The Wichard team is proud to support the project of Damien Le Moign and Alexandre Noël, who are preparing for the Cap Martinique aboard their JPK1030, in support of the Arthritis Foundation.
Damien’s wife suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that forces her to undergo frequent surgeries. The Cap Martinique is a meaningful and committed race, making it a natural and powerful goal for the duo.
The start of this transatlantic challenge is set for April 18, 2026. The sailors will depart from La Trinité-sur-Mer, sail south of Madeira, and finally arrive in Fort-de-France. The crossing is expected to take around twenty days, covering 3,800 nautical miles.
Despite their dedication and involvement with the Arthritis Foundation, the two skippers bring plenty of joy and enthusiasm to their project. Their strong family spirit has already earned them notable successes, like their impressive 3rd place finish in IRC 2 at the Tour de Belle Île, a regatta that included 300 boats!
For that occasion, Alexandre was joined by his wife Sandrine (a multi-time French champion), and his son Quentin (currently ranked among the top 15 French Optimist sailors). Lionel DEROI, a close friend and supporter of the project, completed the crew.
During the race, the team performed eight sail changes (spinnaker and Code 0). After the event, Alex shared his excitement:
"In that area, Wichard’s Speedlink snap hooks really stood out: they were heavily used and extremely helpful on the spinnaker halyards and sheets. Easy to use one-handed and boasting exceptional load capacity, we recommend them 200%!!"
Moreover, our partnership with Damien Le Moign and Alexandre Noël represents a long and trusted relationship. Wichard had already sponsored the two skippers 20 years ago, when they competed in the Melges World Championship in San Francisco, finishing 21st out of 90 teams! 👏
This time, they’re gearing up for the ArMen Race Uship, which kicks off tomorrow, Thursday, May 29, 2025.
This coastal race forms a loop in the Bay of Biscay, covering 350 nautical miles:
La Trinité-sur-Mer – l'Occidentale de Sein – Belle-Île – Île d'Yeu – La Trinité-sur-Mer 🧭
160 boats, including more than 50 double-handed entries, are set to join the adventure.
Just before the event, we collected their thoughts:
"T-minus 1 day before the ArMen Race, our first offshore race of the season. We can't wait to get out there and test our new Proline tethers." – Damien
"Our Fastnet qualification is on the line. We’ll try to put into practice all the lessons learned over the winter and perform well in this high-level fleet!" – Alex
Last week, a small Wichard communications team joined them aboard their boat Ciboulette. It was a chance (for our talented mediaman Thibaut Aroun – Arcosoon Production) to capture beautiful footage under ideal conditions (sun and wind) and to get a deeper understanding of the skippers and their mission. This makes us even more thrilled to support this partnership!
We wish Alexandre and Damien fair winds for the ArMen Race and all their upcoming challenges!
