Three months after securing third place in the Vendée Globe 2016-2017, Jérémie Beyou is back for his fourth consecutive campaign in the singlehanded round the world race, with a new partner alongside him, Charal, and a mutual desire: to win!
“The perfect partner to give me a shot at winning the Vendée Globe”
© Jean-Louis Carli / Charal“The Vendée Globe is an extraordinary race. I was lucky enough to finish it in third place. It’s not just down to luck, it also involves a lot of work by the whole team and I’m convinced that with the same people and with new partners to support me in my efforts, I’m capable of finishing higher than third. Charal is the perfect partner to give me a shot at winning the Vendée Globe”, explains the skipper from Finistère, north-west France.
Charal, which notably supported Olivier de Kersauson in the Jules Verne Trophy in the early nineties, is back in the sailing universe, determined to win and keen to showcase the company’s values, which are very similar to those in sailing.
“Today, the notoriety of Charal, brand leader on the meat market, is well established, since we boast 97% aided recall, explains CEO Mathieu Bigard. We’re communicating through advertising campaigns on TV, in the press and on social networks, but our needs are twofold: on the one hand to develop a positive narrative about meat by highlighting values such as vitality and strength, and on the other, to establish a closer connection with our clientele. This partnership will enable us to do just that. On top of this, our participation in the IMOCA Ocean Masters and Vendée Globe circuits mirrors the DNA of Charal, which is a high performance, innovative brand. We find this same spirit of innovation and performance within IMOCA: at every edition of the Vendée Globe, new, more sophisticated generations of boats improve on the previous race times. Finally, sailing, is also about team spirit, a notion that we really cherish.”
A new foiling VPLP design built at CDK Technologies
© Jean-Louis Carli / CharalThis state of mind perfectly adheres to that of Jérémie Beyou, with whom Charal has decided to sign up for the long-haul. Indeed, the partnership is set to extend through until 2022 inclusive and include a Vendée Globe, two editions of the Route du Rhum (2018-2022) and as many Transat Jacques Vabres (2019-2021). Ambition also means a new foiling boat, according to designs that are already being worked on by the Beyou Racing design office and VPLP naval architects, which will be built by the CDK Technologies yard for a scheduled launch in the summer of 2018. “We’re keen to build a modern, high performance boat, adds Jérémie Beyou, who will be competing in the Solitaire URGO Le Figaro in June sporting the colours of Charal and gunning for a 4th historic victory. It’s shaping up to be a great adventure and a project that all the team has dreamed of, which is both technologically avant-gardist and ambitious in sporting terms, as well being a rich human experience with a great team. We needed to switch things up a gear and really aspire to victory in the Vendée Globe. Charal will certainly give us the means to satisfy our aims.” Mathieu Bigard concludes: “Charal is very proud to be back in the sailing world and is hoping for a great many fine victories.”
Race Programme
2017
April: Start of build studies for the 60-foot monohull Charal
June : Solitaire du Figaro
2018
June: Solitaire du Figaro
Summer: Launch of the 60-foot monohull Charal
November: Route du Rhum
2019
June: Solitaire du Figaro
October: Transat Jacques Vabre
2020
May: New York - Vendée
November: Vendée Globe
2021
October: Transat Jacques Vabre
2022
May: New York - Barcelona
October: Route du Rhum
Source: Charal Voile
