Vendée Globe

Nationality: Residence: Montferrier sur Lez (Hérault) Birth date: born in 1961 Vendée Globe achievements: 1st entry in the Vendée Globe Boat: Groupe Bel Web Site: http://www.beltchiztour.com Situation: married with 5 children

Sponsor

The Southern Star

One of the most handsome weather-beaten faces in ocean racing. Kito de Pavant, with his mop of hair and three-day old stubble, his permanent smile and his CV full of adventures… there is something of a Corto Maltese in this yachtsman. Except that it has been a long time now since his Breton rivals first understood they were dealing with something more serious with a cocky southerner, who between two races in the Figaro or in a sixty-footer, takes care of his five kids on the Mediterranean coast. There is no one quite like Kito, when it comes to sailing and choosing the right options. In 2002, he also won the legendary Figaro single-handed event.

With a strong, new partner – the Bel Group and the famous laughing cow on his mainsail – the Southern Star was to win everything in his path in 2005, with notably two major victories: the Solo Méditerranée and the AG2R transatlantic race (with the Italian, Pietro D’Ali). He then decided with the support of his partner to move to a 60-foot monohull and focus on the Vendée Globe.

Press Contact : Julia HUVÉ
+33 (0)6 63 28 81 48 / jh@windreport.com

• 7 Figaro single-handed events (winner in 2002)
• 4 Transat Jacques Vabre races (3rd in 2005 with Jean Le Cam)
• 3 AG2R transatlantic races (winner in 2006 with Pietro d’Ali)

On the 60’ « Groupe Bel »
• 6th in the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre (with Sébastien Col)
• 2nd in the 2007 Transat B to B

Kito de Pavant, like Marc Guillemot called upon the talents of Guillaume Verdier in conjunction with the Van Pétéghem Lauriot-Prévost team, and they came up with a radical new design, favouring streamlined entry into the water and a lightweight approach rather than power, Groupe Bel has shown, in spite of her youth, that she has enormous potential particularly in downwind conditions.

Boat - Designer: VPLP-Verdier - Boatyard : Indiana Yachting (Italy) - Launch date: September 2007 - Length: 18.28 m (60’) - Beam: 5.50 m (18’) - Draught: 4.50 m (14’9’’) - Displacement (weight): 8000 kg - Number of daggerboards: 2 - Mast height: 27 m (88’6’’) - Keel blade :carbon - Upwind sail surface 310 m2 - Downwind sail surface : 570 m2

© François Chevalier

• 10/11/08 : Bel and Aquarelle both dismasted, Algimouss Spirit of Canada coming back too.