MEETING WITH MAXIME SOREL (skipper of the Imoca V and B – Monbana – Mayenne) AND SCREENING OF HIS FILM “MON DOUBLE EVEREST” WITH THE ASSOCIATION VAINCRE LA MUCOVISCIDOSE

In his film “Mon double Everest”, skipper Maxime Sorel shares his land/sea challenge, combining his Vendée Globe race, dubbed the Everest of the seas, with his ascent of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. In presenting this powerful tale of adventure, the sailor, national patron of the Vaincre la Mucoviscidose association, questions his audience about the limits of the human being. In particular, his film raises awareness of the daily difficulties of living with 70% less oxygen capacity. Skipper of the Imoca V and B – Monbana – Mayenne and associated with the association Vaincre la Mucoviscidose, Maxime Sorel will be offering an exclusive panel discussion on Saturday after the screening of his film and just a few weeks before his departure for the Vendée Globe 2024!

Attached photo of Maxime Sorel at the top of Mount Everest – Photo credit ©Sherpalaya

Location: Le Spot – Grand Pavois Beach

Date: Saturday, October 5 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm (film and debate) / 4:30 pm signing sessions

VENDÉE GLOBE 2024 MEETINGS: YANNICK BESTAVEN (winner of the last Vendée Globe and skipper of the Imoca 60 Maître CoQ V), ANTOINE CORNIC (skipper of the Imoca 60 Human Immobilier) AND ARNAUD BOISSIÈRES (skipper of the Imoca 60 La Mie Câline).

1 month before the start of the Vendée Globe 2024, we talk to Yannick Bestaven, skipper of the Imoca 60 Maître CoQ V and last Vendée Globe winner, Antoine Cornic, skipper of the Imoca 60 Human Immobilier and Arnaud Boissières, skipper of the Imoca 60 La Mie Câline. Although the first two have their projects based in La Rochelle, they will be coming to the Spot (the Grand Pavois Beach entertainment area), to talk about this non-stop, single-handed round-the-world race, which will set off from Les Sables d’Olonne on November 10. While Yannick, the most recent winner, will be tackling his third edition, this will be Antoine’s first participation in this legendary race. For Arnaud Boissières, based in Les Sables-d’Olonne, the starting and finishing port of this non-stop solo race, this 2024 edition will be… his 5th participation. An absolute record in the history of the Vendée Globe, since Arnaud has completed all 4 previous round-the-world races! Arnaud will also be on hand to present his book “Marin du Vendée: les dessous d’une course de légende”. A not-to-be-missed event…

Attached photo of Yannick Bestaven – Photo credit ©Yann Venance

Location: Le Spot – Grand Pavois Beach

Date: Sunday, October 6, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

FILM: “29 173 NM” – THOMAS RUYANT’S VENDÉE GLOBE 2020/21

On November 8, 2020, skipper Thomas Ruyant embarks on the most famous non-stop, unassisted, single-handed race around the world: the Vendée Globe. Using an innovative sound and image capture system, the sailor will record every moment of his single-handed life on his yacht. On his return, he made an intimate, dreamlike film sharing his intense crossing. Entitled “29,173 NM” (29,173 nautical miles) to reflect the distance of his circumnavigation of the globe, Thomas’ extreme visual and sound experience offers a unique immersion at his side, transcended by the magnetism and chaos of the natural elements. Orchestrated by video composer Molécule and co-directed by Vincent Bonnemazou, the film “29 173 NM” will be shown exclusively at Grand Pavois Beach on Sunday, October 6.

Location: Le Spot – Grand Pavois Beach

Date: Sunday, October 6 at 3pm

HANDI CAP’ACCESS: ACCESSIBLE BOATING FOR ALL DISABLED PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES

For the 14th year, the Comités Départementaux Sport Adapté 17, Handisport 17 and the Charente-Maritime department will be informing, welcoming and supervising people with disabilities who wish to discover and learn about water sports. Among the many activities on offer, six boats, three times a day, will enable people with all kinds of disabilities, and their families, to enjoy hour-and-a-half sailing baptisms. Some fifty volunteers will be manning the two Handi Cap’Access stands on the beach and pontoon 3. Two types of adapted wheelchairs will be available for disabled people to get into the water, including one with floats for swimming. A carpet on the beach (Grand Pavois Beach) will enable wheelchair users to move around the site. The Handi Cap’Access stand has been designated “Grande cause nationale, bouger 30 minutes par jour” by the French Ministry of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Registration required for sea outings by writing to cd17@handisport.org or visiting their office at 18 rue Jean Effel, 17000 La Rochelle.

Location: Entrance to Grand Pavois Beach and pontoon 3 (sea outings subject to registration)

Date: Thursday, October 3 to Sunday, October 6

ROUND TABLE ON MARITIME DECARBONATION: OBSERVATIONS AND CONCRETE SOLUTIONS.

A round-table discussion will be held on Thursday, October 3 at 10:30 a.m. with EDF and the Grand Pavois La Rochelle. Under the patronage and with the presence of Phil Sharp (skipper of Ocean Lab and president of Genevos), this round-table will address the themes of international maritime freight, synthetic fuel, the return of sailing and advances in traction wing propulsion for ships, with the presence of specialist speakers (by invitation and registration).

Venue: Tribord Sailing Lab (outside the show, by invitation and registration)

Date: Thursday, October 3, 10:30 a.m.

AWARDS CEREMONY: TROPHÉES INNOVATION NAUTISME NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE.

Sud-Ouest is organizing the fifth edition of the Trophées Innovation Nautisme Nouvelle-Aquitaine, with the participation of the Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Atlantic Cluster and a panel of local players. The competition is open to all companies, startups and project leaders in the maritime sector in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Charline Picon is the godmother of this 5th edition of the Trophées! World champion and five-time European champion in RS:X! And now, bronze medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympics in 49ER FX sailing with teammate Sarah Steyaert.

The winning projects will be presented by their promoters before a jury at the Grand Pavois La Rochelle on Thursday, October 3, 2024, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The winners will be announced on the same day, Thursday October 3, at 6:00 pm, on the Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine stand (stand A01).

Location: Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine stand

Date: Thursday, October 3 -18:00

ROUND TABLE: THE FUTURE OF BOARD SPORTS?

Is flying on water the future of board sports? After the boom in windsurfing, followed by funboarding, the explosion of paddleboarding, the revival of surfing, the emergence of kite surfing and the advent of foils to optimize sensations, where are we heading and where are the leading brands in boardsports and water sports? It’s a real subject, both entertaining and economic, that our specialists will be tackling. BirdyFish, Hobie Europe, RS Sailing… Interesting!

Venue: Le Spot – Grand Pavois Beach

Date: Thursday, October 3, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm

ROUND TABLE: WHAT FUTURE FOR TRADITIONAL BOATS?

France has just over 1,600 boats with the BIP (bateau d’intérêt patrimoine) label, and almost 300 protected boats (listed or classified as historic monuments). Fifty years ago, there were only a handful of these old, modest or prestigious boats. It’s time to consider the future of this ecosystem, which is attracting growing public interest. This round-table discussion, organized by Jean-Marie Chauvet d’Arcizas with Gwendal Jaffry from Chasse-Marée, on Thursday October 3 in the Espace presse, will map the current and future world of traditional boats, while answering the following questions: What is a heritage boat, and what should be preserved? Why preserve and restore these boats? What are the paths to protection and certification? What assistance is available to boat owners, whether they are owners, associations, local authorities or companies? What administrative and professional networks can they draw on?

Location: Press room (by invitation only)

Date: Thursday, October 3 – 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm

DEDICATION: ANTOINE AND HIS “PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SETTING SAIL

French sailor, author, singer and video artist Antoine, famous since the release of his first album “Les élucubrations” in 1966, will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his first circumnavigation by sailboat at this year’s Grand Pavois La Rochelle. A loyal visitor to our show since its inception, Antoine likes to recall that his passion for sailing was born at the Grand Pavois La Rochelle. He tells part of the story in the fourth edition of his book “Guide pratique pour mettre les voiles avec Antoine”, published by Gallimard Voile. A public presentation and signing session is scheduled for Friday, October 4. Antoine himself describes his book as “the book he would have liked to have found when he set sail for the first time”.

Antoine will be holding further book signings at the show’s Espace Médias on October 2, 3, 5 and 6. Schedules to be found in the show’s daily program.

Date and place: Book signings from Wednesday October 2 to Sunday October 6 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Espace Médias – France Bleu (stand P25 ) and on Friday October 4 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Le Spot (Grand Pavois Beach) with film screenings, Q&A and book signings.

BOOK SIGNING: CAPUCINE TROCHET AND “TARA TARI, MES AILES, MA LIBERTÉ” (TARA TARI, MY WINGS, MY FREEDOM)

In this tale of the sea and resilience, author and sailor Capucine Trochet recounts her wild adventure with Tara Tari, the nine-meter-long, two-meter-wide boat built by low-tech genius Corentin de Chatelperron. Partly made of jute canvas, it was built in Bangladesh. The boat’s architect had warned that the little craft, 9 m long and 2 m wide, was not designed to cross the Atlantic. However, it was the only boat Capucine could trust. It has to be said that Capucine suffers from a rare disease, Elhers-Danlos syndrome, which causes leg injuries, has confined her to a wheelchair and forced her to use crutches. It took more than that to discourage the incredible Capucine! Capucine tells all about it in her book “Tara Tari, mes ailes, ma liberté”… A must-read!

Location: Le Spot – Grand Pavois Beach

Date: Friday, October 4, 3pm to 4pm

ADVENTURE – THE ODYSSEY EXPERIENCE JEANNEAU WITH SAIL FOR TOMORROW

Five young winners of Jeanneau’s student competition “The Odyssey Experience” will officially set sail from the Grand Pavois La Rochelle, aboard a Sun Odyssey 410 sailboat. The crew, Sail for Tomorrow, hailing from the four corners of France, will embark on a ten-month epic to Tahiti to develop the humanitarian project that won them the competition. In partnership with the NGO Surfrider Foundation, the team of Fanny (the ocean veteran), Faustine (the dedicated scout), Iñaki (the skipper), Arthur (the videographer) and Ben (the extreme kitter) aims to raise awareness of ocean protection among schoolchildren scattered across the globe. This multi-disciplinary educational project, in collaboration with local teachers, will enable children to follow the boat and interact with the sailors throughout their adventure. The 300,000 subscribers to the Jeanneau brand and Surfrider will be able to follow the Sail For Tomorrow adventures live on social networks. The Sun Odyssey 410, named “Tiboulen”, will be officially christened in the presence of the crew and Jeanneau teams on Wednesday, October 02. A time of exchange with the team is planned on the pontoons on Sunday October 6 at 10am, before their official departure which will take place on Sunday at 4pm from pontoon 2 of the Grand Pavois La Rochelle.

Location: Espace Bateaux Evénements – Pontoon 2

Date: Sunday, October 6 at 3:30 pm

HIGHLIGHTS OLYMPIC GAMES PARIS 2024 WITH THE PRESENCE OF ATHLETES AND FFVOILE.

Presence of Charline Picon and Sarah Steyaert with the FFVoile, both bronze medalists in the 49er at the last Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Remember that Charline, with this new medal, becomes the sportswoman with the greatest Olympic record in the history of French sailing with a gold medal in RS:X windsurfing at the Rio Olympics (Brazil) in 2016, a silver medal in RS:X windsurfing at the Beijing Olympics (China) in 2020 and this bronze medal in 49er at the Paris Olympics (France). Other FFVoile athletes to be announced.

Venue: Le Spot – Grand Pavois Beach

Date: Saturday, October 5, 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

NAV’SOLIDAIRE AND LA RÊVEUSE

The Passe-Coque association, which brings together the circular economy, social action and solidarity in the yachting sector, and gives a useful new life to boats in disrepair, presents the Damien 40 La Rêveuse, in collaboration with Nav’Solidaire. Nav’Solidaire will set sail the day after Grand Pavois La Rochelle, bound for Gambia and Senegal, with 100 kg of prostheses on board. The association is the brainchild of five friends: Antoine, Stéphanie, Guillaume, Boris and Thomas. While all share a common passion for the sea, sailing and navigation, the story of Voil’Solidaire began with the discovery of Antoine’s disability as a left femoral amputee… From now on, their aim: to bring prosthetic equipment to people who don’t have access to it… under sail! The aim: to recycle and redistribute to the most disadvantaged amputees prosthetic equipment that is no longer used in Europe, given that there are some 80 million disabled people in the world who are not fitted with orthopaedic devices. Nav’Solidaire collects the prostheses in France and transports them to local centers to ensure that they are properly received and redistributed to rehabilitation centers. To meet…

Location: Pontoon 2 – Espace Bateaux Evénements

Date: Tuesday 1st to Sunday 6th October

AUCTION OF AN ORIGINAL WORK BY SUPERBOURDI – IN AID OF VAINCRE LA MUCOVISCIDOSE

La Rochelle-based street artist Superbourdi will be creating a live large-format acrylic painting on a boat sail. This new creation will be unveiled in public at the “Vaincre la mucoviscidose” stand, before being auctioned off on the same day for the benefit of the association. Lénaïc Bourdelaud’s paintings and collages can be seen in La Rochelle, Nantes, Paris, Bordeaux and London. Known for the poetry of his works and his famous little character, Bobby, Superbourdi’s work has already sold at Hôtel Drouot.

Venue: Le Spot – Grand Pavois Beach

Date: Saturday, October 5, 4:30pm (auction)