On 30 August, CIC and OC Sport Pen Duick announced the extension of their partnership for The Transat CIC, with the banking group, which had committed to being the title partner for the 2020 (ultimately cancelled due to Covid) and 2024 editions, also doing so for 2028 and 2032. “We were very satisfied with the last edition, which met our expectations both from a sporting and a popular point of view, with a particularly enthusiastic turnout at the start in Lorient,” explains Daniel Baal, President of CIC.
With 85,000 visitors during the six days the official village was open in Lorient-La Base and a start followed – TV and digital combined – by 674,000 people, the 2024 edition – which crowned Yoann Richomme in Imoca, Ambrogio Beccaria in Class40 and Patrick Isoard in vintage – met the expectations of the title partner and the organiser.
The latter, recalls Joseph Bizard, CEO of the OC Sport group, “had made some fairly bold strategic choices“ by moving the start, for the first time in the history of the race, to France, and more specifically to Lorient. “Given that the previous edition had been cancelled, there were high expectations, and we had to produce a great event to reassure everyone about its potential. As it turned out, it was a resounding success, both in sporting terms and in terms of media coverage and popularity which enabled us to validate this new format, co-developed with CIC.”
The aim of the new format, Daniel Baal continues, was to “combine the sporting image of a race with an incredible history and track record with actions specific to CIC, a mission-driven bank, by highlighting sailing projects involved in the decarbonisation of maritime transport.” He adds: “From this point of view, everything that has been put in place has been a success. This confirmation of our title partnership for the 2028 and 2032 editions clearly reflects our vision of acting over time and on projects that profoundly mark and transform their environment.”
It is particularly in order to go further in this area of decarbonising maritime transport that CIC, which supports several French players in sail propulsion – Towt, Vela, etc. – wanted to recommit itself in the long term to the solo transatlantic race. “We want to make The Transat CIC both a flagship and a laboratory for these initiatives,” confirms Joseph Bizard. “This positioning is consistent with the history of the race, which has always been contemporary and a witness to developments in sailing transport. We remember in particular Alain Colas’ participation in 1976 on the four-masted Club Méditerranée (72 metres long) and the democratisation of multihulls, initiated by his victory in 1972 on Pen Duick IV.”
While waiting to unveil the concrete initiatives and achievements presented at the start village of the next edition, in spring 2028 in Lorient-La Base, CIC and OC Sport Pen Duick intend to use the Club du Large to promote them. Launched in 2018, this latter, which brings together partners involved in ocean sailing, “will be a space for promoting these initiatives over the long term, a communication platform and a meeting place for bringing together players in the sector,” confirms the CEO of OC Sport.
Armel Tripon and his Imoca Les P’tits Doudous, built largely from decommissioned aeronautical carbon fibre, will be honoured at the next Club du Large evening event at the end of September in Le Havre. This will undoubtedly also be an opportunity for the skipper to discuss his future participation in The Transat CIC, which, between Lorient and the United States, will bring together at least the Imoca, Class40 and vintage classes, the latter having been introduced in the 2024 edition. “We want this class, which brings together historic ocean racing boats, both monohulls and multihulls, to have regular events,” emphasises Joseph Bizard, for whom the CIC’s re-commitment until 2032 offers teams and skippers a level of long-term visibility that is quite rare these days.
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