Competition and recreational boating moving forward in tandem
The scene takes place in the Mediterranean, off the French coast in the early 1980s. An offshore boat, launched on calm seas in good weather, is closely followed by a helicopter trailing in its wake. A muscular man stands ready for action on the helicopter’s right skid, skimming the waves. On the boat, the brand “Tullio Abbate” is displayed in a laurel wreath and a large “Mister Nicolas” is featured on the sides. The man leaps onto the sun deck and boards the boat. Jean-Paul Belmondo has just performed one of his spectacular stunts in Le Marginal. This is how millions of viewers, and later television audiences, were able to dream for a few breathless minutes of luxury and speed, imagining themselves on board a V-hull designed for racing. The boat was loaned for the film by none other than Alain Prost, multiple-time Formula 1 world champion, who bought this beautiful toy to celebrate the birth of his son Nicolas. Racing drivers and powerboat racers belong to worlds that are close, yet generally separate, with yards like Italy’s Abbate or America’s Magnum and Cigarette to help bring them a lot closer together.
Stars, speed and leisure
During this prosperous decade, leisure and holidays are more than ever synonymous with piloting fast, powerful boats at sea for international music, film and racing stars. Celebrity magazines relish this every summer, while indirectly promoting the entire motorboat sector.
In the mid-1980s, offshore racing reaches its peak in Europe, with over 30 Class 1 boats – the most powerful class competing in the world championship – starting in major events in the English Channel or the Mediterranean. In the United States, the performances achieved by the best catamarans are astonishing, and America’s Al Copeland sets a new official world record at 222.87 km/h in March 1987 in Miami. But at speeds like this, the slightest imbalance can be fatal, especially for large monohulls reaching 190 km/h. In August of the same year, the champion racing driver Didier Pironi, at the helm of his ACX 41′ Colibri, built in Brest, has a fatal accident with his crew off the Isle of Wight, a tragedy that will have significant repercussions.
Inland water racing
However, the advances with powerboat racing can also be seen on inland waterways, and from the late 1970s, two French recreational boat builders also turn their attention to this high-risk sport and its Grand Prix races. After being absent from competitions for around 15 years, Jeanneau creates a Formula 1 powerboat racing team, equipped with single-seat outboard catamarans that will enjoy major success for several years. The yard capitalizes on this opportunity to develop its technical expertise in composite construction, particularly with Kevlar, while enhancing its brand image. Among other races, it triumphs in the 24 Hours of Rouen in 1987 with a triple victory, setting a new distance record of 2,627 kilometers at an average speed of 109 km/h. Alongside this, Bénéteau also moves into inshore performance racing, partnering with the Dutch champion and exceptional builder Cees Van der Velden to design and develop the latest generation of outboard catamarans. Its immediate success, with the Velden/Posey crew winning the Paris Six Hours event in 1979, sets the tone for the following decade. From the early 1980s, the Velden-Bénéteau Racing team rises to the top level of the inshore Grand Prix world championships, which France had been absent from. Cees Van der Velden, also an OMC factory pilot for Johnson engines, leads an international team that includes the talented François Salabert, one of the very few professional French racers. However, the close collaboration between the Dutch champion and Bénéteau extends beyond simply sports results. By creating the first generation of the Flyer range, it clearly illustrates the decisive influence of competition on the performance of recreational boat hulls and engines.