In 2021, an ambitious sports programme for CORUM L’Épargne

The Ocean Race Europe, a new race to kickstart the year

The inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe promises a top-flight international competition. A race with a mixed crew of four sailors, it is contested over five legs between the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It will be a unique opportunity for CORUM L’Épargne to pit herself against other boats, whose crews will be seeking to show just what they’re made of over these short legs.

Nicolas Troussel, Skipper of the CORUM L'Épargne team, double champion of the Solitaire du Figaro“It will be interesting to have the boat racing in a fully-crewed configuration. This is something we are still learning - how to reach the full potential of the boat, what is the best set-up - so The Ocean Race Europe will be a good test for our team to compete with other similar boats and a great opportunity to get racing in our IMOCA again.”

© © Eloi Stichelbaut / polaRYSE / Corum l'Epargne

For CORUM L’Épargne, this will be the first meeting in what promises to be a diverse sailing programme in 2021.

Indeed, after The Ocean Race Europe, IMOCA will line up for the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Created in 1925, this legendary race is organised every two years by the Royal Ocean Racing Club in the UK. The 2021 edition will set sail on 8 August, over a course spanning around 600 nautical miles between the Isle of Wight (off the south coast of England), south-west Ireland and Cherbourg. This double passage across the Irish Sea can prove tricky so it will be the perfect trial run in double-handed format for CORUM L’Épargne.

Next up will be the Défi Azimut, from 15 to 19 September, which will be raced ‘on home waters’ since CORUM L’Épargne is based in Lorient where the event is hosted. This competition will offer competitors a series of speed runs and a 48-hour double-handed offshore race. It will also be an opportunity to share the thrill of speed with sponsors and guests, especially so during the traditional circumnavigation of the Ile de Groix, which is an amazing spectacle to round off the event in style.

Finally, the high point of 2021 for CORUM L’Épargne will involve competing in the 15th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre. This will be Nicolas’ second participation flying the flag of CORUM L’Épargne in this double-handed transatlantic race, having previously teamed up with Jean Le Cam in 2019. Sailed at a steady pace, this biennial transatlantic race is a genuine sports challenge and competitors are due to set sail from Le Havre in north-east France on 7 November.

These four events will be raced in double-handed or crewed configuration. As such, the coming year will be an opportunity for Nicolas Troussel, who’s only sailed the IMOCA CORUM L’Épargne in solo format so far, to focus on a collective performance in 2021, a format which was often favoured during last year’s training sessions.

An outstanding two-person team

To help him perform well, a prominent co-skipper will be at his side: Sébastien Josse. Already part of the CORUM Sailing Team in 2020, he played an integral part in all the preparations for the Vendée Globe campaign. In an entirely logical move then, he will officially continue working with Nicolas in 2021 and take up his rightful place within the team in a year where the emphasis is on the collective.

Sébastien Josse is a well-renowned and recognised offshore racer. From the Vendée Globe to the Route du Rhum, the Volvo Ocean Race, a string of transatlantic races and circumnavigations of the globe on a monohull and a multihull, with and without foils, in solo, double-handed and crewed format, his career has been coloured by highs and lows and his experience is truly unique. As passionate about technology as he is board sports, his enthusiasm and his humour meant that his integration in the team in 2020 was welcomed by all.

Sébastien Josse, co-skipper “In keeping with 2020, I’m delighted to be supporting Nicolas and the CORUM L'Épargne team for another year. It’s an exchange which works both ways and I thank them for it. The 2021 race programme is very appealing with its mixture of crewed and double-handed sailing, which will enable us to train and be at the best level.”

Winter optimisation

In spite of the total commitment demonstrated by the whole of CORUM Sailing team, the 2020 challenge of the Vendée Globe did not enjoy the outcome it deserved. As a result, the adventure naturally ended in massive disappointment, but now the whole team is more motivated than ever to succeed in 2021.

Indeed, with the dismasting forcing the team to retire from the race on the ninth day out, the skipper and his boat made for Cape Verde, where the boat was loaded onto a cargo ship and transported to Lorient where she made landfall on 29 December. Back in the yard, repairs and preparations for the upcoming races began in January 2021 with the aim of implementing a few changes to CORUM L’Épargne and making her more reliable. Careful analysis of the pros and cons of events in 2020 means

that we’re now in a position to draw the necessary lessons to enable the team and the boat to progress. The launch is scheduled for late April at the earliest, which will leave the team a few weeks to get out sailing and validate the work carried out during the winter refit.

Greg Evrard, Director of the CORUM L'Épargne team“Having to retire from the Vendée Globe obviously came as a massive disappointment, which was only equalled by the extensive effort we put into making the start of the race in good condition despite the very special context. Thanks to the support of CORUM L'Épargne, the whole team rallied together to repatriate the boat and the skipper and has since turned its attention to 2021, a year packed with sporting challenges. These are centred around our two main objectives, namely The Ocean Race Europe and the Transat Jacques Vabre. Our 2020 experience has only increased our motivation to come back even stronger in 2021 and make all those who trust in us and support us proud.”

CORUM L’Épargne is a CORUM Asset Management brand, a management company and subsidiary of the CORUM Butler group, whose capital is held solely by its directors and managers, specialising in savings solutions, real estate and company financing for individual clients and institutions.

Source CORUM L'Epargne