0   /   100

29/10/2023

Le Havre - Pointe à Pitre

Le Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue deuxième de la Transat Jacques Vabre

Le Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue, skippé par François Gabart et Tom Laperche a franchi la ligne d’arrivée de la Transat Jacques Vabre, dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi, après 14 jours 15 heures 5 minutes et 55 secondes de course entre Le Havre et Fort-de-France. Deuxième comme lors de la précédente édition, le bateau a montré une fois encore tout son potentiel. De très bon augure avant le départ de l’Arkea Ultim Challenge, première course autour du monde en solitaire sans escale pour la classe Ultim, le 7 janvier, à Brest.

La lutte fut belle et intense. Dans la nuit antillaise, au large de Fort-de-France, le Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue a terminé la nuit dernière la Transat Jacques Vabre après 14 jours 15 heures 5 minutes et 55 secondes de course. Escortés par un superbe feu d’artifice, François Gabart et Tom Laperche ont pu saluer le public venu les accueillir. Fin d’une belle aventure. Fin d’une traversée de l’Atlantique à grande vitesse, en lutte quasi permanente pour la victoire. Comme lors de la précédente édition, le Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue monte sur la deuxième marche du podium. Un peu de frustration certes mais aussi la fierté d’avoir réussi une course pleine.

En tête à l’Île de l’Ascension, au moment d’aborder le dernier long bord au portant vers La Martinique avant de céder la pole position, les deux skippers ont lutté jusqu’au bout. À 1200 milles de la ligne d’arrivée, Tom voulait encore garder espoir. « Ça vole, on profite de ce beau bateau fantastique. On est à fond et on essayede ne rien lâcher même si ce n’est pas très facile au regard de la situation météo, avec des vents plus favorables à nos concurrents. S’il y avait une recette miracle, on l’appliquerait mais on s’accroche et on va tout faire pour revenir. » Tous ces efforts n’ont pas suffi mais l’expérience restera belle. Et pleine d’espoir et de promesses pour le prochain Arkea Ultim Challenge Brest, premier Tour du Monde en solitaire pour les Ultims, en janvier prochain.

29/09/2023

Lorient

24 Ultim :
« Un super entraînement »

Du 29 septembre au dimanche 1er octobre, à Lorient, le Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue, avec François Gabart et Tom Laperche à la barre, a participé aux 24H Ultim. Au programme une journée « exhibition » dédiée à des runs de vitesse puis, une navigation d'environ 340 milles avec trois bouées à franchir.

Dans le premier acte, dans des conditions de vent relativement faible (entre 5 et 13 nœuds), le Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue a réalisé la meilleure moyenne des runs, à égalité avec Maxi Edmond de Rotschild, à 30,769 nœuds. « Le vent était faible pour exprimer le potentiel des bateaux et voler, analyse Tom Laperche. Le matin, on a tout de même réussi à faire un run à plus de 30 nœuds. Le vent a ensuite faibli mais on a pris du plaisir à naviguer. La journée nous a aussi permis de profiter des invités, de leur faire faire découvrir le bateau et même de les faire participer aux manœuvres. C'était sympa de partager. »

Samedi 30 septembre, à 12 heures, les quatre Ullim se sont ensuite élancés pour un parcours de 340 milles. Très vite trois bateaux, dont le Trimaran SVR­Lazartigue, se sont détachés et se sont tenus en quelques milles. A la première bouée, après une remontée des côtes bretonnes vers la mer Iroise, les trois leaders se tenaient encore en 5 minutes ! 

En fin de journée, François Gabart et Tom Laperche franchissaient la deuxième marque en tête mais toujours talonnés par leurs adversaires. Tout allait finalement se jouer dans le dernier bord vers Lorient. Maxi Banque Populaire (Armel Le Cleac'h - Sébastien Josse) était le premier à franchir la ligne d'arrivée en 21h13'32", suivi par Maxi Edmond de Rotschild (Charles Caudrelier- Erwan Israël), à 3'20" puis SVR-Lazartigue, à 14'51".

François Gabart : « C'était un super entraînement. Le bateau vient juste d'être remis à l'eau, il y a dix jours, et toutes les navigations sont importantes, surtout au contact avec d'autres bateaux. Nous sommes forcément un peu déçus du résultat mais nous avons un petit manque au près, dans le petit temps. C'est bien de Je savoir et on va essayer d'améliorer ça en vue de la Jacques Vabre. La navigation avec Tom se passe vraiment très bien. Tout est fluide. Nous avons réalisé plein de belles choses mais il reste encore du boulot pour faire mieux sur la Jacques Vabre. D'une façon plus générale, c'est vraiment chouette de faire de la régate avec ces bateaux extraordinaires. Il n'y a que six bateaux sur la planète qui peuvent aller au large, et voler dans ces conditions. C'est une grande chance d'être sur un de ces bateaux et de régater avec les autres. »

23/07/2023

Cherbourg

Winner of the Race
& New Record

On July 23, 2023, in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, the Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue crossed the finish line of the Rolex Fastnet Race in first place, after 1 day, 8 hours, 38 minutes, and 27 seconds: a new record for this race. On board were François Gabart, Tom Laperche, Elodie-Jane Mettraux, Sebastien Col, Emilien Lavigne, and Antoine Gautier.

At the helm of Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue, François Gabart and his crew won the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race on Sunday, July 23, in 1 day, 8 hours, 38 minutes, and 27 seconds. They improved the previous record on this legendary race between Cowes (England) and Cherbourg-en-Cotentin by 36 minutes and 27 seconds, which was previously held by Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas on the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild in 2021. The 32 meters long by 23 meters wide giant once again demonstrated its capabilities in challenging conditions. It was an impressive collective performance a few months before François Gabart and Tom Laperche would participate in the Transat Jacques Vabre for the second time as a duo.

The race started on Saturday, July 22, at 2 p.m. (BST) in autumn-like conditions, with strong winds and reduced visibility. While many participants experienced a very chaotic first night with winds of nearly 40 knots, the two Ultims in the race, Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue and Banque Populaire XI, quickly crossed the English Channel with different strategies. François Gabart and his 5 teammates, Tom Laperche, Justine Mettraux, Antoine Gautier, Emilien Lavigne, and Sébastien Col, chose to hug the north side of the traffic separation scheme. It turned out to be a winning strategy since Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue was the first to round the Fastnet lighthouse on Sunday morning at 9:04 (French time). The Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue, the newest addition to the Ultims fleet, launched in July 2021, once again demonstrated its enormous potential by setting a new record on the Rolex Fastnet Race: 1 day, 38 minutes, and 27 seconds.

16/11/2022

Pointe à Pitre

2nd place in the Route du Rhum
Destination Guadeloupe

For many, it's a dream. More than just a race, the Route du Rhum is an adventure that has been going on for over 40 years now, filling out the most beautiful pages in the history of ocean racing. Won by Canadian Mike Birch with a lead of just 98 seconds over Frenchman Michel Malinovsky, the first edition, in 1978, placed the event among the monuments of sailing. A little over 3500 miles (around 5700 km) from Saint-Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe, and every four years, new dreams and new hopes. A glance at the prize lists for the 11 previous editions is enough to understand the dimension of this event.

François Gabart is part of this great history. Winner in 2014 in the IMOCA class (at the helm of MACIF), he took second place in the 2018 edition at the end of an epic finish, marked by a battle right up to the last tacks with Francis Joyon, who finally won after 7 days 14 h 21'47'' at sea (event record), 7'08'' ahead of François ... 428 seconds!

See the start of the race

The Route du Rhum
and François Gabart

Son premier souvenir
His first memory "Florence Arthaud's victory in 1990. I was 7 years old. I was traveling on a boat with my parents. The race was very, very far away, but in my imagination as a little boy, I made the connection. It took place on a boat and I was on a boat. And then, for a child, the Route du Rhum is just crossing the Atlantic, and I was going to do it for the first time in December with my family. "
His first participation... and victory
"In 2014, I've just won the Vendée Globe, and I'm one of the favorites, but the line-up is very strong. I'm very proud of this race because I'd trained hard and put a certain amount of pressure on myself because I really wanted to do well. It's my last Imoca race and the end of a cycle. I have great memories of it. "
The 2018 edition and its final miles
"My feeling remains close to the one I had a few minutes after the finish. I was lucky enough to experience this incredible finale. Firstly, because I have enormous respect for Francis. He's an incredible and incomparable sailor. Of course, there's also a bit of disappointment. It had been a difficult race for the whole fleet. For my part, I sailed with a boat that wasn't at its full potential (loss of a foil, broken rudder on the first night of the race), and despite everything I managed to play for victory right to the end. But my lead nest egg melted like snow in Guadeloupe."
The 2022 edition: "a race I'm proud of "
François Gabart completed the 12th edition of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe on Wednesday, November 16. He took second place, after 6 days, 23 hours, 3 minutes and 15 seconds of racing across the Atlantic, from Saint-Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre.
Watch the end come to a close

"We were thrilled. It was a great Route du Rhum. It was intense. It was a great race, and it was great right to the end. On the Route du Rhum, there's always something going on, and this edition was very tight with Thomas (Coville) coming up in a few hours. We had a great race. I really enjoyed myself. It's a race I'm proud of. I'm happy for the boat, for the team and for myself. There's still plenty of room for improvement, but there's nothing to be ashamed of. We can look back and say we did a good job, and this second place is different from 2018. It's taking me longer to realize it. Of course, there's always a bit of disappointment, because we would have liked to be in front.

We can look back and say we did a good job, and this second place is different from 2018. It's taking me longer to realize it. Of course, there's always a bit of disappointment, because we would have liked to be in front.

20/07/2022
Cherbourg

1st place Dhream Cup 2022

With Tom Laperche at the helm, the trimaran SVR-Lazartigue is taking part in the Dhream Cup in July 2022. With Elodie Bonafous, Antoine Gautier, Emilien Lavigne and Pascal Bidégorry on board, the crew was the first to cross the finish line at La-Trinité-sur-Mer. A team happy with the experience and a great opportunity to progress.
29/05/2022
Marseille

Record de la Méditerrannée

In 13h55'37'' (*), the Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue, skippered by François Gabart, will in May 2022 break the record for a crewed Mediterranean crossing held for 12 years by Pascal Bidégorry, also on board alongside the skipper.

A first record for this boat, which confirms all the potential seen since its launch: sailing means being on the lookout for every opportunity, and knowing how to take advantage of the slightest weather window. Aboard the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran, François Gabart, accompanied by four crew members (Pascal Bidégorry, Antoine Gautier and Émilien Lavigne, director and engineer of his design office, Guillaume Gatefait, mediaman) once again demonstrated this perfectly by setting the Mediterranean record between the old Frioul semaphore off Marseille and the Sidi Bou Saïd lighthouse in Carthage, at the entrance to the Bay of Tunis (455 theoretical miles).

In 13h55'37'' (average speed 33.7 knots/hour or 62.5 km/h), it wiped the slate clean of the previous mark held since May 2010 by Pascal Bidegorry and his 11 crewmates aboard Banque Populaire V. Nothing had been premeditated, however. The SVR-Lazartigue trimaran was in fact at the heart of a Mediterranean tour aimed at various KRESK Group employees. We were due to be in Tunis on Sunday, and it just so happened that there was an episode of mistral wind," explained François Gabart, just before setting off. Looking at the data, we think we're capable of crossing in pretty decent times, even going for the record. So why not give it a go? In any case, we've got to get to Tunis, that's part of the program, so we're going to try to get there in the nicest possible way, i.e. by pushing the boat to the limit".

Watch the video
20/05/2022
Cascais, Barcelona, Marseille, Geneva, Carthage

Tour de la Méditerrannée

Tour of the MediterraneanThe maritime adventure of the Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue is that of the entire Kresk group. The Mediterranean Tour offers a fantastic opportunity to share its vision and convey its environmental and social values to all employees.

"This tour is rich in meaning. Its aim is to introduce our SVR-Lazartigue trimaran to our employees in these different Mediterranean countries. We're very proud of this boat. She carries the values of our brands high, and this maritime adventure with François will enable us to go even further in our environmental commitments.
These stops will be an opportunity to exchange, share and explain our approach and our actions. "
Didier Tabary, President of the Kresk Group

"This Mediterranean tour is a great opportunity for the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran to discover a beautiful stretch of water. The convoying and sailing will also enable me to get to know her a little better in preparation for the Route du Rhum. Above all, I'm delighted and impatient to get to know the various teams in the Kresk group and introduce them to the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran."
François Gabart, skipper

Watch the recap video

24/11/2021

Le Havre - Pointe à Pitre

2nd place in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2021

After a formidable comeback in the last 48 hours of racing, the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran, skippered by François Gabart and Tom Laperche, took second place in the Ultime Class in the 15th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabres, after 16 days, 9h hours 46 minutes and 11 seconds of racing.

Escorted over the final miles by the last rays of the Martinique sun and dozens of follower boats, the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran crossed the finish line of the Transat Jacques Vabre in the heat of the Fort-de-France night on Tuesday at 18h13'11'' local time (23h13'11'' mainland France time). Setting out from Le Havre on Sunday, November 7, 2021, François Gabart and Tom Laperche completed their adventure of 7500 theoretical miles (9333.08 miles in reality - 17,285 km), after 16 days 9h hours 46 minutes and 11 seconds of racing, at an average speed of 23.7 knots (43.9 km/h). Still more than 100 miles from second place with less than 48 hours to go, the two men pulled off a real feat to overtake the Banque Populaire XI trimaran (Armel Le Cléac'h and Kevin Escoffier) and take second place, 53 minutes ahead of their rival. Every moment was spent nibbling away at mile after mile to take second place, just under eight hours behind Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier), winner in 16d1h49'16''. What's happened with Banque Populaire over the last 48 hours has been brilliant," enthuses François Gabart. This morning was crazy. I was crying at the helm, it was so beautiful. We were coming back, scraping up the miles, the sensations were extraordinary. You're flying and you feel that you have the potential to make incredible progress.

The start of the race

20/09/2021

Concarneau

Christening of the Trimaran

32 months after the start of her design, and just a few weeks before the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran was christened. The ceremony took place in Concarneau, her home port, in the presence of her skipper, François Gabart, surrounded by MerConcept teams and Didier Tabary, President and founder of the French cosmetics group Kresk, the new owner of the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran. Born of a meeting between two passionate and committed entrepreneurs, Français Gabart and Didier Tabary, the SVR-LAZARTIGUE trimaran, designed by the MerConcept teams, will now sail the oceans under the auspices of an exceptional godmother.
Mélanie Laurent, the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran's godmother, is deeply committed to respect for the environment, and said at the ceremony: "It's wonderful to look over this cradle. I'm impressed by the 150,000 hours of work that went into building this boat, and I'm proud of the values it embodies. I wish my goddaughter all the best for her travels, for the wonders we all share, and for the convictions we all share. "
Watch the recap video

24/11/2021

Le Havre - Pointe à Pitre

Trimaran Launch

Two and a half years after the start of her design, the trimaran SVR-LAZARTIGUE left the MerConcept shipyard at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 22, to be launched in Concarneau, her home port.
Emotions ran high for employees of the Kresk Group, sponsors of the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran, François Gabart and his teams, happy and proud of the work accomplished. In front of more than 200 guests, Didier Tabary, President of the Kresk Group and François Gabart took the floor to launch the festivities. It was with great emotion that François Gabart confided to us the few words his flying giant had whispered to him the day before, a poetic way of retracing the genesis of the project and underlining his joy at taking to the sea again with these new colors. As spectators gathered on the quayside around MerConcept, the Capri blue floats of the SVR-Lazartigue trimaran finally got their first taste of Concarneau's salt water. It was a moment of great achievement for the team behind this unique and innovative boat, and a new challenge for the group and its skipper François Gabart, who is eager to sail and take up the challenges that await him on his 32-meter steed.