France’s leading sailmaker with a turnover of 26 million euros and 200 employees, Incidence Sails was once again out in force in the Vendée Globe with 14 Imoca boats equipped and… a double podium finish. Yoann Richomme, second on Paprec Arkéa, and Sébastien Simon, third on Groupe Dubreuil, opted for a set of 100% Incidence Sails, made from the DFi filament membrane, which is produced in Incidence Technologies’ La Rochelle premises, the only ones of its kind in Europe.
“These results are obviously a source of pride for all our teams and a great showcase for the group, because they demonstrate our know-how and prove that our DFi technology has now reached maturity, says Pierre-Antoine Morvan, who heads up Incidence Sails’ ocean racing and superyacht divisions. “Yoann only suffered a broken jib batten and Seb had a tiny tear in one sail following the mishandling of another, but it was all very minor.”
Marjorie Huonnic, who is in charge of communications and marketing at the sailmaker, adds: “A double podium finish in the Vendée Globe directly boosts our sales in ocean racing, but it is also good for our other sectors of activity: if we’re capable of making sails that finish the Vendée Globe without breaking, that means we can meet a demand for reliable sails for superyachts or IRCs, bearing in mind that we look after an Imoca skipper in the same way as a customer who has a JPK 10.10 and will be able to have his sails made to measure in DFi with a dedicated designer.”
For the 2024-2025 edition of the Vendée Globe, five Incidence Sails designers worked on the design of the 90 sails produced, with, for some, a relationship of trust built up with their “client” skippers. “Yoann is very attached to our brand and to a designer, Ronan Floch, with whom he has worked for a long time. He won his two Solitaire du Figaro and two Route du Rhum races with sails designed by Ronan”, explains Pierre-Antoine Morvan. “However, that doesn’t mean that coming with us in this Vendée Globe was a foregone conclusion. We had to prove our ability to meet the demands of his team, particularly in terms of numerical calculations’”
Sébastien Simon, who was already equipped with Incidence Sails for his previous Vendée Globe, worked with another designer, Maxime Paul. “What’s interesting is that with Ronan, we were able to work closely together, freely exchanging our techniques and applications. These discussions have been very enriching and have enabled us to combine our expertise,” he explains.
The exchanges with the Imoca teams are also invaluable: “Today, we’re dealing with teams that are increasingly staffed, so we are very challenged and we learn a lot”, confirms Pierre-Antoine Morvan. “On the other hand, on projects like Guirec Soudée’s, the approach is different, with complete support, from fitting the sails to understanding how to use them, a criterion that is particularly important to his team. We offer total customisation, both for the sails and the service.”
On the strength of this already successful Vendée Globe, the Incidence Sails teams are looking ahead to the next Imoca cycle, working in particular with the class on the issue of green sail, an important challenge. “We’re starting off on a good footing in this area, since we source everything in Europe, none of our products are air-shipped, and our production is local since the membranes are made in La Rochelle and transported on foot, the floor is 50 metres away!” recalls Marjorie Huonnic. “Of course, this doesn’t stop us from working to improve our processes and recycled or bio-sourced materials as part of our R&D approach.”
Photo : Eloi Stichelbaut – polaRYSE / Paprec Arkea
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