Route du Rhum 2014

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I tried to see if there was any update on Lalou's Arkema, but I found nothing. Perhaps the boat is still parked in Canical, Madeira.

Haven't seen any update on the Maxi Prince de Bretagne either, but presumably they have to transport it back from Rio to France soon.

There's some kind of interview by Elaine Bunting of Lemonchois, in the current issue of Yachting World.

 

An interview with Yann Guichard on Ouest France:

Here is the original article:

http://www.ouest-france.fr/node/2013361

Here is the rough bing translate mostly quite readable

Eric HORRENBERGER

When the next Route du Rhum, this will be the first time that single-handed sailor held a greater race boat bar.

End of October, you will establish a record, only on the largest boat race, during the Route du Rhum...

It is anecdotal. And does not correspond to my philosophy of the offshore racing. I like first develop a project, retaining a team. Good sailors, there are full but marry them it is more complicated because they often have a strong personality. And at sea the personalities emerge. Today, I'm project leader while in 2006 I remember having shipped to New York on Orange 2 the day before the departure. I will not be able to be a mercenary who arrives with his bag, more or less well its job, bat or not record, and leaves with his bag.

Then why the Route du Rhum?

Spindrift 2 (former maxi Banque Populaire) is a trimaran designed for the crew. After the road of discovery, we will tackle in early summer to North Atlantic record (3 days 15 h 25 min 48 s) then end 2015 at the Jules Verne trophy (round the world non-stop, 45 days 13 h 42 min 55 sec). But there was an opportunity with the Route du Rhum to gain great exposure. Why not use it. This race also fits in a partnership spirit.

With this gigantic project, your Olympic period must appear well away?

I experienced it fully, it was every race such questioning. But it will always remain the small disappointment of our 4th place in the Tornado at the Olympic Games in Sydney and the injury to Pierre Guichard. Frustrating but a super-experience. I also made two other Olympic preparations as skipper this time with Christophe Espagnon (2004) and Alexandre Guyader (2008).

Dona Bertarelli participera à toutes les campagnes de records.

Dona Bertarelli will participate in all campaigns of records. | Photo: Eloi Stichelbaut

And at the same time you had integrated the Orma multihull circuit...

The Olympic Games were a step. It was in 2001 on Biscuits La Trinitaine with Marc Guillemot and soon I was in the bath. As soon as the first navigation, at the opening of the pontoon of Port-la-Forêt, he proposed me to run the Vabre Jacque with him. He put me foot in the stirrup, it was the trigger. I spent 300 days on the water.

Leading two careers of front...

It helps me today. In the Tornado also, you manage your project from A to Z, although on a different scale. You're not in the Monotype, you can work on the development of the sails, rigging. You also manage your finances and your movements.

"A Vendée Globe is won or lost 70% before even starting"

And at the same time, the sail has also evolved a decade...

I do not say that before it left things randomly but today nothing should be left to chance. A Vendée Globe is won or lost, to 70% before even starting. Before it was more adventure, there is now in absolute performance. It evolves also because we are in a sport of prototypes, on the six months America's Cup they managed to steal boats.

On the circuit, you consider yourself today a privileged?

I've never had a career plan. Younger, I wanted to be meterologue, a passion since everything small. After the bin, I made the choice to STAPS to be able to continue sailing. I've always taken pleasure to be on the water and navigate. But also to work as a team. And as I have the chance to browse the several boats, I'm not complaining. 18-19 years already, I could live my passion.

It was a dream of kid?

My father is a Breton de Guingamp and my mother is Sicilian and if I have first lived Lannion and Perros-guirec, i.e. not very far from the sea. Then, I was in sports-studies from the sixth to the Terminal in La Rochelle. The virus was already there. There was also a family home on the ile aux Moines where are my clips. It was therefore no surprise to find me on a boat.



Après la Route de la Découverte, cap sur l’Atlantique nord pour Spindrift 2.

After the Route de la Découverte, Cape on the North Atlantic for Spindrift 2. | Photo: Eloi Stichelbaut

Then return to the biggest multihull in solitaire...

This is not what impresses me, even if the limit is not a boat-sized, it's more the challenge, the challenge. As a competitor it fascinates me. When you do the race offshore, do not know that navigating.

Then talk about Spindrift 2...

This boat already holds all the records. And the bar was set very high. To beat the record of the North Atlantic, known to ideal conditions to make the crossing on one side. The current site is to optimize it for some records. We will install a new rig with a new smaller mast (41 meters against 47 front) and more l ger. Between different records, need to find the right compromise, the perfect balance. For the rum, the only true evolution, that is we will empty the inside of the boat in order to win 200 kg; with eleven crew and less it is also 1 ton less.

"With Dona, I need less words to convey a message"

You set it like a ship's records more than shopping?

We fought against time. This boat is fantastic and we want to optimize it for all records.

The team that surrounds you, there are many former members of the Team Banque Populaire. A stated choice?

Actually Simone (Gaeta) is responsible for the rigging and reign on the bridge over 2 miles of twine, Yoann (Le Quintrec) is responsible for the electronic... But no choice has been made because so and so had the Team Banque Populaire. But it is true that it is a great time saver. Among seafarers, there are Christophe Espagnon, I made three Olympic preparations against him, Jean-Baptiste Lewis made my first sail Optimist and it's been twenty-five years I know. For Spindrift 2, concerning the team, I wanted to leave a white sheet.

And at the head of this project, you share responsibility with Dona Bertarelli, your companion, even once at sea...

Necessarily I lend him a different focus, I need less words to convey a message. But it's especially great to be able to share this passion. Few people can do. I have a more technical role, Dona, through his profession, manages the company. At sea, she continues to learn. It is complementary and each sheds another weighing. And then I like to work in a team, I thirst for confrontation, to discover something else. Here I'm served!

"Dona is at the helm, me tactics"

Especially when your team has three boats...

Unfortunately the MOD70 circuit will be no 2014 race with only three boats, ours may be the boat partners. But we will catch up with us on the D35 which has six races between May and September. On the basis of a possible weather window for the North Atlantic record, we will make the most of Grands Prix. On Lake Geneva, there are twelve boats, this is a fantastic circuit of a super-niveau. Dona is at the helm, me to the tactics.

How do you explain the strong presence of the Swiss in sailing and the ocean race?

They have a great attraction for the challenges, they are entrepreneurs at heart. And this sport conveys an image of self-transcendence, the taste for risk. It was therefore consistent that Swiss companies are interested.

But there is no sea?

It is even more difficult and rewarding to drill. It is easier to be in Brittany to navigate.

 

A FB update from the Prince de Bretagne team on the Maxi 80 trimaran:

https://www.facebook.com/MaxiPrinceDeBretagne

The return of the Maxi80

Saturday, Lionel Lemonchois and two members of his technical team, Patrice Richardot and Gurloes Prince, will fly to Rio de Janeiro in order to proceed to the loading of the trimaran on the freighter which will bring back in Brittany.

"Once in the Brazil, we will dismantle the rudders of floats. '' Wednesday, 26, with the help of the two zodiacs, we will tow the Maxi from the Marina La Gloria to the port of trade to couple of HHL Venice, a cargo ship owned by a German company, before load in bridged"explains the Normand skipper ' normally, the vessel should leave Rio on 27 in the morning and arrive directly in Lorient between 9 and 12 April" to follow...

 

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Prince de Bretagne will have to get their new rig ready in a hurry? Here's the 2014 calendar for the Maxi PdB, on their site:

PR appearance at SpiOuest France, April 18-21st.

Grand Prix Guyader, May 2-5th.

Tour de Belle Isle, May 10th.

Armen Race, May 29-31st.

Round the Isle of Wight, June 21st.

PR appearance at Trophée Multi50 Prince de Bretagne, August 21-24th.

Departure on the Route de Rhum, November 2nd.

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By chance I learned a couple of days ago, that Lalou expects to have his Multi50 Arkema Region Aquitaine back in action either late May or early June.

 

Next edition of the Spindrift Racing '40 metres solo' video series examines the appendages and new daggerboard the team are working on for Spindrift 2.

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/201...ries-40-metres-solo-episode-8-the-appendages/

 

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Thanks, Corley.

 

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Francis Joyon gave this interview to leTelegramme.fr, in connection with the March 25 Paris press conference about the new Route de l'Amitié (and although Corley put up a new thread on that, I'll put it here):

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Something new recently on the IDEC trimaran website, displaying the French taste for grandiloquence, second to none...

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I was interested to find that "The Sail of Hope" was the French and German title for a 1973 book by Simon Wiesenthal (the English title was "Sails of Hope, The Secret Mission of Christopher Columbus").

 

A video posted up on Sodebo Ultim spends some time with the design or engineering team? Looks like their main focus on this day is the foil bearing and case.

http://dai.ly/x1k1u0e

 

It seems that Lalou and the team are shifting Arkema their Multi50 to the Canaries from Madeira with additional auxiliary power from a kite. They hope to have the boat ready to sail by early May.

http://laloumulti.fr/site/?p=1637

 

It's implausible that Yves Parlier wants to average 4 knots speed.

It must be a typo?

 

Spindrift Racing have completed their refit and are going to relaunch on Thursday, April 3rd.

http://youtu.be/uksk9nyKgt0

 

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A couple of photos giving an impression of the boat size required, for Line Honors in the Route du Rhum?


The winner in 2010, length 31.5m beam 22.5m (103.3ft x 73.8ft):




In 2014?




Before these most recent modifications to Spindrift 2 the boat was described as weighing 23 tons. How much do you suppose they've lightened it by? I only recall them saying the removed canting hydraulics weighed quite a lot.



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Have you seen this, today? Their website is a blank page.

http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/seized.php

 

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Lalou's team has made an unplanned stop on Fuerte Ventura (quite near their destination) because of bad weather and the boat and crew being roughed up by how the boat behaves without the benefit of a rig. Didn't they install a makeshift 'mast' to help hold things together?

 

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Yesterday some new video was published from Lionel Lemonchois' ten days drifting on his capsized maxi trimaran Prince de Bretagne.

The video begins by showing the interior after Lionel had rearranged things. Then he takes some footage showing the nice weather on successive days. You see the Argentinian sailors who wanted to rescue him a week into the capsize (the second half of the video repeats righting footage we've seen before).

Video from L'Equipe.fr

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Our earlier thread about Prince de Bretagne and her capsize

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The cargo ship due to transport Prince de Bretagne back to France has perhaps gotten to Rio now, after it was delayed leaving Rio de la Plata.

 

^^ Thanks Blackburn, she floats high and dry when capsized.