From 24 June, Boulogne-sur-Mer will play host to the Course des Caps – Banque Populaire du Nord, a new event on the Imoca calendar which will see eleven crews racing around the British Isles. A legendary race which has risen from the ashes, starting in a region which hopes to become a permanent fixture on the French sailing scene.
Eighteen years since we last saw them on the Côte d’Opale! It’s finally in Boulogne-sur-Mer that the Imocas will be making their grand return to the North to compete in the Course des Caps – Banque Populaire du Nord. Following in the footsteps of the Course des Phares in Orma, and above all, the Calais Round Britain Race, launched in 2003 by Philippe Facque but which didn’t survive the economic crisis of 2008, the event’s organizer, the Sea to See agency, launched this new project two years ago, with the ambition of reviving the ocean racing tradition of the Pas-de-Calais. “I knew the energy of the North from having worked with Jean Le Cam in the days of Bonduelle, so I’d been keen to get something going in the region for a while,” explains Gwen Chapalain, co-founder of the Course des Caps with Domitille Hauwen, who herself first sailed off the coast of Calais.
“It became a priority”
An initiative that quickly found favor with the Imoca class: “For us, it had become a priority,” confirms its president, Antoine Mermod. Today, we have some great events in Brittany and Vendée, but our teams need national coverage. We need to develop in economically powerful areas like the north of France. In fact, one of the leaders in our class, Thomas Ruyant, is a real ambassador for the region, and helped get the ball rolling.
Indeed, it was through the skipper from the north of France, the reigning winner of the Route du Rhum, and above all his owner, Alexandre Fayeulle, chairman of the cybersecurity company Advens, that the planets aligned. The man from Boulogne, who co-founded the TR Racing team, used his contacts to speed up the meetings. “We’ve always wanted to highlight the maritime and port identity of our town. This ocean racing project had all the ingredients. So we welcomed them with open arms, as we know how to do here”, confirms Frédéric Cuvillier, Mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer and Chairman of the Communauté d’Agglomération du Boulonnais.
However, to welcome an Imoca fleet, hospitality is not enough. “Even before talking about the route or the budget, we had to be able to moor the boats. Otherwise, we couldn’t envisage anything,” sums up Gwen Chapalain. On the drawing board for several years, a project for a pontoon berth for large boats, designed both for pleasure boating and for hosting old sailing ships at the Fêtes de la Mer, has come back to the top of the pile.
A budget of one million euros
Two years and 1.9 million euros of investment later, Boulogne-sur-Mer inaugurated the 350-metre-long, 4-metre-wide, one-metre-freeboard facility on Wednesday 4 June, which can accommodate up to 1,500 visitors. “The message is clear: we want to become a mecca for the boating industry in France,” sums up Frédéric Cuvillier.
With this public support, Sea to See then set about finding private partners to complete “an overall budget of one million euros”, explains Gwen Chapalain. A loyal sailing sponsor, Banque Populaire du Nord was quick to respond, just as the national campaign for the Paris 2024 Olympics was coming to an end. This strong support was reinforced by a number of companies from the Nord region, some of which are already well established in the ocean racing world, such as Custopol, run by Géry Trentesaux.
The skippers have also played their part, with a line-up of particularly high sporting standards, including Macif Santé Prévoyance skippered by Sam Goodchild, as well as Charal, Vulnérable and the latest addition to the fleet, Association Petits Princes – Quéguiner. “Of the 44 sailors taking part, we’ve got just about the best in terms of casting! It’s going to be a great race, with a lot of questions to answer, on a very challenging course“, rejoices Antoine Mermod, while Jacques Caraës will be in charge of the race direction and will have to decide on the direction of the course depending on the weather.
A future in Ultim?
It remains to be seen whether the public in Northern France will turn out in force! With a 20,000 square metre race village, the organizers are hoping for between 100,000 and 150,000 visitors, while a host of events are planned, notably in partnership with Nausicaa, the National Maritime Centre. The race will also pay tribute to the 200th anniversary of the SNSM, whose very first station was set up in Boulogne, the 100th anniversary of the Boulogne Yacht Club, and the Tour de France cycling race, which will pass through Boulogne on July 6, the closing day of the village.
Just like the north of France, it’s very dynamic, with a lot of energy and desire,” says Tanguy Blondel, press officer for the event with his TB Press communications agency, and himself a native of Ardres in the Pas-de-Calais. We’re also building on the success of the Vendée Globe, with skippers like Violette Dorange who had a huge national following.
In any case, popular support will be closely watched, even if the various players have already expressed their intention to hold the event every two years, alternating with the Fêtes de la Mer. The fact remains that in 2027, the Imoca Class calendar is already very busy with The Ocean Race… “There are other classes interested. We’ve been talking to the Ultim Class for a year now, but nothing has been decided yet,” explains Gwen Chapalain. “We can no longer limit ourselves to the Grand Ouest. This new event has quite a few assets, and the idea is to take stock after the first edition, and see if we can add it to our calendar as a non-compulsory race, with an exclusively Ultim line-up”, confirms Pierre-Jean Golven, general delegate of the Ultim Class.
Photo : Jean-Louis Carli/Alea
