Imoca : les dernières infos Tip & Shaft

The Imoca are 60-foot Open monohull yachts mainly intended to race in the Vendée Globe. Find here the latest news and investigations from Tip & Shaft on the subject.

Jason Carrington: “I’m a big fan of Imoca boats”

World renowned boat builder Jason Carrington has had something of a dream order book since setting up Carrington Boats in November 2017 with the Carkeek designed Fast40 Rán. The new Imoca Hugo Boss for Alex Thomson Racing, INEOS’ UK’s Britannia as well as their nearing completion AC75 boat 2 are complemented by a part completed Ocean Race Imoca 60 which is currently on hold but which may become available. Tip & Shaft spoke with Jason.

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Conrad Humphreys was the sailing master during the TV Show Mutiny

Conrad Humphreys: “Don’t fear the isolation, see it as an opportunity”

When there appears to be dozens of solo sailors giving us their positive ideas for surviving or indeed profiting from isolation it is interesting to turn to Conrad Humphreys. His peak as a solo racer was a very tough Vendée Globe in 2004-5 placing seventh in 107 days, after repairing and replacing his rudder off South Africa and finishing with no power. In 2016 Humphreys was sailing master on Mutiny, a 4000 mile reality TV 60 day voyage from Tonga to Timor with a crew of nine on a 23 foot (7m) open boat recreating Captain Bligh’s voyage…..

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The Transat CIC pourrait être reprogrammée sur un format différent cet été ou en 2021

Hervé Favre: “For The Transat CIC, we’re looking at the possibility of an event in the summer”

Over the past fortnight, the Covid-19 pandemic has led many race organisers to modify their plans. Among them, OC Sport Pen Duick which postponed  (currently the situation) the Transat AG2R La Mondiale and is looking at various options for The Transat CIC, but remains confident about the Solitaire du Figaro. Tip & Shaft talked to the Managing Director, Hervé Favre.

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Les America's Cup World Series de Cagliari ont été reportés

Coronavirus: How Sailing is being hit by the virus

The World Championships of the 470 class (March 16-21), the giant Trofeo Princesa Sofia Olympic regatta (March 27-April 4), the Sailing World Cup Genoa (11-19 April), the 44Cup Portoroz (22-26 April), the GC32 Racing Tour in Oman (25-29 March), the ACWS Cagliari (22-26 April), these events are all either cancelled or postponed. In France the list of events to be rescheduled include Easter’s Spi Ouest France, the Massila Cup, the SNIM, the Solo Maitre CoQ The coronavirus outbreak is affecting the whole of the competitive sailing world. Tip & Shaft takes a view. 

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Phoenix, the South African TP52 taking part to the 52 Super Series

Abby Ehler: “Diversity is a benefit, it’s not a hindrance”

Britain’s Abby Ehler has three Volvo Ocean Races round the world under her belt. Since last year she has moved from mainly offshore roles to sail on the 52 SUPER SERIES as the only full time female pro sailor in the grand prix inshore fleet, racing as mid bow on the Plattners’ Phoenix team. Late last year she completed the first Transatlantic of a modern IMOCA in fully crewed ‘Ocean Race’ mode. Tip & Shaft caught up with Abby in Cape Town…..

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After for years on the Figaro circuit, Swiss Justine Mettraux wants to sail on other supports

Justine Mettraux: “I really want to do The Ocean Race again”

After four seasons in the Figaro circuit, Justine Mettraux will only be competing in 2020 in the Transat AG2R La Mondiale, in order to hand over her Figaro 3 TeamWork to her fellow Swiss sailor, Nils Palmieri. Mettraux, now 33 years old, was discovered in France in the Mini 6.50 (2nd in the 2013 Mini-Transat). She tells us why she is moving on, talks about her projects, in particular The Ocean Race, and looks back at the start of her career on Lake Geneva.

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Antoine Mermod prédit une année faste pour la classe Imoca

Antoine Mermod: “We are far from being concerned about The Ocean Race”

After a 2019 season which finished with the Transat Jacques Vabre victory of Charlie Dalin and Yann Eliès, the IMOCA class is setting up for an intense, exciting 2020. It starts with two Spring Transats,  (The Transat CIC and New York- Vendée) and then, of course, the  solo pinnacle Vendée Globe in November. Tip & Shaft takes stock with IMOCA president, Antoine Mermod.

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Barcelona has maxi ambition for Mini fleet

When the announcement came in March 2018 that the Barcelona World Race was to be suspended, held over until 2022-23, there was disappointment among the IMOCA racing community, especially among the up and coming sailors for whom the two handed round the world race served as an entry level opportunity, and indeed some sailors had already sold the race to their sponsors. But it also proved body blow to the Spanish solo and short handed racing fraternity.

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Juan Kouyoumdjian: “Its is very difficult, if not impossible, to design boats and foils that work well at all speeds”

With the design of the new Arkéa Paprec and Corum L’Epargne, Juan Yacht Design returned to the IMOCA class during 2019, coming back to a class which has not yet really yielded the big successes that Juan K enjoyed in the Volvo Ocean Race. 48-year-old Juan Kouyoumdjian remains one of the most interesting architects of this generation. His spectrum of interest spans everything from Olympic class optimisations  (Finn and previously the Star) to the America’s Cup, including record breaking monohulls and production yachts (including the latest ClubSwan 50 and ClubSwan 36). Speaking to Tip & Shaft, he majors this time on the IMOCA and the America’s Cup.

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Will Oxley a remporté la Sydney-Hobart, navigateur sur Ichi Ban

Will Oxley: “I’d like to be involved with at least one more Ocean Race”

Australian ace Will Oxley, 54, had a truly stellar 2019 as navigator contributing significantly to the unprecedented double on David and Peter Askew’s US flagged VO70 Wizard, victors on the RORC Caribbean 600 and then also the Fastnet Race which saw them crowned RORC Yacht of the Year. His season just finished on a high with his second overall Sydney Hobart win as navigator on the TP52 Ichi Ban, adding to their overall win in 2017… 

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L'Imoca de Boris Herrmann subit un important chantier de transformation pour le Vendée Globe 2020

Imoca: The boatyards are ringing in the changes for the Vendée Globe

Ten months before the start of the Vendée Globe and a very intense build up season which will open with The Transat CIC (starts May 10) and rolls straight into the New York-Vendée (June 16), almost all of the IMOCAs are fully engaged in their winter refits. For some the job list is more comprehensive and may include new foils, for others constrained by budgets it is more about maximising reliability and small incremental performance gains. 

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