Actual group announces the acquisition of Gitana 17

Actual group announces the acquisition of Gitana 17, the Maxi Trimaran Edmond de Rothschild:
A new step for a project driven by performance and excellence in the group's sports commitment.

Actual and sport: shared values

At Actual group, our work is above all a human adventure. Meeting individuals, listening to their needs, supporting them, and guiding them toward their professional future. This human bond, which shapes our daily work, is also reflected in our sports commitment. By supporting ambitious projects, we build strong links with athletes and their teams, sharing a common mindset and values with them: team spirit, rigor, and performance. In sport as at work, we believe in the collective strength.

The acquisition of Gitana 17: a renewed ambition

With the acquisition of Gitana 17, the Maxi Trimaran Edmond de Rothschild, Actual group enters a new phase of its project, resolutely focused on performance and excellence. This visionary boat, designed to fly above the seas, embodies audacity, innovation, and precision.

I would like to warmly thank and congratulate Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild for their audacity and forward-thinking vision. Thanks to this commitment, Gitana 17 has pushed the boundaries of what was imaginable in the world of offshore racing. A huge congratulations also to Cyril Dardashti, team manager, and the entire Gitana team, whose visionary design gave birth to a boat that has become a benchmark and an inspiration for many other players in offshore racing. Its skipper, Charles Caudrelier, wrote an extraordinary page in the history of this boat, achieving exceptional successes thanks to his talent, hard work, and ability to master this exceptional machine. His track record, enriched by major victories, will forever remain linked to the DNA of Gitana 17 and the reach of Team Gitana. By integrating Gitana 17 into its project, Actual group joins a tradition of excellence and innovation, ready to take on new challenges worthy of this exceptional legacy.

Samuel Tual
President of Actual Group

I am very proud of the trust placed in me. I am aware of what is at stake and the high standards this project demands, but I am certain that with the Team and Yves Le Blevec, we will meet this challenge. Before us, we have an exceptional boat, a true concentrate of innovation and technology, which will allow us to push our limits and achieve top-level performance. It is an adventure that requires the very best from everyone, and I am convinced that, collectively, we have the skills and determination needed to build upon the great history of this boat.

Anthony Marchand
Skipper of Actual Ultim 3

A project that commits and inspires us

This new challenge comes with a clear ambition: to achieve excellence and rank among the leaders of the Ultim class. As Samuel Tual points out: “We have a talented young skipper who is eager to fulfill his potential; we had to give him the means by providing him with the most high-performing boat in the fleet today. That is now done. This project will compel us to step up our game and be even more demanding. We are now embracing ambitious sporting goals, something the previous boat did not allow us to envision.”

2025 Schedule: a year of transition and preparation

• Launch at the beginning of summer.
• Transat Café l’Or, departure on October 26, Le Havre: Actual Ultim 4 will line up its bow on the starting line of the Transat Café l’Or in the autumn, under its new colors.

With this project, Actual group reinforces its commitment to innovation, performance, and excellence, both in sports and in its daily business. Together, we are ready to write a new chapter of this great adventure.

An Ultim in numbers

• 30 m: length
• 22 m: beam
• 4.5 m: draft
• 620 m²: downwind sail area
• 400 m²: upwind sail area

Actual and sailing: a history spanning over 20 years

Since 2001, Actual has distinguished itself in ocean racing. Committed alongside Yves Le Blevec since the Mini Transat, we are proud to be among the long-standing partners of this demanding discipline. This relationship, unique in its longevity, relies on mutual trust and respect between Yves Le Blevec and Samuel Tual, President of Actual group. The sporting projects of Team Actual and the group's growth have mutually fed into each other. In January 2023, Anthony Marchand joined the adventure as skipper of Actual Ultim 3, becoming the youngest skipper in the Ultim class. He set off on the Arkéa Ultim Challenge 2024, his first solo round-the-world race, thereby consolidating our commitment to pushing boundaries.

The Actual Ultims

• 2014:Actual Ultim (ex Maxi Sodebo)
• 2019:Actual Leader Ultim (ex Sodebo 2)
• 2020:Actual Ultim 3 (ex Macif)
• 2025:Actual Ultim 4 (ex Maxi Edmond de Rothschild)

Gitana 17, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild Track Record

• 2019:winner of the Brest Atlantiques, double-handed, Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas
• 2021:winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre, double-handed, Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas
• 2022:winner Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, skipper Charles Caudrelier
• 2024:winner of the Arkea Ultim Challenge – Brest, 1st solo non-stop round-the-world race for ULTIMs, skipper Charles Caudrelier

About Actual

Today, the 5th largest player in the employment and labor market in France, Actual group is a French group with a resolutely humanistic vision, campaigning every day to facilitate the right to work for all. Organized around 4 core businesses – temporary work, recruitment, career support, and training – the group is No. 1 in inclusive temporary employment in France. Led by Samuel Tual, a committed entrepreneur, Actual group has developed genuine expertise in supporting individuals toward employment throughout France, as well as in Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland, through employment and skills development solutions. The group also offers a comprehensive range of HR solutions to support companies and find or build the skills they need. Thanks to its 4,000 employees and over 600 agencies across the territory, Actual group currently supports 33,000 companies and 156,000 job candidates, generating a turnover of €1.5 billion in 2024. Its ambition is to build the work of men and women together, everywhere in France.

Practical links, contacts, and information

Michaël Draï
Actual group Press Service
Tel:06 60 41 86 78
Email:drai@uneidee.com

Guillaume Neron Bancel
Actual group Communications
Email:guillaume.neronbancel@groupeactual.eu

Press area:https://www.actualgroup.com/news-medias/presse-et-actualites/