Groupe Bel first to arrive

Kito de Pavant looks forward to the Transat Jacques Vabre

Kito de Pavant and his Groupe Bel Open 60 co-skipper François Gabart have arrived in Le Havre, ready for the Transat Jacques Vabre start on 8 November.

After a Mediterranean single-handed record, a tour around Tunisia, Italy, Egypt, Syria, Turkey and Spain, for the benefit of their sponsor, Groupe Ble is now lining up for the biennial two handed race, heading for the first time in its history, to Costa Rica.

Groupe Bel and Akena Vérandas locked into Le Havre's Basin Paul Vatine at dawn on Wednesday, the first two competitors to arrive.

“I usually like to arrive early on race starts,” stated de Pavant. “We can enjoy the city, with no stress in the boat’s preparation and attack the last week as relaxed as possible.

"After three weeks of yard work in Caen where everything has been disassembled and checked, it was important for François and myself to get our bearings, so the two of us spent 36 hours at sea and everything runs smooth" continued de Pavant. "We also tried our new sails. Groupe Bel is at her best.”

Since her launch in September 2007, the VPLP/Verdier-designed Groupe Bel has continued to be optimised. “I really like this boat but in our profession, technology is not everything," says de Pavant. "The human factor remains the heart of success. Every day we make choices in the conduct of the boat, the race strategy to adopt, or the management of equipment and sailors. The victory is carefully constructed and dozens of parameters come into play”.

Sailing with de Pavant, a former Solitaire du Figaro winner, is François Gabart, who at 26 years old is the youngest competitor in the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet. He is the last Espoir Region Bretagne winner of the free two year Figaro campaign.

“I have no doubt about his ease offshore, his strategic skills and his physical and mental endurance.” says de Pavant of his new co-skipper. “We will implement watches of three hours to take regular turns at the helm. We will also discuss on our feelings at watch changes, an important point when sailing in duo where good communication is essential in optimizing the running of the boat. And finally, the management of feeding, sleep or recovery, François was at good school in dinghies and then Figaro, he is very strict on these aspects and will help me be more focused on those.”