Leading IMOCA sailors Charlie Dalin, Benjamin Dutreux, Damien Seguin and Tanguy Le Turquais have been named as the newest #TeamMusto ambassadors ahead of the 2022 Défi Azimut, which started on Wednesday, 14 September in Lorient, France.
They join Musto’s roster of elite sailors taking part in the event, including Sam Davies, Charlie Enright, Jérémie Beyou and Boris Herrmann.
With the addition of Dalin, Seguin and Dutreux, there are now five #TeamMusto ambassadors in the top ten of the IMOCA Globe Series ranking.
The sailors will be kitted out in gear from Musto’s MPX and HPX offshore ranges, designed to offer sailors the protection and agility they need to win in a range of conditions.
“Musto is the best of the best in terms of quality of clothing and technical innovation,” commented Charlie Dalin, skipper of Apivia and current leader of the IMOCA Globe Series.
“It has been a goal of mine to partner with them for years and I am so excited to be taking on the most important race of the year, the Route du Rhum, wearing their gear.”
Charlie Dalin is one of the most formidable names in offshore sailing today, with a slew of podium placements in the last few years, including second place in the 2021 Vendée Globe and first place in the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre.
The French Skipper is sponsored by Apivia Mutuelle on the IMOCA circuit and will receive a brand new, cutting-edge IMOCA ahead of the 2024 Vendée Globe.
“Musto really listens to their ambassadors and the results speak for themselves,” said Benjamin Dutreux, Team Guyot environnement – Water Family.
“To achieve the highest quality of performance gear, you need to listen to experts in the field, who are racing these machines day in and day out. It really is an honour for me to join such esteemed company and I look forward to helping develop the next generation of offshore racing gear.”
Benjamin Dutreux is a rising star and one to watch on the IMOCA circuit. He is considered one of the revelations of the last Vendée Globe, in which he finished in ninth place onboard an older generation IMOCA.
He has since competed in the Transat Jacques Vabre and Vendée Arctique, finishing in eleventh place in both races. This will be his first Route du Rhum in what will likely be a longstanding career in offshore racing.
“Musto is always finding ways to make its kit more waterproof, lighter and easier to move around in.” remarked Seguin, Groupe Apicil skipper.
“IMOCAs develop quickly and there are always new technological innovations on the horizon to make these boats faster. The clothing we wear has to keep up and I know my partnership with Musto will enable me to perform at my peak.”
Born without a left hand, Damien Seguin is both a Paralympic champion and a stellar ocean racer. With two Gold medals to his name in the 2.4mR class in Athens and Rio, Damien first competed in ocean racing in 2005 in the Figaro circuit before moving to the Class 40, a boat on which he competed in several transatlantic races.
In a testament to his versatility, he won the Tour de France à la Voile in 2017. Seguin finished seventh in his first Vendée Globe, becoming the first Para Sailor to complete a round-the-world race.
Seguin is currently a key spokesperson for Musto partner World Sailing’s #BacktheBid campaign, an initiative to reinstate Para-Sailing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Tanguy Le Turquais is relatively new to IMOCAs, having established himself on the Figaro circuit with a second place position in the 2019 Solo Maître Coq and a third place position in the 2021 Solo Guy Cotten. The 2022 Défi Azimut and Route du Rhum will be his first time competing in both races.
“Charlie, Benjamin and Damien are three of the brightest stars in offshore sailing,” commented Nick Houchin, Musto’s Head of Marketing.
“They bring huge prestige and a wealth of experience to our Ambassador programme and we are looking forward to applying their considerable knowledge and experience to the development of our offshore ranges.”
“Our roster of #TeamMusto Offshore ambassadors goes from strength to strength and is the most impressive lineup of athletes any sailing brand has, in terms of cumulative results.
Working with the best in the world produces the strongest results when it comes to kit development; these sailors know what it means to win and we take their feedback and integrate it into every stage of product development,” Houchin concluded.
#TeamMusto ambassadors have been developing Musto’s next generation of HPX offshore gear ahead of The Ocean Race 2023. It is designed to weather the toughest sailing conditions known to man and will be formally announced later this year.
#TeamMusto Ambassador Roster
Armel Le Cléac’h: Banque Populaire
Armel Le Cléac’h is a legend of offshore racing. He is the only person to have achieved three podium finishes in the Vendée Globe, taking first place in 2016, and is among an elite few to have won the Solitaire du Figaro three times.
He has worked with Musto for over ten years and was wearing the brand during his Vendée victory. “I have done several Vendée Globe races and many transatlantic, ocean racing and other regattas wearing Musto.
This has always worked very well and has allowed me to have the right set of clothes for the weather conditions I have encountered,” commented Le Cléac’h. His next challenge aboard his 105ft trimaran Ultim Banque Populaire XI will be the Route du Rhum.
Boris Herrmann: Malizia
Boris Herrmann is the only German to have ever taken part in the Vendée Globe and in 2021, kitted out in Musto, he sailed home in fifth place, finishing the race in 80 days.
After finishing the 2017 Transat Jacques Vabre in fourth, and scoring third place in the Rolex Fastnet, he established himself as a deft IMOCA sailor.
He will tackle the Défi Azimut and the Route du Rhum in 2022 and The Ocean Race in 2023 with his newly launched IMOCA, Malizia – Seaexplorer.
Clarisse Crémer: Banque Populaire
Clarisse Crémer, a member of #TeamMusto since 2019, is an offshore sailing powerhouse. She finished in 12th place in the 2020 Vendée Globe, a record-breaking achievement.
Clarisse is mentored by Armel Le Cléac’h and together in the Transat Jacques Vabre they sailed Banque Populaire X across the finish line as the first non-foiling IMOCA and sixth overall.
Clarisse has her eyes on the prize and will undertake the 2024 Vendée Globe on Banque Populaire XII, currently Charlie Dalin’s Apivia, with which he finished second in the Transat Jacques Vabre and second in the Vendée Globe.
Erwan Le Roux: Koesio
Erwan Le Roux has a stellar track record in the ultra-competitive Ocean Fifty class with three first places in the Tour de France à la Voile (in 2008, 2009 and 2014) and as many victories in the Transat Jacques Vabre (2009, 2013 and 2015).
He also enjoyed tremendous success in the Route du Rhum 2014 with a reference time on the course in the Multi50 category (11 days, 5 hours, 13 minutes and 55 seconds). He hopes to reclaim his title in this year’s Route du Rhum, during which he will be wearing Musto.
Ian Lipinski: Crédit Mutuel
Following Lipinski’s two victories in the Mini Transat, he was able to realise his dream of moving up to Class 40. He quickly achieved notable results, including a victory in the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre and setting a record time for a solo tour of the British Isles. This year will see him compete in his first Route du Rhum, during which he will be wearing Musto.
Jérémie Beyou: Charal
A seasoned sailor in both single-handed and double-handed format, Jérémie Beyou is a force to be reckoned with. After a stellar third-place finish in the 2016 Vendée Globe, he went on to win the Vendée Arctique in 2020.
He, like Le Cléac’h is one of a small number of sailors to have won the Solitaire du Figaro three times. His ongoing partnership with Musto enables the brand to test their offshore gear in real-world conditions.
Beyou will tackle the Défi Azimut and Route du Rhum in his brand new Sam Manuard-designed IMOCA, Charal 2.
Louis Burton: Bureau Vallée
A recent addition to #TeamMusto, Louis Burton became a Musto ambassador in 2021 ahead of the Transat Jacques Vabre.
He had previously finished in third place in the 2020 Vendée Globe and 4th in the 2021 Défi Azimut. “Ever since I started sailing, I have dreamed of wearing Musto – it’s a guarantee of high performance,” said Burton. He will race his IMOCA in both the 2022 Défi Azimut and the Route du Rhum.
Sam Davies: Initiatives-Cœur
British skipper and #TeamMusto ambassador Sam Davies is a formidable single-handed round-the-world sailor. After securing fourth place in the 2008 Vendée Globe, Davies’ established herself as a top-tier offshore sailor.
She skippered during the 2014 Volvo Ocean Race and finished in second place in the 2020 Défi Azimut. In her capacity as a Musto ambassador, she has been instrumental in product development, especially women’s offshore racing gear.
This year’s Défi Azimut will be the racing debut of Davies’ brand new Sam Manuard-designed IMOCA, before she takes on the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe in November.
Sam Goodchild: Leyton
Sam Goodchild had one of the most successful years of his career in 2021 aboard the Ocean Fifty trimaran Leyton; he won the Pro Sailing Tour and came third in the Transat Jacques Vabre.
During these career-bests, he was also assisting Musto in the development of the 2022 MPX Offshore and MPX Race ranges.
An experienced ocean racing specialist, both crewed and solo, Sam devotes much of his time to The Magenta Project, an initiative designed to give more women offshore sailing experience. He will take on the Route du Rhum in his Ocean Fifty in 2022.
11th Hour Racing Team
In 2020 Musto became the Official Team Clothing Supplier to 11th Hour Racing Team. Musto’s partnership with founders Mark Towill and Charlie Enright dates back nearly ten years to the duo’s first round-the-world race in 2014-15.
They also wore Musto during the 2017-18 campaign with Vestas 11th Hour Racing, while Enright was outfitted in Musto’s offshore performance gear during the team’s fourth-place finish in the Transat Jacques Vabre.
For the next Ocean Race starting in 2023, the entire 11th Hour Racing Team, composed of Charlie Enright, Justine Mettraux, Francesca Clapcich, Jack Bouttell, Simon Fisher and Amory Ross, will all wear Musto, as well as the wider shore and support teams.
The partnership has also seen Musto develop the OSM (One Single Material) product line in collaboration with the team. OSM products are fully recyclable at their end of life.
11th Hour Racing Team will compete in the 2022 Défi Azimut aboard Mālama.
To find out more information, please visit www.musto.com