ARKEA BECOMES TITLE PARTNER OF THE ULTIMATE SOLO ROUND THE WORLD RACE ORGANISED BY OC SPORT PEN DUICK

**Single-handed circumnavigation of the globe aboard an Ultim 32/23: a historic first in racing!

Five boats have already signed up for this exceptional race, and potentially seven "giants of the seas" will set off from Brest, with a solo skipper on board, in an attempt to complete a circumnavigation from West to East, via the 3 capes (Good Hope, Leewin and Horn). A human and technological challenge taken up by the sailors of the Ultim 32/23 Class, accompanied by their owners and partners.

Some of the sailors have already sailed the course in multihulls and single-handed: Francis Joyon, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Thomas Coville, François Gabart; notably as part of solo round-the-world sailing record campaigns, but none of them has ever done it in a race.

Alone, on their giant multihulls, for 40 to 50 days, the skippers will be subjected to extreme variations in weather conditions and will have to deal with wind, waves, swell and ice. High-pressure systems, light winds and lows, which are more often than not the source of strong winds, will punctuate the lives of the sailors on board and influence the trajectory strategies adopted.

Sailing around the world is first and foremost a climatic voyage: the descent of the Atlantic, the crossing of the Indian Ocean and then the Pacific, before heading north again by sailing back up the Atlantic...

Initially between Brest and the Cape of Good Hope, the course is punctuated by the passage from one hemisphere to the other through the Doldrums, also known as the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The atmosphere in this zone is a mixture of warm, humid air masses carried by the trade winds of the Azores High in the North Atlantic and the St Helena High in the southern hemisphere. They are generating unstable air in which white calms and thundery squalls alternate without any real logic, requiring even greater vigilance in this first part of the race to get out of this trap as quickly as possible.

Then comes the longest and most difficult part, which consists of taking advantage of the weather phenomena coming from the west to slip between Good Hope and Cape Horn via Cape Leeuwin. This crossing of the two southern hemisphere oceans, the Indian and the Pacific, makes up 3/5ths of the solo round the world voyage. It requires the sailors to maintain their trajectory on a downwind train while coping with a series of disturbances driven by powerful NW'ly winds, the passage of fronts with squalls and icy wind shifts, all without being absorbed by anticyclonic conditions... A heterogeneous situation that puts a strain on both the sailors and the machines...

Finally, rounding the legendary Cape Horn marks the climb back towards Brest, with around 8,000 miles to go to reach the finishing port. Before that, the competitors will once again have to deal with the Saint Helena High, stormy lows in Brazil, the Doldrums, the trade winds in the northern hemisphere and potential Atlantic lows, all of which will require extreme concentration from the sailors until they cross the long-awaited finish line in Brest harbour.

A new challenge for OC Sport Pen Duick, organiser of some of the world's greatest ocean races.

OC Sport Pen Duick, Groupe Télégramme's subsidiary and sports events branch, is the organiser of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, the Solitaire du Figaro, The Transat CIC and the Transat en Double Concarneau - Saint Barthélemy: all races with an unrivalled reputation.

This major new challenge is in line with the major races organised by the Group and will be supported and amplified by the commitment of Arkéa and the town of Brest, the port of records and host of the start and finish of this new ocean race.

This single-handed round the world race, named "ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest", will undoubtedly be a large-scale race, unique in its kind and which will highlight the values shared by the sailors, the organiser and the partners: emotion, determination and humility.

**An extraordinary race and extraordinary sailors!

There are very few sailors who can rise to the challenge of this race, and that's what makes them atypical human beings with exceptional physical abilities. These sailors will be putting their immense physical and mental capacities to the test, forced by the format of the race to face up to extremely difficult conditions and their own limits. It's the 'solo' effect in the face of one of the planet's most hostile elements that will reinforce the aura of heroes in each of the skippers taking part, and allow the general public to measure the scale of the feat they will achieve.

ARKEA, continuing a long-standing commitment to ocean racing Arkéa is committed to local players and the real economy in order to support events at the heart of its regions.

Arkéa is committed to local players and the real economy in order to support events at the heart of its territories. It was therefore important to use this partnership to support the launch of a major new sporting event that promises to put Brest and the whole region in the spotlight. Arkéa wants to be a creator of links, and it was obvious for the Group with strong regional roots to work alongside the city of Brest, the Brittany Region and the Finistère Department, which are major partners and supporters of the Group.

Arkéa uses its expertise in communications and event promotion to support bold projects in line with its values of commitment. The ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest 2023 promises to be a race of superlatives: it's a brand new race offering the first non-stop, single-handed round-the-world race in the Ultim class. It's also an event that is resolutely in line with a sustainable approach that reflects the Group's commitment to a positive ecology in the face of tomorrow's transitions.

This partnership on the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest 2023 is an extension of the sponsorship of the Paprec-Arkéa Imoca, which will be setting off for the Vendée Globe in 2024, and is also in line with the Filière Excellence Course Course, set up by the Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne federation for the Figaro calendar. Arkéa supports all those who share its passion for sailing and the sea, both on land and at sea.

Brest, the "Port of Records" that lives up to its name " _Brest Métropole Océane

"Brest Métropole Océane_", "Brest Port des Records" and now "Brest port of departure and arrival for the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest 2023. It's a list of names that underlines the strong commitment of the Finistère region and Brittany to sailors, the open ocean and the most advanced technological challenges.

Through its commitment to this new challenge, the Brittany Region is highlighting the human and technological resources in Brittany involved in the construction of these "giants of the seas". This race is also an opportunity to showcase the entire local economic fabric of Finistère, which, thanks to its shipyards and their human resources, is also taking part in the construction and success of the future ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest.

Last but not least, Brest and its famous harbour boast an exceptional stretch of water, and their ambition is to become much more than just the port of records by hosting this unique and extreme race. This is one more event that will enable them to be among the most involved ports in major French ocean racing events.
Ils ont dit :

Julien Carmona, Chairman of Crédit Mutuel Arkéa: "Arkéa supports sporting events that resonate with its humanist and cooperative values and its taste for innovation. The group's past and future are closely linked to Brest and its metropolis. So it was only natural for Arkéa to join forces with local players to support the launch of a new Ultim class race in Brest. We also intend to step up our support for the maritime economy as it faces up to the challenges of today and tomorrow. Arkéa's new partnership with OC Sport Pen Duick is an integral part of this commitment.

Cedric Malengreau, CEO of Arkéa: "Arkéa's commitment to this new Ultim class race illustrates our passion for sailing and the sea, while echoing our support for the Paprec-Arkéa Imoca, which will be taking part in the Vendée Globe in 2024. The ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest 2023 represents an exceptional sporting event for our region and we are proud to be able to support its launch alongside local institutions. This major event is eagerly awaited by sailing enthusiasts and offers everyone the chance to experience an extraordinary adventure.

*Arkéa is a subsidiary of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa group. It provides the group's subsidiaries with a range of resources and services for communicating and promoting their activities, based on a strong brand that creates value.

Hervé Favre, Chairman of OC Sport Pen Duick: "Last December, we were delighted to be able to announce Brest as the starting and finishing port for the 2023 Single-handed Ultim World Tour.
Today, we are proud to announce that the Crédit Mutuel - Arkéa group has become the title partner of this already legendary race and has named it "ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest". Having a partner like this by our side, who has a long history of involvement in ocean racing and with whom we share the same values and commitments, reinforces our ambition to go even further in this exceptional sport of ocean racing, to its most extreme limits.
ARKEA will be supporting us alongside the city of Brest, the Brittany region and the Finistère department, to organise this incredible race. The ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest would not have been possible without the trust placed in us by all the players and owners of large ocean-going trimarans and the 32/23 Class. We would like to thank them warmly.
So let's set course for 2023, a year which promises to be full of emotion, sea spray and extraordinary sporting feats!

Edouard Coudurier, Chairman and CEO of Groupe Télégramme: "Groupe Télégramme and its subsidiary OC Sport Pen Duick are delighted to welcome the Crédit Mutuel - Arkéa group as title partner of the first single-handed Ultim 32/23 round the world race from Brest. All the conditions are now in place, and the Télégramme Group's teams are fully committed, to making this major first a sporting, popular and media success.
Groupe Télégramme is delighted to be helping to consolidate Brest, the headquarters of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa group, as a leading port for major maritime challenges, as well as the Ultim 32/23 class, as part of a long-term partnership that will culminate in the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest.

Loïg Chesnais-Girard, President of the Brittany Region:"" Once again, Brittany is set to write a new page in the history of ocean racing. Once again, Brittany will be taking part in writing a new page in the history of ocean racing by inaugurating the first Ultim round the world race. It's always a source of pride to launch these new challenges and a privilege to witness them from the front row. The rivalry between these ultra-fast giants of the seas promises an exceptional spectacle and an unprecedented competition, which will also highlight the technical prowess made possible by this cutting-edge industry, combining technological development and top-level sport._ "

François Cuillandre, Mayor of Brest and President of Brest Métropole: "I am proud to see that sport, and more particularly ocean racing, which is part of our identity, is able to unite the players in our region. I welcome the Arkéa Group's commitment to supporting us in this great project. This is an important announcement for Brittany and for our region. As Mayor of Brest and President of Brest Métropole, I know that the people of Brest will be very proud to welcome the best skippers in the world and the start of this new great adventure in the round-the-world race. It's a privilege for our region, of course, but above all it's the result of a long-term ambition and hard work to make Brest, and its harbour, the most beautiful in the world, the port of departure and arrival for the Ultims, the home port for these exceptional boats. I have no doubt that the public will turn out in force, and that this event will become a great public celebration.

Maël De Calan - President of the Conseil Départemental du Finistère: "The Conseil Départemental is proud to support sailing and the sector of excellence that ocean racing represents in Finistère. Already involved in the Guyader Bermuda 1000 Race, La Solitaire du Figaro, the double-handed Concarneau - Saint-Barthélemy Transat (formerly the Transat AG2R la Mondiale) and the ProSailing Tour, we are continuing our commitment to promoting the values of sailing. We are delighted to provide financial support to the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest._ "

Jean Luc Denéchau - President of the Fédération Française de Voile: "The Ultim Round the World Race will be a human and technological challenge for the teams taking part, as sailing such machines single-handed will require us to approach this race with a great deal of humility and pragmatism, in order to succeed in seeing this adventure through to the end and eventually emerging victorious. This round the world race will enable us to experience some great moments and share some extraordinary feats with the public. I'm convinced that the French will be following this sporting event very closely. Once again, these exceptional sailors will carry the values of our sport high.

This route is a challenge, both for the sailors and for the organisers, and can become a reality thanks to the commitment of OC Sport Pen Duick, which will have to build an extraordinary event, and thanks to the Utim 32/23 class, whose mission is to define a framework and rules enabling the boats to race together and to unite the skippers and the major shipowners who sponsor them.

La Fédération Française de Voile will be supporting the class and the organiser in setting up this round-the-world race, and we would like to thank the partners and private and public economic players who are making this new race possible and faithfully helping us to promote our sport and its values. I wish the ARKEA ULTIM CHALLENGE - Brest 2023 every success and a great sea to all the participants.

Patricia Brochard, President of the Ultim 32/23 Class: "The Ultim 32/23 Class has been nurturing this ambition to see its fantastic machines race around the planet, single-handed, for years. This extraordinary project is now a reality. We're delighted, because it's been a long road to get here. Territoires du Grand Ouest, our title partner from now on, and each of us, along with the organiser OC Sport Pen Duick, can now be focused on a single objective: its success. We have everything we need to achieve it".