A nice double for a flame without return. Two one-way trips aboard two legendary sailing boats, which will mark the spirits and launch the epic of the flame in France. Historic ship, 51 meters long, the Belem will thus transport the precious light from April 27 to May 8, 2024, between Greece, the traditional point of lighting the torch, and Marseille, point of arrival on French territory and launch of a journey that will feature a much more modern sailboat.

One hundred and twenty-five years thus separate the legendary Belem, the last three-masted French barque with a steel hull from the maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire XI, all carbon, launched in the spring of 2021. And responsible for transporting the Olympic flame between Brest and the West Indies. The departure is scheduled for June 7, 2024 in the early evening and the arrival eight days later, on June 15, in sunny Guadeloupe. “We have a precise timing. I hope there will be wind, because if there is not, we will be stressed. For once, the challenge will not be to arrive quickly and the first but to be on time, details in Figaro Armel Le Cléac’h. In order to avoid a fatal capsize or breakage, the winner of the Solitaire du Figaro and the Vendée Globe, skipper of the 32-meter flying trimaran, has planned a little margin with an 8-day crossing to Guadeloupe, the record for the Route du rhum (departing from Saint-Malo) culminating in 6 days and 19 hours.

Supported by the Banque Populaire, sponsor of the route of the flame (like the Caisse d’Epargne), Armel Le Cléac’h does not hide his joy at being able to participate in the Olympic adventure. “It’s a great pride to carry the flame, this very special message with our boat, confides this enthusiast of the Games. I love following the competitions with these athletes from all over the world. Qualifying for the Games is already quite a challenge. I had the chance to go to Rio with the French sailing team and experience the atmosphere of the Games there. It remains an immense memory, in particular Charline Picon’s gold medal in windsurfing and the 100 meter final with Usain Bolt. In France, it will be incredible”.

And if the crew of 4 or 5 members who will embark on board its giant multihull is not yet known, it should display close links with the Games and the West Indies. If they are available (which will not be the case for Teddy Riner), Marie José Pérec, triple Olympic champion (400 meters in 1992 and 1996, 200 meters in 1996) and Jean Galfione, in Olympic gold (pole vault in 1996), converted into an offshore racing sailor, could logically find a place on board. “We simply asked that they have a little sea legs, it’s still a crossing of the Atlantic with a committed navigation, and that Sébastien Josse embarks. Two of us can get by,” says the chief skipper, still unhappy during his last Route du rhum on this metropolis-Antilles trip, finished in 7th place after the breakage of his central daggerboard. After a tour of Guadeloupe, his beautiful blue boat will set sail the next day, June 16, to travel 100 nautical miles to Martinique, again with the flame and a crew linked to the Caribbean islands and the Olympics.

“Paris 2024 makes the choice,” explains Armel Le Cléac’h. What we have to do in the meantime is to design and set up a well-sheltered support inside the boat to accommodate the lantern with the flame. There is no risk of fire but it must be wedged well so that it cannot move and break in the shocks. We are waiting for the dimensions but I am thinking of putting it in the living area, near the chart table. We have a year to do that. It’s up our alley, it took us two years to build the whole boat”, laughs the Breton sailor, who does not forget the name of the godfather who broke the traditional bottle of champagne during his baptism, two years ago. to the harbor. “I admire Tony Estanguet’s career, with his three gold medals, I followed all his finals, and a successful retraining at the IOC, then obtaining the Games in Paris and the presidency of the organizing committee… that, he remains friendly and hasn’t taken the big head”… Two characteristics that stick well to Armel Le Cléac’h. shared flame.