Yannick Bestaven
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Presentation
A love of the sea and a fine head on his shoulders
It is difficult not to get attached to Yannick Bestaven. His talent is only equalled by his simplicity and his warmth towards others. While he spent his youth on the banks of the Arcachon Basin, he always had his eyes set on sailing further out to sea. First of all in windsurfing, where he came across Yves Parlier in the Atlantic rollers, then in cruiser racing. However, because it was a family tradition, Yannick gave up the cockpit for a while to spend some time in the lecture theatre in order to study engineering. Once he had shown himself capable of entering the “real world”, he returned to his first love and entered the Mini-Transat in 1999. He finished honourably, but believed he could do much better. He returned in 2001 and was a clear winner. For four years, he was involved in the Figaro circuit, but in his heart of hearts, he knew he was more suited to ocean crossings than to close-contact sailing. This Vendée Globe will offer him the opportunity to prove just that.
Press Contact :
Priscille Holler 01 76 62 22 26 pholler@actus.fr
Nadège Morlais 0172 74 82 24 nmorlais@actus.fr
Achievements
• 2 AG2R transatlantic races (7th in 2006)
• 2005 Figaro single-handed event
• Crewman on the « Hydraplaneur » in the Transat Quebec-St Malo in 2004
• 2 Mini-Transat races (winner in 2001)
• Winner of the Europe Race in 1999 on Aquitaine Innovations
On the 60’ « Energies autour du monde »
• 13th in the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre
• 8th in the 2007 Transat B to B
• 6th in the 2008 Artemis Transat
• 2nd in the 2008 Transat Quebec Saint-Malo
Boat
It was Yves Parlier, who worked with him, when he took over his former Aquitaine Innovations, and put her through a major update. It was above all an opportunity for Yannick to put into practice his beliefs about the environment and to show that thanks to solar, wind and hydro-electric power, you can sail a great distance and quickly and indeed all the way around the world without using fossil fuels. It was this desire to innovate in favour of the environment that lies behind his association with the partners Aquarelle.com and the Charente Maritime department, and which has allowed him to develop a revolutionary hydro generator with his team, which will be going through its final testing phase in the Vendée Globe before it is manufactured industrially.
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Boat - Designer: Finot-Conq - Boatyard: Th. Eluère - Launch date: 1996 - Previous name for the boat and previous skipper: Yves Parlier (Aquitaine Innovations) - Length: 18.28 metres (60’) - Beam : 5.85 metres (19’2’’) - Draught: 4.50 m (14’9’’) - Displacement (weight): 8000 Kg - Number of daggerboards: - Mast height: 26.50 m (87’) - Keel blade : carbon - Upwind sail surface area: 284 m2 - Downwind sail surface area: 560 m2 |
© François Chevalier
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