Great achievements in solo sailing

From our perch in North America, it has not always been easy to appreciate a solo race that begins in France and finishes in Guadeloupe. However, we have come to learn the 3543nm Route du Rhum is a very big deal.

First held in 1978, and taking place every four years, the French now share race information in English, with this 12th edition having record participation when it starts on November 6. Among the highly professionalized world of shorthanded sailing, success on this transatlantic course is a very big deal.

But to finish first, first you must finish, and nobody worries about that more than the boat builder. Among the finest is Multiplast which is strategically located in the Brittany region, the global center for shorthanded racing. In this report, general manager Yann Penfornis reflects on the importance of the event for the Vannes boatyard:

Multiplast have been present on the Route du Rhum since 1986. What is your greatest memory?

Certainly it is the victory of Groupama 3 in 2010. Franck Cammas had just won the Jules Verne Trophy with the crew, we were preparing Groupama 4, which was the Volvo 70 with which he went on to win the Volvo Ocean Race 18 months later. And between these two, he took on the Route du Rhum on a 103-foot trimaran which was not in any way designed for solo racing. And winning showed the boat was decidedly well designed and well founded.

Four years later, Loïck Peyron won (by then this trimaran was called Banque Populaire VII). I remember a morning call from Loick when he was off the Azores. He had spotted cracks in the front beam fairing and was asking us if it was reasonable to continue. In a few minutes, you have to find the design elements, analyze the problem calmly, and give an answer that fully engages you.

Four years later, now in 2018, when I went to bed, François Gabart was still leading the race ahead of Francis Joyon who was sailing this same trimaran now named IDEC Sport. But then we all know the rest with the boat’s third consecutive victory. That was a short night!

But it is a double-edged sword when things go wrong isn’t it?

Yes, when the boat wins it is the skipper who in the spotlight. When the boat breaks we look at builders and architects; that is just the way of it. That is why reliability is so important! I’m ignoring the idea of abandoning, capsizing, which is another problem. But equally now we need to speak of the probability of collisions with a UFO (unidentified floating object).

Today that is a major problem. It is a bit like when the merits of an officer were put to Napoleon, he replied: “Yes, very well, but is he lucky? “ The question also unfortunately applies to skippers.

Consider that the 121-foot catamaran Orange 2 circled the planet leaving two wakes a few centimeters wide. But now, between the foils, rudders, and centerboard wing, an Ultim develops 8 meters of foils underwater which scythe though the sea horizontally. That said I do have some confidence in the progress made by the Ultims.