The Port of Las Palmas will consolidate its position as the primary external logistics node for the military and diplomatic operation ‘Sail for Freedom’. The large carbon fiber racing yacht L’Intrépide, flagship of the French Naval Academy, will dock at the Gran Canaria docks in early June after departing from the naval base in Brest. The stopover in the Atlantic archipelago marks the operational start of a transatlantic journey of 10,000 nautical miles designed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the French Navy and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
The choice of port facilities in Las Palmas is based on geographic centrality and technical support capacity along the routes of the Central Atlantic. The 21-meter long high-competition vessel will complete the first of its three scheduled crew changes on the island, a critical process involving the disembarkation and training of new French and American cadets. The French Ministry of Defense uses this deployment as a platform for international projection, assessing the resilience of future officers in extreme sailing conditions.
The operational component of the journey is structured under the command of Lieutenant Commander Pierre-Alexis Ponsot, who is responsible for coordinating a permanent crew of 16 elite sailors. The mission combines instruction in small team leadership in confined waters with the development of resilience capabilities against the weather uncertainties of the open ocean. The previous phases executed included a rigorous 30-day joint training program on the Breton coast to standardize bridge watch protocols and collision prevention before facing the ocean crossing.
The financial and logistical aspect of the campaign receives direct support from the United States Naval Academy (USNA), an institution that co-finances the budget of the journey in proportion to the number of American personnel integrated on board. After departing from the Port of Las Palmas, the vessel will head towards the East Coast of North America to participate in the ‘SAIL 250’ exercises in Norfolk, Annapolis, and New York, culminating the rotation in the Azores before attempting to break the speed record for the return to Europe in less than 14 days.
