Three weeks after the announcement of the departure of Ronan Lucas, replaced at the head of the Team by Erwan Steff and Sébastien Josse, Banque Populaire announced on Tuesday the launch of a new Imoca project, with a new boat to be skippered by Loïs Berrehar. Tip & Shaft looks back at the announcement and the choice of skipper.
A little over two years after deciding not to line up at the start of the Vendée Globe 2024 following the “Crémer affair” (see our article), Banque Populaire made its return to the Imoca class official on Tuesday evening via a press release, then on Wednesday at a party on a Paris barge, as well as choosing Loïs Berrehar to embody this new project. The “bank of sailing” has also renewed its partnership with the French sailing and surfing federations for a further four years.
As far as the Imoca is concerned, the announcement came as no great surprise, since it had been widely rumored for several weeks, the return having been validated “during the second half of 2024”, according to Pierre-Laurent Berne, director of development for Banques Populaires, who, interviewed by Tip & Shaft, explained it as follows: “We wanted a sailing program that would run until 2029, and in this program arose the question of the Vendée Globe. Insofar as this meant having two boats, we had to think about the challenge, the budget, the desire and the skipper. We then submitted the project to the management for approval, and decided to return to this race.”
When asked about the lessons learned from the “Crémer affair”, the latter answers: “This episode is in the past, I’m not looking in the rear-view mirror”, preferring to insist on the longevity of an investment in sailing, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2029, hence “this ambitious program” involving two boats, the future Imoca and Armel Le Cléac’h’s Ultim Banque Populaire XI.
Horeau and Pirouelle also heard
Once the decision to return to the Imoca class had been made, the question of building a new boat didn’t arise for long, according to Erwan Steff, new manager of Team Banque Populaire (assisted by Sébastien Josse, sporting director). “We studied the market, we didn’t close any doors, but we decided it was the best solution, knowing that we have boat-building know-how within the team that we want to continue to exploit.” While the team refuses to comment on the subject, this new Imoca, due to be launched in the first quarter of 2027, will be an Antoine Koch design, built at CDK in the same molds as those of Boris Herrmann and Thomas Ruyant, due in 2026.
The other important decision was the choice of skipper to take the helm, a choice in which Armel Le Cléac’h, winner of the 2016 Vendée Globe under the colors of Banque Populaire, was closely involved, as he told us: “I was asked whether I wanted to take part in the Vendée Globe again, and I very quickly replied that I wanted to sail our Ultim for many more years, and therefore to return to the Arkea Ultim Challenge to try and win it. It was difficult, if not impossible, to pursue both objectives at the same time, while still aiming for victory, so we had to find a skipper. With Ronan (Lucas), we put forward a list of several names that we felt were capable of going on a winning project in 2028, and then met the finalists in interviews in Paris.”
Who were the short-listed skippers? According to our information, corroborated by those involved, there were informal exchanges between Ronan Lucas, Franck Cammas and Sam Goodchild, but none of them were interviewed, unlike Loïs Berrehar, Guillaume Pirouelle and Corentin Horeau, who, after discussions with members of Team Banque Populaire and the communications team led by Thierry Bouvard and Guillaume Balland, presented their case in Paris to the banking group’s senior management. In the end, it was the former who was chosen, the latter quickly bounced back, as he will be Yoann Richomme’s co-skipper.
“Loïs had that little extra something”
What made the difference in favor of the man who had just completed three years of Figaro racing as Skipper Macif? “There weren’t any big differences between the finalists. It came down to personality, desire and the ability to rise to the challenge,” answers Armel Le Cléac’h. “I think Loïs was the one who prepared best for the interview, he had that little extra something. In a choice like this, it’s not just the sporting aspect that’s taken into account, it’s also the way in which the project is lived, communicated and the way in which the values of Banque Populaire are conveyed.”
Erwan Steff agrees: “I think it was the way Loïs was able to defend his case in Paris that tipped the balance in his favor, it’s also a question of the general feeling between the candidate, the managers and the technical team.” A feeling that Pierre-Laurent Berne confirms: “Loïs is first and foremost a very competent person, but he also seems to have been with us for years, I think he has our DNA, I really like his sincerity, which was an important element for me.”
The choice was announced to the lucky skipper at the end of last year, and he was obviously delighted by the news: “I’m really happy, because this project comes at a time when I really wanted to do it, after my years in Figaro and my experience as Charlie’s (Dalin) replacement skipper in the Vendée Globe. It’s made me want it more than ever, and told me I could do it. It’s really the ideal sequence, as if it were written in stone.”
The Ocean Race for the skipper
The fact remains that Loïs Berrehar will have to wait two years before sailing an Imoca in the Banque Populaire colors – he’s been working on ergonomics for the last three months – hence the need for the Team to get him sailing other 60-footers in the meantime. This will already be the case this year, as he will be racing with a crew and the same team in the new Course des Caps, then in The Ocean Race Europe, and also in The Ocean Race in 2027. “As Banque Populaire has no international ambitions, we won’t be taking part in The Ocean Race,“ explains Erwan Steff. On the other hand, it’s in our skipper’s interest to go and do this race to accumulate miles, particularly in the Southern Ocean. We want him to sail as much as possible on high-performance boats that will resemble his 2027 boat, right up to the launch.”
The director of Team Banque Populaire won’t say any more, but according to our information, it’s Team Malizia that will welcome Loïs Berrehar, a collaboration that makes all the more sense as the hull of his Imoca will be the same as Boris Herrmann’s future boat. As it did in 2022 for Clarisse Crémer, could Team Banque Populaire also rent an Imoca to enable its skipper to race the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe in 2026? “We’ve thought about it, but we can’t be everywhere, so there’s no desire today to put him absolutely on the Route du Rhum,” replies Erwan Steff. Financial considerations also come into play, with a dual Ultim/Imoca project focused on performance, for which Pierre-Laurent Berne does not wish to reveal the amount, explaining, “It’s a controlled budget, which is not without limits, but we’re trying to do things right.”
For Armel Le Cléac’h, who intends to accompany Loïs Berrehar all the way to the Vendée Globe and, in particular, to sail on his future Imoca, this dual project is in any case a sign of “growing strength” the part of Banque Populaire, the skipper adds: “We now have a very fine tool in Lorient, since we’ve refitted the [yard] Glorieux 3 and we have an Ultim project that’s reached maturity, which means that we have time and energy for the Imoca, and in particular we’ll be able to recruit a few people to complete the team. Especially as 2027 and 2028 are shaping up to be very intense years, with two single-handed round-the-world races in quick succession. We’re the first to do this in the history of ocean racing, so maybe it’ll inspire other teams to try their hand at both.”
Photo : Vincent Curutchet / BPCE
