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Marc Lombard Design have teamed up with successful Mini 6.50 builder Yann Dube at Chantier Ofcet to create the first (ever) purpose designed and built IRC shorthanded racer


Yann Dube is the co-founder of Chantier Ofcet, the boatyard behind the Ofcet 650s that took first and second place in last year’s Mini-Transat. He is currently build- ing the Ofcet 32 – arguably the first IRC design aimed solely at the doublehanded offshore IRC market – with several boats already sold. Eric Levet is a senior naval architect from the Marc Lombard Design Group which has designed the Ofcet 32… Seahorse: First of all, Yann, congratulations on your Mini-Transat success in the Series division; but what led you to build these specialist boats? Yann Dube: I began my career as an aero- nautical engineer, while my friend and business partner Mathieu Piquelé was a professional sailor. In 2008 we co-founded a boat-maintenance company in La Rochelle called Prepa Nautic. By 2013 we were well established with over 60 clients spanning IRC racers, Mini 6.50s and cruis- ing boats. Then in 2014 we decided the time was right to build a new generation of Mini 6.50 for the 2015 Mini Transat.


SH: Which was immediately successful… YD: We launched a third-generation design at about the same time as Pogo (the previous market leaders) launched their Pogo 3. Both our design – by Etienne Bertrand – and the Pogo 3 have signifi- cantly more forward volume than the second-generation boats; they are more stable and more powerful and are around 20 per cent quicker than second-genera- tion boats when reaching or sailing down- wind in heavy air. That’s a big step. In the Series division the next Mini Transat became a battle between our Ofcet 650s and the Pogo 3s. We came first and second, and I put that success largely down to the fact that our boat is easier to sail to its full potential than the Pogo 3, which is absolutely essential when the ‘crew’ is tired or an autopilot is being used. Over 20 per cent of boats dropped out of last year’s Mini Transat but every one of our boats made it to the finish line which is some- thing I’m very proud of. SH: And now you have a larger, 32ft IRC design coming out of the yard… YD: A lot of the clients of Prepa Nautic race IRC boats doublehanded, but they are mostly racing boats that are designed to be raced fully crewed, and to some extent optimised for windward-leeward courses. I was sure that if we designed a no-compro- mise doublehanded offshore IRC raceboat we could do better. SH: So how did you first get this whole project off the ground? YD: First, I got in touch with Marc Lombard’s office. In addition to being


based less than 1km from my yard, they have huge experience designing offshore raceboats (Imoca/Class40/Mini/Figaro II) and also of IRC designs – notably the MC34 which won its class in both the 2013 and 2015 Fastnet Race). From a financial standpoint I created Chantier Ofcet as a separate entity to my first busi- ness, Prepa Nautic, and then convinced Fora Marine (the manufacturer of RM Yachts) and some other partners to invest in the business. Then we had everything we needed to get started! SH: On the commercial side, the Transquadra is arguably the most successful IRC race in France of recent years – with over 80 boats racing across the Atlantic single or doublehanded. I guess that will be a key event for you. YD: For sure the 2017 Transquadra is a big thing for us. For French clients it is probably the most important race, fol- lowed by the two-handed division at Spi Ouest and the Duo Catamania. Unfortu- nately not many Anglo-Saxons are getting involved in those competitions… yet. But now we have Joe Lacey (33sailing.com) who will represent Ofcet in the UK and who will be showing what the boat can do in the 2017 RORC championship. The doublehanded IRC racing scene is boom- ing in France and I understand that the UK is not too far behind – and I think we have the right boat for that new market. SH: Before we ask Eric from Marc Lombard’s studio about the design, what can you tell us about the construction techniques you are using?


SEAHORSE 47


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