From MCR Press Release
Highly contested last leg between Le Marin and le Robert.
From the very moment the race started, five teams made the break: Boulogne brothers accompanied by Gillet/Girod, Ottou/Piazza, Marfaing/Boulogne and Mourniac/Durand, the same ones who have been driving the Martinique Cata Raid since day one.
The leaders succeeded each other at the head of the group, in a rather heavy sea. Nicolas Gillet and Ian Girod leading the fleet from Cap Ferré, and being the first to round Loup Garou mark. Very small gaps between the boats while there is only a long gennaker reach to cross the line.
Aurélien Ottou/ Rémi Piazza quickly took the lead again, but no one can resist the dazzling return of Matthieu Marfaing and Jean Boulogne. Incredible finish and razor-thin victory for the duo winners.
As a review
After one competition week in the Martinique waters, Lou Mourniac and Pierre-Yves Durand won this 9th edition of the Martinique Cata Raid. They have been head and shoulders above the fleet by winning three of the five heats. One knew they were individually strong. At the helm, Lou Mourniac, bottle-fed on sailing competition, follows in her father’s footsteps Jean-Christophe and his brother Tim, a spark-maker in Nacra 17, Lou being not outdone by winning a World Champion title in Nacra 15 last fall.
Pierre-Yves Durand is far from unknown in the F18 world, he also accumulates the titles in all major competitions of the circuit. He is the crew everyone dreams of and knows the boat at his fingertips.
None could guess how the pair was going to work for this unique association. The doubts were lifted right from the training run. “Lou has an incredible touch of helm and quickly adapts to the boat,” said Pierre-Yves on the first competition day. Superbly supported by her crew, the young Briton has indeed demonstrated all the extent of her talent for her first participation in the Martinique Cata Raid. By the way, it shall be noted that this is the first time a woman has won the race.
Matthieu Marfaing and Jean Boulogne also make a very nice copy. Despite some difficulties in preparing the boat, the two friends never gave up. By winning two of the five races, they reached the second step of the podium.
Third place overall goes to a crew from Martinique, likely the most regular in the competition: Nicolas Gillet and Ian Girod. The performance is all the more remarkable since Ian Girod, who replaced Nicolas Gillet’s usual team-mate, had never set foot on an F18 before!
More generally, a fully successful edition after a two-year break due to Covid pandemic.
