Although he was born in Ardèche, Mathieu Claveau spent all his childhood and adolescence in Lozère. “I grew up in Molezon, a village of 97 inhabitants in the heart of the chestnut trees” says the skipper of Prendre la mer, Agir pour la Forêt. As a child, during the long winter evenings, Mathieu Claveau immersed himself in the maritime magazines of his father, originally from Brittany. “He was the one who gave me the virus. I read Voiles et Voiliers and Chasse-Marée. I started dreaming around the age of six.” says the Lozérien. Then, his passion for sailing intensified during the 1996 Vendée Globe.”I used Lego bricks to reproduce the boats I saw on television and made them sail on benches.” he slips.
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Schoolboy in Saint-Etienne-Vallée-Française
From his childhood bedroom in Lozère to the Mediterranean, there is only one step.My father and I had a very small boat, an Ovni 25, in Palavas-les-Flots, and very often, we came from Molezon to sail in the bay of Aigues-Mortes.” said this former student of Lycée Chaptal in Mende. With his baccalaureate in his pocket, Mathieu Claveau joined a preparatory class at the Joffre high school in Montpellier.One day, my maths teacher told me that he couldn’t correct our papers because there was a regatta in Palavas-les-Flots and that was a turning point.” remembers this modern-day adventurer.
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Five hours on a life raft
Immediately, the Lozérien goes there and makes contact “to the nerve“with a skipper from Drôme. Then, as if by magic, he embarks with him a few days later.”He trusted me and took me on as a teammate. It was on a 6.50 m sailboat. I was 19 years old. I had never spent a night at sea and we finished 3rd in the Marseille/Algiers Cup” explains this self-taught man. His sailing career launched, Mathieu Claveau then went on to race in the Mini class. He notably took part in the Transat Charente-Maritime/Bahia in 2011.”This is my worst memory. I hit an unidentified floating object. The boat sank south of Cape Verde. I spent five hours on a life raft in the middle of the Atlantic before being rescued.” remembers the skipper of Molezon.
okoume transat 650 shipwreck
In the big leagues
With this experience and a 16th place in the Tour de France à la Voile in Diam 2′ in 2016, Mathieu Claveau then tackled the monuments of ocean racing. 14th in the Jacques Vabre in 2019 (Class40), he reached a new milestone by finishing 28th in the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe in 2022.She is the queen of solo transatlantic races and I am proud to have completed her. I brought the boat back in perfect condition.” he says.
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Objective: the Vendée Globe in 2028
A skipper by passion, but an aeronautical engineer by profession, Mathieu Claveau is delighted to be taking part in the Med Max Occitanie.Returning to sail in the Bay of Aigues-Mortes and setting off from Grau-du-Roi in front of my family, fifteen years after I started here, is magical.” says the skipper from Lozère, whose the godfather of his sailboat is none other than Ugo Molaformer rugby player and manager of Stade Toulousain.
At 35, Mathieu Claveau now has a new challenge in his sights.I want to take part in the Vendée Globe in 2028” concludes the skipper of Molezon.
