The 50 year-old French sailor has a breathtaking list of accomplishments to his credit, including 43 transatlantic crossings, of which 18 single-handed, 5 ORMA multihull world championship titles, 16 Grand Prix wins, 2 round-the-world races and victories on the world’s most prestigious stretches of water. Regarded as one of the best sailors both on multihull and monohull boats, Loïck Peyron now intends to take up future challenges in the company of Corum. Loïck Peyron and Corum doubtless have plenty of surprises in store for observers.

Immersed in the nautical world from his earliest childhood, Loïck Peyron began sailing in the bay of La Baule (France). At the age of 18, he made his first transatlantic crossing aboard a boat in the Mini-Transat 79. Since then, he has accomplished a number of sailing feats, both solo and as part of a crew, in the most prestigious races such as the Route du Rhône, the Vendée Globe and the America’s Cup. Building on his 30 years of experience in offshore racing, the youngest son of his family has been involved in all the milestone firsts in the history of ocean racing. An acknowledged reference in French offshore racing, Loïck remains passionately dedicated to writing the next pages in his personal sailing history. In 2009, aboard the Oman Sail Renaissance, Loïck won third place in the Extreme Sailing Series Europe; and placed second in the Julius Baer Challenge on the D35 Okalys-Corum. In February 2010, Loïck served as co-skipper for Alinghi and thus became the first Frenchman to take part in an America’s Cup final.

The encounter between Corum CEO Antoine Calce and Loïck Peyron took place in May 2009, during the opening event of the Julius Baer Challenge nautical season: the Grand Prix Corum. A partner of the OKALYS-CORUM team since 2009, CORUM is delighted to see its identity and its colors proudly worn and defended by the team. Aboard the Okalys-Corum, the most titled Décision 35 in the Julius Baer Challenge, Loïck immediately identified with the brand values, and the famous sailor has naturally established close ties with Corum personnel. This energy and this eminently human dimension have led Corum and Loïck to make their partnership official. Today, Corum is determined to draw upon the combined strength of all members of its team – composed of artisans when it comes to creating timepieces and of sailors in intense races – in order to perpetuate its history and achieve further successes.

On March 30^th 2010, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Loïck Peyron was welcomed by his new family at the Corum headquarters, where over 100 Corum employees were delighted to share their expertise and their passion with him. Loïck, who is nicknamed “the last of the Mohicans” is fascinated by both large and small boats. Well accustomed to high-tech projects, he has taken part in several major shipbuilding endeavors, working with architects by contributing his vision and know-how. Through drawings, sketches and plans, he likes to place his personal signature on projects. Loïck constantly targets performance and follows the motto “Excel to win”. He intends to associate his sailing creativity and expertise with Corum’s watchmaking know-how and technical mastery in order to create a new timepiece. Watch this space.

Loïck is a talkative individual who enjoys gyrocopters – and indeed anything that can be “piloted”. He is extremely at ease with the media and a happily fulfilled family man. Always keen to pass on his knowledge and his passion to “landlubbers” as he circles the globe, he is now associating his feats with the Corum image through a set of shared values that represent the vital core of this partnership.

“My encounter with Loïck Peyron immediately convinced me he exactly matched the Corum values. Today, we are celebrating the arrival of this new ambassador, a man who is of course distinguished by his sporting qualities but who also naturally wins hearts by his human qualities. An officer of the French Legion of Honor, he has already covered countless nautical miles and confirmed his status as a world-class sailor from the Route du Rhum to the Vendée Globe. He is now joining the Corum family and it is thanks to our shared passion and our spirit of conquest that we will write the next chapters in our joint future. Throughout its history, Corum has of course supported regattas, but also sailors and above all individuals. It has entwined its history with the world of sailing by binding its name with that of the Admiral’s Cup, a major sailing event with an international renown that is intrinsically linked to the iconic eponymous collection.”

Loïck Peyron, sailor and Corum ambassador, said:
“Beautiful stories always begin with passion, sharing and friendship. It is a great pleasure for me to become part of the Corum family.”

Since Corum began its product repositioning strategy, the brand’s primary objective has been to create long-term value. In harmony with this approach, it has also chosen to support various projects in the sailing world. Loïck Peyron is now joining the family of Corum ambassadors alongside English sailor Ben Ainslie. The next key date to look out for is Loïck’s upcoming race on May 8^th and 9^th 2010, the first event in the Julius Baer Challenge raced on Lake Léman.