Winner Charlie Dalin’s Verdier design Macif finished four minutes ahead of Yoann Richomme’s brand new Paprec in the 2023 Fastnet, a brilliant Richomme outperforming all expectations with his innovative and relatively novel design. Both boats are narrower in the forefoot for better wave penetration than previous ‘blunt’ designs; Macif, along with Jérémie Beyou’s narrow Manuard design Charal, appears to be the outstanding upwind performer of the 2024 fleet. For Paprec Richomme’s team teamed up with Thomas Ruyant in commissioning boats from once premier Imoca designers Finot, now teamed up with the hugely talented Imoca skipper and designer Antoine Koch. A new approach, narrow entry angle, wineglass sections forward which evolve smoothly aft and with rounded, narrow underwater sections blended with some clever use of chines. And this new approach, well, that is working very well indeed thank you
nor had I crossed the Indian or Pacific Oceans. I had only sailed one solo Imoca race (the Vendée Arctique). Now I have done a lot. And my new boat is much improved compared to Apivia; she has a better motion through steep seas thanks to a completely new hull shape, and is much better ergonomically. It’s not necessarily the same story! SH: The big differences in ergonomics… CD: Macif is much more compact. The overall distance between the traveller and the mast foot has not changed compared with Apivia, but on Apivia this area was divided into two compartments whereas on Macif it is divided into three. So each space is more compact, which limits movement, especially in the ‘work room’ (the manoeu- vring room with all the sheets), which also means we have a vertical tiller in this boat. The living area (la studette or little studio) is also more compact but it is set separately at the back so it feels quite secure in there. On Macif it feels like being in a small
boat. Everything is to hand, like being a pilot in an aircraft. Without moving very far I can reach my chart table, the laptop, I control the autopilots, all my systems I can turn off or on, satellite communication, radar screen, phone to talk with the team, kitchen, with the kettle that is there, the small compartments to put my food, garbage… I operate from a custom seat with a shock absorber and a seatbelt. And to get some rest I can put it into a horizontal position sideways across the cabin.
I also have a fully adaptable bunk, which
is mounted on shock absorbers too and equipped with a safety belt. If it’s hot I can turn on my little fan, and if I have something to do on the computer I don’t even need to get up, I have a mouse to hand in the bunk. A lot of work has been done on the ergonomics inside. It is nothing like the pre- vious boat, a revolution not a development. I also have variable-intensity lighting in
my studette, linked to my alarm clock using a system developed for the army; I can set it to sleep preparation mode with a warmer light like a sunset. It then auto- matically dims until it goes out. Then when you wake up the intensity is stronger and colder. It has the same effect as a cup of coffee but without the side effects… SH:What about your sail wardrobe? CD: It is limited to eight sails on the Imocas. Everyone has main, J4 (storm jib), J2 and J3. Then you complete it with three masthead headsails plus one fractional… There are two or three optimal configura- tions which I will share with you when the race is finished! Everyone hides their game now, the level has increased so much. But as the Vendée Globe progresses we will discover each other’s configurations. For the latest-generation foilers we start
with either one MH0, one J0, one normal FR0 and one FR0 for heavier wind, or a quad, a sail with the same triangulation as a J0 – so outrigger tip, masthead, bowsprit – and potentially go with three headsails and one fractional sail, with one all-purpose
FR0, one quad, one J0 and one MH0. We can also create a one-spinnaker/one-quad configuration without going through the MH0. The quad is perfect in the trade winds: not much sea, 18-25kt wind. It allows you to navigate with a closer AWA as the sail does not go around the out - rigger, unlike the MH0. So the clew is more inboard. A more closed sail means higher speed on these boats. And because the sail is flatter and sheeted harder you can carry it a little further up the range. Everyone decides according to the per-
formance of his boat and how he feels with this or that configuration. I’m not sure if any foilers even take a spinnaker now. We also see large disparities in the size of the J2. Some take a small J2 to be able to set a triple-head rig, three sails deployed simul- taneously: a bowsprit sail + J2 +J3. SH: In the last VG foils proved a handicap in rough conditions in the deep south… CD: It should be better this time because not only have the foils changed but also the hull shapes (and sail designs). The foils are now more versatile, but I wouldn’t say the appendages are the biggest change. Hull and deck configurations have moved on further than the foils. On Apivia we had very high freeboard amidships, for rule reasons. Also we had a tumblehome rolling into the deck. On Macif the highest point of the boat is at the bow, there is no more forward tumblehome and overall freeboard has increased. All this to make a nosedive much less likely.
SEAHORSE 61
GILES MARTIN-RAGET
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