Despite the unseasonal weather, it was hard to miss Philippe and Fred’s luminous yellow jackets on the pontoons of La Grande-Motte. However, this pair don’t go looking for the limelight, and neither of them ever tries to get one up on the other. Humor is always present in the conversation, a way for them to hide their justifiable pride in what they have created. They have been friends since their teens, sharing high school, mopeds and their first youthful escapades. They met again years later, after following very different paths. Being a dental technician was too sedentary a job for Fred. Jean-François de Prémorel welcomed him at JTA (Jeanneau Techniques Avancées) as a way to retrain him. It was the great era of Fleury-Michon, Primagaz, Pierre 1er... and the first Lagoon catamarans. The ten weeks of training turned into eleven years! At the start of the millennium, he created Le Comptoir du Catamaran. By chance or coincidence, his friend Philippe Michel, who had worked in finance and transport, had more than enough office space in his communication company. The duo was back together, and not short of ideas. At the end of the first decade of the 2000s, their imaginations were challenged by Thierry Fréchier, who was looking for ideas for the Cité de la Voile Éric Tabarly in Lorient. This is when the concept of a multihull show was born. The story does not say what beverages accompanied the dinner, but in just one evening, everything was outlined. After so many shows where multihulls were the poor relations, the idea was immediately to put themselves at the service of the exhibitors and to promote their catamarans and trimarans. By fitting out the pontoons on request, it is possible to discover multihulls in a different way than just with the aft end against the quayside. The duo succeeded in convincing the people of Lorient to alternate between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and anchored a spring date in the constructors’ calendar. While they were initially aiming for Marseille or Canet-en-Roussillon, Philippe and Fred were convinced by the mayor of La Grande-Motte. Being pragmatic, they are now pleased with this choice. Thanks to the proximity of the TGV high speed train, the airport and the range of available hotels, it is now easier to attract visitors, most of whom are foreigners. The first edition in 2010 was a success that justified a second one. The show then went from strength to strength and it took a global pandemic to put the brakes on. But that was just a short hiatus; the yards and equipment manufacturers and all the other exhibitors were still loyal. They were ready to support what has become their “home“. So they came back in even greater numbers in 2022, occupying one kilometer of pontoons and supported by a team of around one hundred people. It’s a big set-up compared to the first editions, but the two associates are blessed with foresight, and know how to listen, even if that means only hosting the event in the Mediterranean now. Their cheerful enthusiasm is reflected in the almost familylike atmosphere that reigns at this show, especially after three years without being able to meet up. The Bill Harley and Arthur Davidson of the multihull can be proud of their “baby“. They have only one objective: to see it perpetuated. There’s no doubt that the mutual respect that they have for each other, their complementary intelligence and their unshakeable sense of humor have enabled them to once again work miracles. The two friends can now go on vacation together - on a multihull of course!
