For two years in a row, Jérémie Beyou has taken part in the Solitaire du Figaro and this winter he will be aboard the maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire V for an attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy. But above all, Jérémie wants to have another go at the Vendée Globe in order to show what he can do. The skipper and company boss understands full well the extent of the economic crisis, and is doing his utmost to come up with a sponsorship programme that will interest firms allowing him to line up at the start of the Vendée Globe on 11th November 2012.
Jérémie is currently looking for one or more partners to take part in a programme including the Solitaire du Figaro, the 2011 Transat Jacques Vabre 2011 and the 2012 Vendée Globe. Aware that it is now too late to start work on the construction of a new boat, Jérémie has gone for a more reasonable approach, both from a sporting and economic perspective: "In 2012, there will be fewer new boats lining up at the start of the Vendée Globe and the difference between the older boats and the newer constructions will not be that important, as class rules now make it possible to develop older boats in an interesting way. As we saw in the last race, it is vitally important for the skipper to know his boat well and to gain a lot of experience on board. My goal is therefore to set out on a tried and tested boat, which has been updated and that I know well. In other words, the former Delta Dore. I have never left the world of Imoca 60s, I have the infrastructure in place and a team is waiting and ready to go."
Joint-partnerships
Jérémie is aware that in the current economic climate, he needs to come up with a mature turnkey project, own his boat and accept a joint-partnership approach: "My current budget, including the boat, insurance and running costs comes in under two million euros. You need to remain reasonable. With a tight budget, we are ready to go, while remaining very demanding. We can imagine maybe one, two, three or four joint partners, as this will make it easier for firms to sign up. An annual budget of 500,000 euros is something that a small or medium size business can afford and would allow them to get involved."
