That’s it, the Med Max navigators are at sea! The first double-handed offshore race in the Mediterranean set off this Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 1 p.m. from Port-Camargue, in Gard. Twenty-five boats are entered in this competition organized by the Hérault skipper Kito de Pavant. Among the competitors, Montpellier sailor Achille Nebout, in the Class 40 (monohull) category. On the pontoons of the Port-Camargue captaincy, there were people there to see the boats leave.
On the quays, the curious people applaud until their hands hurt. “We’re 76 years old and we’ve had a boat since we were 25,” confides Jack. This Gardois is with his wife Monique, both are lifelong sailing enthusiasts. “I am admiring. It’s a great adventure, it requires a lot of courage and passion. We are happy that there is such a race starting from Port-Camargue.”
Departure at 1 p.m. off the coast of Port-Camargue
Some, like Michel, even decide to set sail to get as close as possible to the sailboats. “We’re going to accompany them at the start, but we’re not fast enough to follow them! We should have left a month earlier to arrive at the same time as them.”
This race is unprecedented in the Mediterranean. An idea from the Hérault navigator Kito de Pavan. “These maritime adventures are very popular with the public. Everyone loves sailing culture. Spectators, sailing race aficionados, there are as many of them in Brittany as in the Mediterranean. They are discreet people, we don’t don’t hear much, and they give us the pleasure of coming here to Port-Camargue.”
Two categories: Class 40 and Ocean Fifty
On the starting line, skipper Mikaël Merguioriginally from Hyères, he is participating in the Class 40 (monohull) category. “I’m really very proud to be here. As a Mediterranean, we’ve been waiting for this race for a very long time. It’s a change from the deckchairs we usually do in the north. The conditions have changed compared to yesterday, so the course was modified a little, but there you go, it’s the Mediterranean, it’s part of the game. There are a lot of people, the weather is going to be nice. It’s good that people realize that. we have a great sport, which is visual, and I’m really very happy.”
Laurent Bourguès was also on the starting line this Sunday, but this time in the Ocean Fifty category, a large multihull boat. It is fortunate that the crowd responded for this first major race in the Mediterranean. “Everyone is very interested in seeing the boats, for us it’s great that the public is happy to see our machines, and to see that it puts a smile on everyone’s face. It’s true that Kito de Pavant , who is used to the Vendée Globe, the Jacques Vabre transatlantic race and the Route du Rhum, he created this race on this same format. It looks a bit like a big race. For a first, it’s a very big one. work and a very big congratulations because it is not easy, and he really has the vocation to transform the Med Max into a very big race in the Mediterranean.”
The skippers will cross the Mediterranean, passing through Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearic Islands. Arrival planned in Saïdia, Morocco, on October 4, 2024. You could also see the boats from Carnon beach.
Léonie Cornet
Pascale Viktory
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