Gabart loses his sponsor
Macif, the French insurance company that has partnered with record-breaking superstar French sailor François Gabart for the last ten years, has announced that it will no longer be involved in Gabart’s Ultime trimaran programme.
Its sudden withdrawal from the giant multihull class came as a shock, as Gabart and his Merconcept team are in the middle of building a brand new 100ft foiling trimaran due to launch next spring. A press release issued by
Gabart’s Merconcept team confirms that it will continue to build the new tri, but Macif’s support will be focused on the IMOCA circuit – it already sponsors Charlie Dalin’s Apivia, which is also part of the Merconcept stable.
Skipper Gabart commented: “It is a huge challenge ahead of me with my team: complete the construction of a superb flying trimaran and find new players ready to accompany us on the extraordinary adventure of a crewed around the world record.”
Gabart will now be looking for a new sponsor for his Ultime. In a post on social media about the announcement, he tagged America’s Cup helmsman Jimmy Spithill, with whom he sailed on Macif in the Rolex Fastnet Race, drawing speculation that the pair could be a very marketable duo for any potential new backers.
Gabart’s partnership with Macif has been phenomenally successful – in 2010 he was 2nd in the Solitaire du Figaro, and moved into the IMOCA the following year, where he was rarely out of the top three placings. His IMOCA successes peaked with a record-breaking win of the 2012/13 Vendée Globe, after which he went on to set the current round the world solo sailing record in the Macif trimaran in 2017.