F18 Martinque Cataraid 2025: Day 1 by Pierrick Contin
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All images by Pierrick Contin / Martinique Cataraid 2025.
Official web & photos source: https://martiniquecataraid.com/en/pages/Accueil/
Pics from Day 1 stage Le Robert-Précheur. Results not updated yet.
Check first photo above black hulls, Manu Boulogne’s R3 new F18 design. The Cirrus 901 was an extreme bet, but Manu is never shy of trying something new and innovate. His Cirrus R and R2 continue to perform, and we think this new R3 will follow that legacy.
Scaled models of the hulls were shown in November at St Barts, hull lines more conservative but still some special features added.
All the best for Manu with the new Cirrus R3 launch.
Below report sent by Martinique Cataraid media:
27/01/2025
Le Robert – Le Prêcheur A tough leg and a lot of fun!
The 34 F18 and F16 catamaran crews and 9 wingfoil riders had a great time on this marathon 30-mile leg between Le Robert and Le Prêcheur. With strong conditions at the start, a series of desalinations off Grand Rivière and misty conditions at La Perle, this first leg was lively to say the least!
We knew this first leg of the Martinique Cata Raid would be crucial. On paper, it’s a tough stage with more than 30 miles to cover and numerous pitfalls to avoid: a physically demanding first part of the race with lots of wind, heavy seas, traps to avoid and competitors to contain.
Caravelle, Grand Rivière, La Perle… these emblematic sites of the island with their enchanting names evoke strategic points of passage for the sailors, where the slightest slip-up can be costly.
The end of the race, downwind of the island, is just as tricky, with unstable winds where all the cards can be reshuffled. To tackle the final rush, you have to keep your wits about you, be clear-headed and fresh… as much as possible in this glorious sunshine.
More than placing, the main challenge is to prevent the gaps from widening. In a race run on time, the slightest slip-up can be costly. The loss of water does nothing to dampen the spirits of the troops. We need to get going again, and fast!
The day’s race lived up to all its promises and the fact that 4 boats crossed the line in less than 10 seconds gives an idea of the sporting level and the commitment of the crews on this tenth edition of the Martinique Cata Raid!
Despite being handicapped by the loss of their port rudder, Victorien Erussard and Fred Moreau on Energy Observer won ahead of Nicolas Gillet and Nicolas Poix (Socoveam Anmizi). Matthieu Marfaing and Bastiaan Tentij (Cirrus – MM Sailing) take third place, just 9 seconds behind the day’s winners!
In the F16 class, Thomas Proust and Lou Berthomieu (Girafa&Criqueto) put in a superb performance, taking a fine 4th place overall.
In the wing class too, the riders had a lot of fun in this first heat, which they swallowed up in two hours, even allowing themselves the luxury of overtaking the fast catamarans. At the time of writing, the Martinique Wing Adventure rankings had not yet been officially announced.
Tomorrow, the 34 catamarans and 9 wing foils will set off on a 13-mile sprint leg between Le Prêcheur and Schoelcher. You were talking about commitment? With such a short format, we’re in for a treat! We can’t wait for tomorrow!
They said :
Fred Moreau – Victorien Erussard – Energy Observer – F18
We made an offering to Poseidon; we could have done without it for ourselves and for Poseidon. More seriously, we had a great race, a great day, worthy of the Martinique Cata Raid! It was the longest and windiest stage, with the famous Caravelle and Grand Rivière sections.
We got off to a good start, but then we eased off a bit, in spite of ourselves, but we still managed to stay with the leading pack.
We don’t really know how it happened, but after an hour and a half, we lost our rudder! It was a bit of a blow to our morale at the time, we thought the race was over. In the end, we realised that we’d managed to sail safely while limiting the damage in terms of time. At Grand Rivière, in the gusts, all our rivals started to desalt, so we found ourselves in the lead. We also knew that there would be a new start at La Perle, which didn’t fail to happen. It was also a little less dangerous for us with a less manoeuvrable boat.
At the end, it was a case of Olympic-style racing between three buoys: it was all about commitment! We’re happy to have won, we’re tired but it’s a great feeling!
Nicolas Gillet – Socoveam – Anmizi double-handed with Nicolas Poix – F18
We’re happy, we wanted to get off to a good start and get out among the frontrunners and that was the case. We followed that up with a very good upwind leg to the Caravelle! Nico and I are always surprised to find ourselves in the lead. We didn’t want to take any risks at Grand Rivière, but that didn’t stop us from losing the water. For the record, at the World Championship we desalinated twice, but the water was so cold that we learnt to get back on board very quickly! And that’s exactly what happened today! The end of the race is down to nothing; with the race to the finish, we’re happy, it’s good to get through this first leg in this way.
Thomas Proust F16 doubles with Lou Berthomieu – Girafa&Criqueto
It was a committed race. In the wind at the start it was hot, it was power! We managed to stay in the water and gradually caught up with a few F18s. In the end, we did really well and caught up with the leading group. We came in 5th, 5 or 10 seconds behind the frontrunners: that’s great!
Miguel Maguer – Wing foil
It was great, really great. The Caravelle was a bit complicated because the swell was going in all directions but then it was long rails, great! The icing on the cake was finishing at La Perle, which was really magnificent! As I’m not going as fast as the frontrunners, I’ve got time to admire the scenery 😉 It was really crazy!
Oscar Leclair – Wing foil
I really enjoyed it! It was really beautiful, with great conditions, great waves and good wind. Honestly, it was really great! Normally, I’d take first place.
We also had a bit of a battle with the catamarans, so it was nice to sail with them. There was a good battle with Alan (Fedit) on the first upwind leg! It was great fun!
