Nice, the capital of immoderation

After the "Warm-Up" in Marseille and a first non-point-scoring confrontation for the Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region Prologue, Sodebo Ultim', IDEC SPORT and Actual-Grand Large Emotion are now in the port of Nice thrilling the local audience, their epic proportions impressing the crowds.

Along the Promenade des Anglais, visitors have already been flocking to the Discovery Exhibition offering them a total immersion in the Ultime trimaran universe. On a sporting level, the crews of Thomas Coville, Francis Joyon and Yves Le Blévec will once again be able to size each other up during Sunday's Exhibition Run (start at 11:30am), a three-day warm-up before the start of the main event of the Nice UltiMed.

Have you ever seen a Formula 1 park up in a parking space smack bang in the middle of a major city? In some ways, this is what the Nice UltiMed is proposing. Through until Sunday 6 May, the city of Nice will thrill to the rhythm of this new event that showcases the human and technological feats that are seldom presented in the Mediterranean. In port this Saturday, the imposing outlines of the three maxi trimarans IDEC Sport, Sodebo Ultim' and Actual-Grand Large Emotion have been sparking the curiosity of the locals and tourists alike.

The Discovery Exhibition is already filled

Before or after admiring the giants, the general public have the chance to immerse themselves in the Ultime universe by entering into the massive 'cathedral tent' set up along the Promenade des Anglais. On the menu for this Discovery Exhibition, which is free to visit: a giant screen immersion, a museography presenting the sailors, their boats and their crews, the presentation of unique objects and an exploration behind the scenes of the event with the staging of the Race Centre...

"I'm bowled over by this exhibition, which gives the public a better understanding of the environment we live in", enthuses Thomas Coville, skipper of Sodebo Ultim'. "There's real scenography in evidence here and I've never seen the likes of it anywhere else, neither on the Volvo Ocean Race, nor in the America's Cup. The video on the giant screen is impressive and the personal objects are cleverly mounted. The exhibition really captures the good times, the key objects and the emotion... It reflects the character of the different sailors very well." The visitors were right to come out in force then from this first day of opening.

Kick-off of the Exhibition Run at 11:30am on Sunday

From tomorrow, Sunday, Sodebo Ultim', IDEC SPORT and Actual-Grand Large Emotion will cast off from the pontoons of Nice from 09:30am to take the start of the Exhibition Run. The kick-off for this non-point-scoring course will be given at 11:30am, with a start line set close to shore, off Rauba Capeù. All the spectators will have a ringside seat.

"For the public, it will be as if they are witnessing the show on the Committee Boat as even the flags will be hoisted from Rauba Capeù!", explains Christophe Gaumont, the Race Director. "Given the light breeze forecast, the Ultimes will set sail on a course spanning around twenty miles. First off, they'll round a mark near Nice airport, to remain within visual contact of the Promenade, then they'll head towards Cap Ferrat and Monaco, before returning to Nice."

It will be the last on-the-water session before the main event of the Nice UltiMed, which will take the giants towards Corsica, Sardinia, the Balearics and the coastline skirting the Sud-Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region. Note the date: it's Wednesday 2 May, at 1:02pm that the start will be given by Armel Le Cléac'h (skipper of the Maxi Banque Populaire IX) and Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice.

www.niceultimed.com