gained muscle during this race?
For me, not too much, it heated up more in the brain! But it’s true that there was a lot of maneuvering. I think that the fact of being seven helped us a lot, because the team was able to take turns well and know how to rest intelligently. We had two teams of three, we were not too many for everything we had to do, we turned the cranks well. I think we had to make around fifteen tacks in particular to pass the Strait of Gibraltar which was very narrow with this DST not to be crossed. It was complicated, we showed the way, the others did the same thing behind, we looked at what happened to them. And even until the end, 5 miles from the finish, we had 30 knots, it was a little hot, and when we arrived, nothing more, it’s really the Mediterranean atmosphere.
How did you experience the last day with the pressure behind you from Maxi Edmond de Rothschild?
I felt a lot of serenity within the crew. Everyone was in their place, we didn’t start asking bad questions, we were of course looking at Gitana’s position, we saw that from time to time, it came back, and that at other times, It was going back in our favor. The atmosphere was positive, there was trust on board, everyone was able to express themselves and when we saw that we started digging in the Gulf of Lion and approaching Marseille, we knew that the race was over and it was up to us not to do anything stupid at the end. We’ve enjoyed these last 24 hours, because it’s not every day that we win races, especially in Ultim. This is the second time for us with Banque Populaire in a major race, so we are delighted, one year after the Jacques Vabre with Sébastien (Josse), it shows that the work pays off and that we have made further progress on the boat, It’s great for the future.
One of your competitors spoke on Thursday of a “beautiful tourist route” about this Finistère Atlantique, did you take advantage of the scenery?
Yes, we had some beautiful passages: Gibraltar, the Spanish coasts last night, it was Nice, we had a beautiful sunset, then sunrise this morning. Clément (Duraffourg, the mediaman) took great images with his drone, it was great. It makes for good memories, we are not necessarily used to using these cameras and these means to leave traces. There, in addition to the victory which we will obviously keep in our heads, we will have beautiful images.
You said before departure that you wanted to end the season with a victory, like in 2023 with your success in the Transat Jacques Vabre, mission accomplished?
Yes, mission accomplished, it’s great to end a busy year like this for Banque Populaire. Between a solo world tour, the Olympic flame, the Games in Marseille, the preparation of this Finistère Atlantique, we have not been idle, everyone has worked well, this victory is deserved for the whole team who worked so that the boat is there at every key moment.
Should this type of crew race in Ultim be repeated?
Yes, absolutely. I really enjoyed it, because it’s a real change from solitaire. There, you can really enjoy the boat 100%, do all the maneuvers you want. When I told them we were going to move in five minutes, they never complained. It’s really ideal to sail on these boats with a crew, passing the Strait of Gibraltar as we did, it’s mission impossible solo or double-handed, there, we can do it without worry.
The reaction of Sébastien Josse, who grew up in Nice and studied in Antibes: “Since this afternoon, it has certainly been nice to sail at 40 knots off the bay where I learned to sail a boat. We had a night arrival with all the lights on the coast, with a fairly impressive last run, although not the easiest, because we got thrown around a lot off Cap d’Antibes, but I I felt a lot of emotion. We saw during the last edition of Finistère Atlantique that we arrived a few minutes behind Gitana, this time, the trend was reversed, but there was a match, nothing was ever decided until at the end. The whole crew did a great job, they were metronomes, there was no hiccup, no grain of sand. Armel followed a crazy strategy and the helmsmen, the trimmers, everyone worked very professionally in a good atmosphere, it’s super pleasant to sail in these conditions. »
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