News

Exceptional awards ceremony

Last night evening, on the main beach in Les Sables d’Olonne, François Gabart, the skipper of MACIF received his trophy from the President of the General Council, Bruno Retailleau. As for the ten other skippers who have finished the race,… 

IMOCA chooses the boat for the future

  The Skippers and Members of IMOCA met in Paris on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 April 2013 at the IMOCA Annual General Meeting to decide the future direction of their class, and in particular to discuss two major subjects: the design of the… 

Reception of the Vendée Globe skippers at the Elysée

Monday, April 8 at 12:30 pm, the President of the French Republic received all of the Vendée Globe skippers and handed on this occasion the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur insignia to François Gabart, winner of this year edition.… 

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The boat

Portrait

The image may be outdated but it has certainly left its impression in people’s minds. That image is the one of a lonely puffy faced yachtsman stitching up his own tongue in the middle of the Indian Ocean. But reducing Bertrand de Broc to this would be to underestimate a skipper who managed, through peripheral byways, to trace an original path in the world of ocean racing.

    His priority remains the Vendée Globe

From the Figaro monotype to multihull racing, the French skipper has never put any boundaries in his life, even if his big affair remains the Vendée Globe.  He came close to a kind of consecration twice and luck shied away twice. In 1992, he was badly hit by a boom, which made him famous in the whole sailing world, and then was forced to retire because his keel was about to fall. He went back at sea in 1996 with the “Votre Nom autour du Monde” (Your Name around the World) original project. The idea, which is also used for this 2012 edition, is quite simple: instead of looking for a single sponsor bringing hundreds of thousands euros, why not try to find thousands of partners who will give you a hundred euros each? The operation worked quite well but took it out on him. The boat lost his keel and capsised only two days before reaching Les Sables d’Olonne.

His way of making things happen lies in trying to follow the path conscientiously. This is an opportunity to realize that taking one’s time, exchanging with people who are not familiar with the sea also leads to self-enrichment. In the end, this project that turns him into a door-to-door salesman spreading the good word from a fishing port to a village in the heart of Ardeche - south-central France - suits him quite well. You don’t necessarily need a ton of words to create links between people…

Wins and Performances

2010
3rd place in the Transat AG2R

2007
5th place in the Transat Jacques Vabre

2005
3rd place in theTransat Jacques Vabre

2004
Winner of the Tour de France à la voile

2002
Participation in the Route du Rhum

2000
2nd place in the Transat AG2R

1998
Winner of the Tour de France à la voile

1996
Participation in the Vendée Globe

1994
2nd in the Transat AG2R

1992
Participation in the Vendée Globe

1990
Participation in the Route du Rhum

Other
13 participations in the Solitaire du Figaro
4 seasons in the Grand Prix des Multicoques
 

Sponsor

  Amongst the many sponsors supporting Bertrand, two major partners emerge. EDM Projects, a company specialised in fitting out and development projects for hotels, museums and private residences in more than 45 countries. The partnership with Bertrand is a logical one: the human, innovative and participative aspects of the project perfectly match the group values. LORANS Robinetterie, a plumbing distance selling specialist, has used sailing as a communication tool for years. The SME has naturally joined “Votre Nom autour du Monde” in order to bring its clients and employees along in the adventure.

Press contact

Isabelle Delaune
+33 (0)5 46 37 65 14
+33 (0)6 20 53 90 14
isabelle.delaune@wanadoo.fr