News Around the World
Vendée Globe Zen Master. A 21-year-old Michel Desjoyeaux crewing for Jean Le Cam on Biscuits Cantreau in the 1988 Formula 40 series. Le Cam dominated the circuit for three years, though ‘troubled’ in the final year by the Jo Richard’s design Full Pelt. From here Desjoyeaux immersed himself in the Figaro circuit, winning that event three times while earning a living sailing big multihulls. He also of course won the Vendée Globe twice – the only sailor ever to do so. With his company, Mer Agitée, Desjoyeaux continued with the VG after his 2008 win, first mentoring François Gabart into the Imoca class then managing his VG-winning Macif programme in 2012. For 2020 Mer Agitée is running another multiple Figaro winner, Nicolas Troussel, with his brand new Juan K design, Corum
plan was to review the data from the TJV and then begin the design and build of the new foils at the end of 2019. And that’s exactly what happened, despite not finishing the race. We had enough data from the miles we had done (around 6,000) to inform our version 2 foil design. Going into that process we were open-minded and, if nec- essary, ready to change our concept significantly if it didn’t work. But actually the feedback and data showed that we had got it right. Our new foils are therefore a refinement of version 1. They will
fit in the same bearings and be the same length. We have, however, made some incremental changes which we expect will lead to a small improvement. The new foils are being built by Persico in Italy, who’ve done a great job pushing ahead during the health crisis. SH: Let us return to the TJV incident… AT:Our impact was high up on the keel. However, the rules governing the design of the keel structure don’t cover for this eventuality. This was a very similar scenario to Kito de Pavant’s problem in the Vendée Globe, which looked like an upper grounding situation. We have issued a full report, together with recommendations
based on our findings, to Antoine Mermod and the technical com- mittee at Imoca. The main problem for most Imoca 60s in such an incident is that the main cabin area with the engine, batteries, elec- tronics and communications will become flooded, making it likely the boat would need to be abandoned. On Hugo Boss, however, this area is under our cockpit floor, which has several watertight com- partments. So, in effect, the central cockpit saved the boat from being flooded and us from having to abandon her. I’d love to say we had designed it with this eventuality in mind, but it was pure luck. Now that Imoca have the information it is for them to decide how
best to protect skippers and manage the insured risk responsibly. SH:What electronic devices do you have to avoid such collisions? AT: Following the TJV collision we explored various object detection options. The Oscar is one option, an infrared device at the top of the mast that detects objects floating on the water if it recognises them. However, of course the object we hit was submerged and so Oscar would not have detected it. Currently there is nothing on the market that offers a full solution. So we’ve made some progress with finding a product that could be developed for the front of an Imoca keel to detect underwater objects, but it’s not ready yet and will require a longterm commitment from an organisation like Imoca. We evaluated the risks of hitting different types of object. There
are a lot of whales in the ocean and the population is increasing, and so for us this was a sensible hazard to guard against. Of course,
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we don’t know for sure what we hit but it was very big so there is a good possibility that it was a whale. We explored various options and chose an acoustic whale ‘pinger’. The device was designed for us by WhaleShield – it works by emitting a low-frequency signal audi- ble to whales, warning them that something bad is approaching! It has been installed inside our keel bulb at the front and we
shared the details of it with the other Imoca teams, some of whom also decided to install it. Ultimately the ocean is our playground; it is not our home and I feel very strongly that it is our responsibility to find a solution that doesn’t adversely affect the animals who live in the ocean, but one that also protects our boats, the skippers – and the teams’ insurers – from damage. SH: This time again you are one of the great favourites for the Vendée Globe… AT: I think it’s still too early to pinpoint favourites. I certainly feel very confident with my boat and in the decisions we have made. I’m also very confident in our team. They bring together a lot of skill, great experience and a will to win. SH: And your most dangerous rivals? AT: The winner of the race will be one of the new boats. But all the new boats are contenders. There are some very different designs so it’s difficult to know who has got it right. I think Jérémie has put together an impressive campaign and his choice to build early was wise. However, he has challenges, having just fitted a completely different concept of foil that will change the way his boat performs. Ultimately, this race is all about getting the details right so we will soon know who has done that! Of course, this time around all the boats have lost time on the water due to Covid, but entering this race with little time or sailing miles is something that we are familiar with and so I’m pleased that we have faced this challenge before. SH: If you break the foil do you have any strategies or tricks, since you have now experienced this before? AT: No, there are no secret tricks! For sure, now the foils do more on all the new boats and so any failure will hurt those teams more. SH:But foil breakage would hamper you even more than last time? AT: Yes, because the foils are contributing more to performance than ever before, meaning they are more crucial. SH: If you win the Vendée, what then? And what if you don’t win? AT: I am not thinking beyond this Vendée Globe. All I am focused on is maximising our time on the water and arriving at the startline in the best possible shape. Nothing beyond that matters right now. Patrice Carpentier
JACQUES VAPILLON
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