different rocketships: these two have now proved what can be done with a proper solo-friendly war machine… Loïck adding in the process the elusive Rhum victory that he himself had almost given up hope of ever actually pulling off.
‘I was prepared, I was ready to go but things didn’t turn out well and we had to react quickly. Of course, Ronan Lucas [the team manager] and myself had put Loïck’s name on top of our wishlist of skippers to replace me at the helm,’ continues Armel. ‘After an initial “no”, motivated by the fact that he had his own programme, Loïck swiftly said he’d take it on if I was ready to help him get to grips with the boat and provide all the insights I’d gained over the months at sea, and also become part of the shore-based strategy team.’ That set-up, with Marcel van Triest acting as router, proved diabolically efficient since Armel could sit at the interface between a gifted sailor and a talented weather strategist, being able to predict exactly how the boat would react to various conditions, thus making very informed choices…
‘After acquiring the boat we had taken things gradually in the build-up to the Rhum; I reckon our level of knowledge plus the amount of prep work we did on the platform could hardly have been bettered in the same timeframe.’ Suffice to say that Loïck was in good hands, within a team he knew well having become part of the family when he stepped in to replace Pascal Bidégorry on the giant Banque Pop 5… eventually smashing the
28 SEAHORSE
record for the Jules Verne Trophy – which at the time was still held by the boat on which he would eventually win the Rhum (everybody following so far?).
‘During the Discovery Route and the 24-hour record I’d pushed her really hard, so knew exactly where the limits were… that proved very useful information to pass on to Loïck,’ says Armel. ‘Thomas Coville’s Sodebo was, we felt, our most serious rival since in terms of size and power our machines were reasonably close… and of course Thomas’s experience alone on that type of boat is impressive. ‘We had the feeling that Spindrift was just that bit too big, and we were proved right: Yann [Guichard] certainly achieved something important by finishing second, but the fact is that we were never worried about being caught up or overtaken. ‘We would have been much more uncomfortable having a MOD70 near us in light trade winds. In absolute terms, maybe with 15kt of wind and flat seas it would be another story, but with a variety of conditions like one encounters on a transat, I think 32-33m is a kind of ceiling above which it becomes too much for one guy alone. ‘Spindrift is roughly five tonnes heavier than our boat, and to get those five extra tonnes moving the effort required must be punishing. I know how tough it is on Banque Populaire VII and “we” did not make mistakes in terms of sail changes and manoeuvres, apart maybe from going around Guadeloupe at the end when we underestimated Loïck’s level of fatigue – we
might have been a bit greedy then,’ laughs Armel who undoubtedly was keen to help his teammate beat the race record in style. ‘Overall we worked to find the right balance between performance and skipper/ boat preservation: a crack at the junction of the front beam and central hull was discov- ered when Loïck went on the foredeck to prepare a gennaker off Madeira, so we had to bear that in mind as well – clearly the first two days had been tough on the gear. ‘In the end, though, everything held up nicely. Loïck did his usual splendid job and here we are,’ says Armel… who definitely has not turned the big multi page just yet. ‘I’d like to take my revenge in four years, and there are also ongoing discussions with other teams to get a circuit together. We’ve created an “Ultime collective” (named after the class these big toys race in) with Sodebo and Macif and are think- ing about a solo round-the-world race… ‘We think it’s feasible provided the course is thought through carefully. It certainly wouldn’t be the multihull version of the Vendée Globe, because I am not convinced that the no pitstop/no assistance rule would be a good idea with these boats.’ When asked if he has his current trimaran in mind for this next develop- ment, Armel replies that he’s thinking of another solution, which probably involves a ‘considerable amount’ of design and construction time. ‘It’s not yet formalised of course, and my contract with Banque Populaire runs until after the next Vendée Globe, then we’ll see.’
His third Vendée Globe, one might add.
YVAN ZEDDA
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