On board his flying boat, Gabart does not want to put "no limits"

In the cockpit of SVR-Lazartigue, his maxi-trimaran, the 39-year-old sailor is not at the helm but at the wheel.

And the 15 tons of the multihull take off above the water to reach the speed of 46 knots (85 km/h), during a demonstration off Marseille, where the sailing events of the Paris Olympic Games will take place. in 2024.

Thanks to this new Formula 1 of the seas with an aerodynamic hull, the sailor says he "dreams" of further improving his own solo round the world record, established in 42 days in 2017. And to beat that of the crewed round the world , the Jules-Verne Trophy, signed by Francis Joyon, in 40 days, the same year.

"This boat was designed to sail around the world as quickly as possible. We shouldn't set limits because we are living through an unprecedented revolution that is pushing back a lot of the limits we set for ourselves. “, defended François Gabart to journalists, even if his participation in the next Route du Rhum, in November, remains compromised.

The Ultim class, responsible for issuing the measurement certificates for these giant 32 m long multihulls, has in fact refused to issue it the sesame to participate in this transatlantic race, the start of which will be given on November 6 in Saint-Malo, for an arrival at Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe.

François Gabart's trimaran Lazartigue, on the Old Port of Marseille as part of a promotional tour in the Mediterranean, May 18, 2022 Nicolas TUCAT AFP

The reason: an international rule related to security, interpreted differently by each of the parties.

But François Gabart and the Kresk Group, owner of the boat, decided to take it to court.

"This year's objective is the Route du Rhum. (...) We are fighting to be on the starting line", commented François Gabart, proud of his clean-lined trimaran.

"We tried to push all the sliders of performance and innovation as far as possible", underlined the navigator, citing in particular the electronic piloting system or the foils, these kinds of large wings fixed on the floats of the boat that allow the trimaran to rise above the water.

© 2022 AFP