A very personal relationship
Solo ocean racers trust their lives as well as their results to their autopilots, none more so than the skippers of the new generation of foiling Ultim – where the pilots themselves also face unprecedented new demands
After Vendée Globe winners Team Banque Populaire elected to go with B&G for the pilot systems on their own first fully foiling Ultim we spoke to B&G’s R&D team about their rather enormous new brief… ‘Sailing upwind everything feels relaxed and calm, and you’re unaware that you’re doing 23kt,’ says Matt Eeles, B&G’s R&D lead on the Banque Populaire project, ‘but as you bear away onto a reach you really feel the power and acceleration. Your senses are heightened as the full power from the canted wing mast and the sails rapidly accelerates the boat from 20 to 40kt.
‘With the foils raked back and emitting a resonating scream there is no sign of the bows burying. Looking outside the helm position without goggles is nearly impossible as the apparent wind beats you in the face and your eyes hurt as you try to stare at the foils to see all three hulls flying in the air. ‘We frequently saw SOG go into the 40s, peaking at well over 40kt under pilot when fast reaching in 25kt TWS,’ he adds. ‘High averages will be crucial for this project and I
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can easily see them being able to achieve averages into the high 30s sailing downwind while maintaining a safe and stable platform. After reaching at over 40kt, downwind at 35kt was quite a pleasant ride!’ Banque Populaire IX (BPIX) is a genuinely awesome sight in full flight. She’s 32m of VPLP-designed Ultim trimaran flying on foils by VPLP/Martin Fisher, and her Vendée Globe-winning skipper, Armel Le Cléac’h, has big plans. Top of his list is the Route du Rhum 2018, followed by a single-handed non-stop race around the world for Ultims starting from Brest on 29 December 2019. For the time being the record for a non-stop, solo circuit is 42d 16h 40m 35s, and belongs to François Gabart and Macif, his 30m non-foiling (for now at least) Ultim, also by VPLP. Foilers, it’s thought, could have a speed advantage of up to five per cent, so when Armel does decide to have a crack at the record he could shave over two days off that time. ‘As BPIXis designed to be handled and sailed shorthanded and, with no support from powered systems, it’s imperative the H5000
Banque Pop’s unfortunate flip during testing is something most of the big tris seem to go through while the
crew find the limits and perfect their emergency sheet release systems. These are enormous, powerful
sailing boats, undreamt of even 10 years ago, and
every system must work perfectly every time if a solo skipper is not to simply be overwhelmed
pilot maintains control 100 per cent of the time, with no risks of failure or incorrect steering,’ Eeles continues. ‘You need confidence in the pilot to maintain a safe and stable platform that will allow you to work at the bow or mast, sleep and eat, while maintaining speed.’ Flicking the switch to put several million euros’ worth of foiling Ultim on pilot takes absolute trust in its reliability and performance. That’s why BPIX’s Kevin Escoffier, currently racing the Volvo Ocean Race on Dongfeng, collared B&G’s product line director Alan Davis at METS in 2016. For Banque PopulaireB&G were an easy choice as their record of collaborative success stretches back to the ORMA 60 days, and includes both the 45m monster tri BPVand Armel’s winning Imoca in the Vendée Globe 2016-17. ‘Usually they just fit the B&G gear and go racing,’ Davis adds, ‘but for this project they had unknowns on the boat and for the systems.’ ‘The initial meetings were about what they wanted to achieve: safe, fast sailing on a 32m foiling trimaran under autopilot and, in the
YVANN ZEDDA
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