From one legendary transat to another.
The Jacques Vabre Transat will be riveting stuff, because the boats involved will be pushed to their limits by some top level pairings, and because this race is also ideal preparation for the future Route du Rhum/Destination Guadeloupe 2018. Just imagine the turbo-charged fleet that would be lining up in St Malo if all the M50s and the Ultims (these are multihulls that are longer than 60' including the MOD 70 and Spindrift 2, with the criteria being slightly less strict than the usual Ultim limits of 24 to 32 meters) are all present for this 40th edition! We must also mention those defectors from the M50 class, which is currently in a state of flux-see article and the 40's from the Rhum multi class including the powerful Jess of Gilles Buekenhout (see his views later in this article). Some classic Golden Oldies of all sizes will also be there. Just to name a few including the three A Capella diehards: A Capella (Acapella/Charlie Capelle, Bilfot/JP Froc, Happy/Loïc Peyron), Pir2/Etienne Hochedé (Langevin 50’), Rusty Pelican-Koen Joustra (Newick 44’, as long as all the work is done in time), and Pierre Tanay's Trice 3 (Newick 37-40’)… In short, this 40th anniversary edition should break all the records. Whilst looking forward to the hugely anticipated departure of this mythical race on the 4th November 2018, we thought that we'd find out what some of the M50 skippers are thinking before the Jacques Vabre and the next Rhum.
How are things for the MULTI 50’s?
Armel Tripon
We have just finished our 1,500 mile qualifying test on Réauté Chocolat in varied conditions. There was notably a sector around Fastnet in 30 knots of wind and with 3m waves. It was the first real test for us two out at sea and we are very pleased with what we have seen so far of the boat's performance in the water with all the electronics, the nav system and the sails all in place. We've come back with a serious "to do" list with the Transat fast approaching! After the launch in April, we did some crewed sorties in the bay plus some racing, training and a few public relations trips with our sponsor. We only really started sailing as a duo at the end of July, and that will carry on in September and October with some sessions out at sea for several days to help us get into the swing of things. We will need to learn to coordinate, foresee maneuvers and get used to the boat at night, as well as learn those moves which will have to become second nature as well as getting used to working the nav system. We'll be on the starting line for the Jacques Vabre Transat with Vincent Barnaud. This race will help me to reinforce my experience of ocean sailing with a small crew and also do some solo maneuvers in light airs. We will set out hoping to give a good account of ourselves. I'll be on the start line for the Route du Rhum too. This race began in 1978 with the unbelievable victory of Mike Birch (just 98 seconds!), on a small 12m yellow trimaran, just ahead of Michel Malinovsky on his 25m monohull. There was drama too. We lost Alain Colas. At that time there was real excitement around ocean racing which both the public and the media were just starting to discover. It was also the first time that I had ever followed an ocean race! Later on in 1990 I'd watch Laurent Bourgnon slip past me into the lead on Primagaz. Setting off on a Route du Rhum is an emotional experience. 4 years ago Mother Nature put on a wondrous spectacle with black squalls rushing across the water. The stress with all the other boats there was very real. It's also a relatively rapid kind of transat, which makes it easier to sell to a sponsor, and when you take into account the million or so people who line the harbors, it's a great way for a partner to get known and to be part of an impressive human and sporting adventure
Erwann Le Roux
FenêtréA-Mix Buffet isn't totally ready yet. But we're in the process of ironing out the technical details. The boat went back in the water with its new colors at the end of July. We're just starting to confirm all the things that we want to see on the water. I just hope that we manage to make the progress needed to fulfill all our aims and commitments. We'll find out at the Grand Prix Multi 50 at Saint-Quay-Portrieux at the end of August. As regards the duo which we are going to form with Vincent Riou it's clear that we need to sail. But I don't doubt our ability in the window that we have left to achieve the level of performance necessary to give a good account of ourselves in the Jacques Vabre Transat. In 2016 I had to abandon the race in the Transat Bakerly after a major problem. We therefore had to begin some major works, beginning with repairing the damaged float, installing foils authorized by the Multi 50 rules, and reinforcing the structure. It's the first time since I took on the boat that we have taken on such challenging works. We came up with an optimization program for FenêtréA-Mix Buffet spreading over the two years, with a view to having the boat ready in 2018 to face up to the competition of the other new boats. I was lucky enough to lead these works thanks to my boat owners (FenêtréA and Cardinal Edifices) and to carry out the improvements thanks to Mix Buffet who are now involved. I will most certainly be on the start line for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe. As the winner of the 10th edition in 2014 I have a title to defend and will do everything that I can to win. I am also aiming to retain my title in the upcoming Jacques Vabre Transat, which would be a fourth victory in that particular race. The Jacques Vabre Transat seems to me to be ideal preparation for the Rhum. It'll give me a chance to take the measure of the new boats that are participating. If they aren't present it will be a disadvantage for them and a plus for us. The Rhum is attractive because it is a solo race. The Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe is the top solo ocean going race. It's just unique!
Lalou Roucayrol
Since August we have been preparing specifically for the Jacques Vabre: Choice of sails; ordering food; looking at all the safety aspects… In fact everything that you need to do in the run up to a race. We did a first qualification with Karine but she is injured and it's now Alex Pella who will be with me. We are carrying on with our sports training. We have also booked a couple of training sessions at the Ecole Nationale de Voile (National Sailing School), with Erwan (Le Roux) and Armel (Tripon) in September and October. I will also be on the start line of the mini Transat on the trimaran, accompanying Quentin on Arkema 3 (prototype 6.50 foile). In my opinion, the Jacques Vabre is the first major stage in preparing for the Rhum, and I hope to participate in 2018. In particular, we need to get to know the range of use of our new foils and to work on the sail profile so that we have the optimum set ready in 2018. Why is the Route du Rhum/Destination Guadeloupe such a mythical race? Because when that little yellow trimaran arrived just ahead of the big monohull in 1978, it was the start of a new era, and set me off dreaming about multihulls. It's a dream that hasn't finished yet!
Thierry Bouchard
I'll be on the start line of the Jacques Vabre Transat with Olivier Krauss on board the new Ciela Village. In 2015, with Olivier Krauss already, I bought the former Maître Jacques and finished 2nd in the Jacques Vabre Transat. Ciela Village was the first Multi 50 to be designed with foils. When the Multi 50 class decided to authorize them, the question was: should I put foils on my trimaran (the ex-Maître Jacques and ex-Crêpes Whaou 2) that I had upgraded in 2015? It will always be a 2005 boat albeit a very good one, or should I seize the opportunity to design along with VPLP the first Multi 50 with foils? I chose to build a new Ciela Village as I was interested in developing a boat and getting involved in the project. I love the mechanical side of sports and gorgeous machines. This particular class of boats is in a state of flux and is currently the only class of ocean racing multihulls with spectacular boats that is reasonably priced. We have been in a race against time over the last few months. The design and construction of this kind of boat requires constant attention. We have worked hard with VPLP Design and Fred Le Peutrec who was tasked with following up on the work (ergonomics of the deck layout; hydrodynamics; living space; sail plan), and the boat has been built by CDK technologies. The Jacques Vabre Transat will be a "Trial transat" for us as we will not have had a chance to sail her much with my co-skipper. The main aim remains the Route du Rhum, and the best preparation is racing! If you want to improve, then you have to put yourself up against other people. After the race, a crew will take the boat over to Florida, and I'll do the return transat leg solo as far as Lisbon in January, which will be a good training for the Rhum! The Route du Rhum is a bit like the world championship for ocean racing! It's an important race, not just because it is one of the oldest, but because everyone is there! The best sailors on the best boats. It is THE solo race. It's an exacting race. You need to be on top of things right from the word go and you mustn't fall too far behind in the first week. You need to go for it in the first week without compromising yourself for the second. The Multi 50s have gained a huge amount of speed with the foils, which means that you have to be constantly vigilant
Fanatical about the RHUM
A very determined Gentleman driver will be on board a 40' trimaran in the Rhum/Destination Guadeloupe 2018
It was in 2008 that Gilles Buckenhout, a Belgian architect and sailing fan living in France, decided that it was time to move on to a "new concept of sailing" after three monohulls. He was talking about a trimaran! And not just any old trimaran. this was Nootka, a Multi 50 racing-cruiser designed by Nigel Irens and built by Mike Birch at La Trinité sur Mer. (Mike also raced with it. Gilles was blown away, and by his own admission, given the new sensations he experienced on his trimaran, nothing would tempt him back to a monohull.
That was when the idea came to him to participate in the Route du Rhum. The boat had already participated in the race several times, so "why not with me on it?" our architect said. Gilles got the trimaran race-ready, improved on its design and performance and in 2010 he finished a respectable 9th in his category. Not bad for a first transat and with no sponsor! Gilles was on the start line again in 2014, even more determined this time and dedicating it to a good cause, Les Architectes de l'Urgence (Emergency Architects). However, his race was cut short when his rudder broke, probably hit by an Unidentified Floating Object. In 2016 the Multi 50 class decided to become more professional and exclude boats from the previous generations. Despite being the President of the class, Gilles had to part with his loyal trimaran which did not now comply with the standards that were imposed by the racers. He still had the bug though: deep down he wanted to do another Rhum, but this time on a really competitive boat! He needed to buy a more recent Multi 50. His luck changed: he learned of an exceptional 40' trimaran: Jessica Rabbit. Philippe Coste, a slightly mad amateur (a bit like Gilles) had had it built in Nouméa back in 2009. There were some serious professionals involved in the project: Martin Fisher, Benoit Cabaret and John Levell who made a name for themselves designing the Flying Phantoms, the 60' Orma Groupama, the AC-45 Groupama Team France, Fujifilm…). Together, they dreamt up, calculated and designed a tri with foils and other optimised add-ons. It took three years of painstaking, complex design and build and refining. A fully carbon jewel left the shipyard in Nouméa in 2012, with a perfect finish right down to the last detail. The only one ever made, the boat, which had all the latest technology, just like the Orma 60s but at only 40', seemed to be ideal for the Rhum. Gilles went to Nouméa to try her out. He was won over straight away. She slipped along effortlessly at 20 knots with 12 to 15 knots of wind, with peaks of 30knots: the perfect recipe for a transat! Martin Fisher went so far as to say that with a few adaptations the trimaran would be able to fly… In July 2017, the boat, re-named Jess in honor of its original moniker, was put on a cargo ship bound for Europe. After a few administrative complications, it arrived in Zeebrugge. Georges, the preparer, and crew member Mathieu came over especially from Nouméa to carry on the adventure
They are going to reconfigure the boat and take it down to Pornichet with Gilles which will be its future home port. Gilles now has a year or so to master JESS and adapt her for solo sailing and prepare the Route du Rhum 2018 where it will race in the Rhum Multi category. Any interested sponsors out there?
The Jacques Vabre 2017
Multi 50s with curved foils!
The M50 range is now a fixture, but this year is a crucial one. By not allowing older boats to participate, and allowing the introduction of foils and monotype wells on trimarans of the previous generation as well as the construction of new prototypes with the same add-ons, the Multi 50s have deliberately moved away from one of the areas with which they identified strongly, and are moving towards the professionalization of their class. The improvement in performance (officially confirmed by the first skippers to test out the changes), shows a marked speed difference. While the previous prototypes flat-lined at around 30 knots, the new foilers easily pass 35-37 knots in the right conditions!
Ultim : The quickest boats in the world.
Created in 2015 as part of an initiative set up by a group of sponsors and racers (Banque Populaire, Macif et Sodebo), the Ultim class groups the multihulls that measure between 24-32m (which excludes the Mod 70' and also the Spindrift 2!). Since then, records have been broken one after the other. Round the world with a crew (Jules Verne Trophy) for Idec Sport/F.Joyon (ex Groupama 3/Banque populaire VII) in 40 days and 23hours. Then the record for a solo crossing of the Atlantic in 5d7h which was promptly smashed by 11h by Sodebo/Thomas Coville. Macif will not be taking part in the Jacques Vabre during the 2017/2018 winter as it will be attempting to break the record for a solo round the world trip. Actual will be on its way to another record (around the world but against the winds and currents and the reverse of the usual route). Sodebo, which holds two prestigious records (solo world and solo Atlantic), will no doubt be up for sale after the Jacques Vabre and the Route du Rhum, and its successor is currently being discussed. At the time of going to press, the Ultims which are down for the Jacques Vabre are Sébastien Josse and Thomas Rouxel on the amazing foiler Edmond de Rothschild (the first ocean going trimaran to take off completely), Thomas Coville and Jean Luc Nélias on Sodebo and Lionel Lemonchoix and Bernard Stamm on Prince de Bretagne.
