Victory for the crew of Sodebo Ultim’ in the Nice UltiMed

Victory for the crew of Sodebo Ultim' in the Nice UltiMed © Jean-Marie Liot / ASO

On crossing the finish line set off Rauba Capeù this Saturday 5 May, at 1:59pm local time, the crew of Thomas Coville (Sodebo Ultim') took victory in the first edition of the Nice UltiMed after three days, 57 minutes and 28 seconds at sea.

A very fine win for Thomas and his crew members Jean-Luc Nélias, Thierry Douillard, Quentin Delapierre, Matthieu Vandame and Thomas Le Breton. Less than an hour later, it was the turn of Francis Joyon (IDEC SPORT) and his men to complete the original and complex course spanning nearly 1,000 miles and taking in the coastlines of the Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region, Corsica and Sardinia. Initial reactions from the sailors.

In winning the Nice UltiMed, Thomas Coville and his crew have got their revenge a year on from The Bridge. During the latter transatlantic race between Saint Nazaire and New York, the crews of Sodebo Ultim' and IDEC SPORT were already embroiled in an almighty battle for 2nd place, which finally concluded with Francis Joyon's men gaining the edge with a lead of just 5 hours (in a race spanning over 8 days). However, in the Nice UltiMed, it's the crew of Thomas Coville who have won the duel by just 57 minutes, after 3 days, 57 minutes and 28 seconds of racing. Yves Le Blévec, who was forced to retire from the race on 2 May, was out on the water aboard Actual-Grand Large Emotion to welcome them in. Back on shore, Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, and Jean-Pierre Dick, patron of the Nice UltiMed, also came out to congratulate the two crews.

Thomas Coville: "We've achieved something wonderful"
After some exceptional seasons in 2016 and 2017 (solo round the world record – since broken by François Gabart, North Atlantic record, victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre, Sailor of the Year title), Thomas Coville is clearly still on a roll, winning the Nice UltiMed with real panache. He achieved this with an eclectic and complementary crew made up of Jean-Luc Nélias, Thierry Douillard, Quentin Delapierre, Thomas Le Breton and Matthieu Vandame. With this latest victory, Coville has proven that he will be a force to be reckoned with for the Route du Rhum this coming November. "The battle against IDEC SPORT was simply magnificent", he gushed on his arrival in Nice. "Racing with daggers drawn, our rival was not just anyone: it was the boat that has won the Jules Verne Trophy and the Route du Rhum twice and she was sailed by a top-flight crew. By winning this duel, my crew and I have achieved something wonderful. Congratulations to IDEC SPORT for enabling this fantastic race."

Francis Joyon: "We weren't bored for a second!"
It was less than an hour after Sodebo Ultim' (56 minutes and 59 seconds precisely) that IDEC SPORT crossed the finish line in Nice. Francis Joyon, Bernard Stamm, Gwénolé Gahinet, Quentin Ponroy, Sébastien Picault and Antoine Blouet put up a creditable performance and earned a much deserved second place. "We weren't bored for a second in this very dynamic race. We were in contact the whole time, one minute ahead of Sodebo Ultim', the next behind them. It was a fine moment for sailing", explains Joyon. "The Mediterranean has a lot of surprises in store. We were leading at Cap Corse but on our way back towards Nice, last night, we got pinned under a big windless cloud. Just a few miles away, Sodebo had some favourable breeze and powered by. That's definitely the moment where the race outcome was decided..."

See you tomorrow at 2pm for the Nautical Parade
To round off the first edition of the Nice UltiMed in style, over 150 craft of all sizes and shapes are tomorrow invited to celebrate the three Ultimes, which took part in the event: Sodebo Ultim', IDEC SPORT and Actual-Grand Large Emotion. The Parade will kick off at 2pm and can be viewed from the Promenade des Anglais.

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