SH: Yet most of the latest-generation foils are near-identical… CD: There are still differences but for sure they have a more pronounced family look than in 2020 – the constant radius C-foils on the old Hugo Boss now really stand out. There were many foils where the shaft tapered inwards, today’s foils move out- ward down the shaft. We have converged a little towards the ‘Dali’ foils which we had on Apivia. The goal is to go faster but more gently in heavy weather. This was one of the weak points of my old boat. Today we have a very versatile boat, good in the transitions, without any real weak point and fast in all conditions. SH: For the VG you have a new foil set… CD: Yes, but the main reason is security. If you have a collision then you don’t want to be in Les Sables d’Olonne with one foil the day before the start, because these foils take around six months to build. So if you break a foil in September you don’t have time to make a new one. So the first reason is to have a spare pair in case of problems. But obviously if we have to make a new pair of foils and spend that much money (about €600,000 per pair) we also try to make them better than the previous set… SH: What are your sources of energy to produce electricity? CD: Nothing special – the engine and two hydro-generators. We do not have any solar panels. We found that the weight-to- performance ratio was not worth it. SH:Which of the new Imocas is closest to you, and/or best in terms of performance? CD: I’m the only new Verdier design in the fleet, which I consider remarkable. All the new boats are interesting. The 2022 Malizia is working well. Boris was second in the last two Transats. I am told it is also a comfortable boat. She goes particularly well in windy conditions but she is also competitive in lighter wind; her hull is very round, so she does not have much wetted surface when sailing flat. She is versatile but I think her weak point in relation to me is she maybe foils a little later than Macif. She is the only new VPLP design. The two Finot/Koch designs (Vulnerable
and Arkéa Paprec, of Ruyant and Richomme respectively) look pretty good too. Both are also getting new foils. So we’ll see what it looks like in the race. Then there is the Manuard design Charal which is the reference boat. Behind this first group are Sam Goodchild, Nicolas Lunven (Holcim-PRB) and Sam Davies. It’s clear the competition has increased over the past four years. In Imoca it’s get- ting harder and harder to make the podium… it’s even harder to win races! SH:Your boat is particularly fast upwind… CD: It is true that sailing offshore upwind we can reach 20kt of speed. The boat starts to fly from 15/16kt. But it really depends on sea state. For example, I came today from Concarneau, there was 19kt of wind and we were averaging 28kt on a rather calm sea. Then you close your eyes, you feel like you are sailing at 12kt as the
62 SEAHORSE
boat is still comfortable. But when the sea gets rough soon everything starts shaking. You will often slow the boat down volun- tarily because, as the English say: ‘to finish first, first you have to finish’. SH: If you had to change anything in the Vendée Globe rules… CD: I would like to see the ice zone beneath Australia reduced. Because there is no ice in that zone, only the request from the Australian maritime authorities not to sail too far from the coast due to the prob- lems of helping a competitor in difficulty. However, in that region you really do
not want to be constrained, because you become the slave of some vicious weather systems that pass through this corridor. That said, it is the same problem for every- one except that some may suffer more than others. The novelty in this Vendée Globe is that now we also have to avoid other areas with large populations of whales. SH:When does your Macif contract end? CD: The current contract lasts four years as with Apivia (a sister company to Macif), and over the same cycle, ie from TJV 2023 (which Charlie missed for health reasons) until the Route du Rhum 2026. I would like to race The Ocean Race with a crew but for now it’s not in Macif’s plans. We’ll see after the Vendée Globe. I have very good memories of crossing the Atlantic aboard 11th Hour despite getting concussed while in my bunk!! It’s a really great experience to sail with a crew like that, driving the boat 100 per cent all the time and also being able to do ultra-fast manoeuvres. Alone it goes much slower – you have to think twice before starting a manoeuvre. SH: And beyond 2026? CD: First, I want to win the Vendée Globe. But I will continue offshore racing, that’s for sure. The best thing about the Imoca today is that it’s ultra-competitive. Lots of good boats and a very dynamic class. SH:Not in the mood for an Ultim? CD: I find it very interesting and certainly exhilarating to sail the giant trimarans. They are incredible boats. But I don’t
know… Look, frankly I know that it really depends on how the Vendée Globe goes. And then one is not unaware that Macif abandoned the Ultim operation which it started with François Gabart…
WEATHERMEISTER – YOANN RICHOMME Seahorse:Can you tell us about your coastal stage during the recent Défi Azimut in Lorient, which involved at least 20 Imocas. Yoann Richomme: I started badly by trying to be a little conservative. But then we turned south, the wind picked up and using full main and J2 we had a fantastic ride – when these boats fly you feel like you are sailing an AC75… Then we turned down onto a run with
the big gennaker, but I must have hit some- thing because the rudder fuse broke and immediately the boat broached. It took at least five minutes to get everything under control. However, by the end of the long run we were back in the lead again! Actually, it did involve some rather
complicated manoeuvres, which do not help much in a Vendée Globe but are still good to know. It’s a bit like on a Figaro, where we practise for hyper-complicated scenarios, just in case! We even did some ‘Kiwi drops’ – which would be quite impressive to pull off singlehanded! So I managed to get back into the lead –
and even sailing upwind we weren’t too bad with our new foils. So approaching the finish I was feeling quite happy! And then I hooked a fishing net, I think
Nico Lunven did too. Charlie was already going very fast, but when we caught the net he sailed away and was maybe five miles ahead when we got moving again. Then we started another run but now in
lighter winds, perhaps 6-10kt. And again we were going fast and soon passed many boats. Finally we turned back upwind now in moderate conditions. I know that my boat is not a ‘beast’ in those conditions, it is one of her weaknesses. So I slipped back two places to finish sixth.
PASCAL HUIT
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