Classic boat owners discouraged
Benoit Couturier recently arrived in the world of classic yachts with the purchase of the 19 MJI Mariquita, and was unpleasantly surprised by the way the sector works. A car collector, he is surprised by the differences and describes without detours what he describes as a hostage situation. " I'm not a sailor. My basic profession is architecture. I've always been interested in the beautiful and the rare. Objects come to you or not. There's a force that makes you buy them, like when I saw Mariquita. But there is a problem when you are told that there are 2 moments when you will be happy with a boat: when you buy it and when you sell it. We're being held hostage from one end to the other. I was immediately told that we would need two people on board all year round. It's a stupid thing to do. The season lasts 12 weeks a year. The rest of the time, the boat is wintering. One person passing every 3 days is enough. When you put things back into economic reality, people are willing to buy a classic boat. "
He also challenges the insurance system, which he claims to be changing as it has been possible to change in the automobile industry. " For Mariquita, the boat is worth 4/5 Meuros, but I don't want to insure the market value of the boat. I'm offered 1 identical contract for the year at 50,000 euros, even though she only sails 12 weeks a year. I would need two types of contracts, one for wintering and one in season. The world is changing, we have to adapt because the system discourages owners. These works of art are devalued " regrets Benoit Couturier.
An Atlantic alternative to the Mediterranean
In his desire to make the world of classic sailing evolve, Benoit Couturier wants to create a centre for beautiful yachts in the Atlantic. Flotillas already exist at the Yacht Club Classique de La Rochelle or in Port-Louis, but the owner of Mariquita, whose home port is Brest, has international ambitions. " Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez are just a creation of the municipality to make the season last. After October 15, the boats are stuck in the Mediterranean and an industry was built around them. In Brest, we are not far from the British who love regattas. We have a shipyard, the Guip, which has the will to accompany history. The port hadn't quite understood. But when the boat arrived, it was a popular success and when people are happy, the politicians are happy! " explains Mariquita's owner.
Towards a Classic Brest?
To support his project, Benoit Couturier wants to mobilize owners of classic boats in the Atlantic and convince financiers to support rallies and regattas. " We're just getting started. For this summer, I contacted boat owners and asked Jacques Caraës to make me a program for 12 weeks of the season. The objective is to gather boats this year. For 2022, I've agreed with the British that we'll do a race from Brest to Scotland for the Fife Regatta and a race down to Cowes. Then we'll have to find an event like the Brest Classic. There's an opportunity because it's cheaper than ocean racing which requires 50 budgets of 10 million euros. For a race, all you need is one million euros. We set up Le Mans Classique and today there are more people than at the 24 Hours of Le Mans "concludes optimistic Benoit Couturier.
