Sam Davies, Yannick Bestaven, Jérémie Beyou, Paul Meilhat, Boris Herrmann, Maxime Sorel and Kevin Escoffier are all sailing on new generation IMOCAs launched at some point in 2022. It takes time to fine tune these highly technical boats, so for these seven sailors, the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe has not left them much time. What are their ambitions?
Out of the 38 IMOCAs present in the dock, seven were launched in 2022: Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim - PRB was launched on 8th May, Maxime Sorel’s V and B – Monbana – Mayenne on 27th June, Jérémie Beyou’s Charal on 11th July, Boris Herrmann’s Malizia – Seaexplorer on 19th July, Sam Davies’s Initiatives-Cœur on 30th July, Yannick Bestaven’s Maître CoQ V on 27th August and Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm on 31st August.
Five sisterships, two new designs
Five of these boats are sisterships to monohulls that already exist with some adjustments to enhance their performance. Only Charal (designed by Manuard) and Malizia – Seaexplorer (designed by VPLP) are brand new designs with new ideas about the hull. To get to grips with his innovative IMOCA (particularly with the rudders), Jérémie Beyou was able to count on a solid, experienced team to speed up this process. “We managed to push ahead with one team working on fine tuning the boat in terms of her reliability and another in terms of performance with Franck Cammas,” he explained. “The two teams worked in parallel without getting in each other’s way. We haven’t yet experienced every sea state, but we have already understood a lot of things.”
Among the sailors setting off aboard a boat based on a tried and tested concept, Maxime Sorel will be sailing on the sistership to Apivia. “This is the right choice for me. I didn’t want to start out with a blank sheet of paper. The boat has shown what she can do in terms of her structure, so we can feel more relaxed from the outset. We have to make do too with the means at our disposal.”
In early 2023, Thomas Ruyant will also be getting a brand new boat. Meanwhile he is sailing on LinkedOut, an IMOCA he knows well, which makes him one of the favourites in the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe. “Of course, a new boat might win. We are going to have to keep a close eye on them. They are turning up with incredible machines and great teams. Even if they have had less time to prepare than us, they could very quickly be in the running,” he warned. “It will depend on the weather on the first three days. If conditions are fine, we’re going to have to take the new boats seriously. If the weather is tougher, which is likely in November, knowing your boat well is a major advantage. This is going to add a touch of spice to the race and sort the boats out early on.” Charlie Dalin is in the same situation as Thomas Ruyant. Unbeatable abaord his Apivia in 2022, he is worried about these new rivals. “The brand new IMOCAs are still being fine tuned, although I get the feeling that some are well advanced in their development. The amount of preparation they have had varies a lot between these new boats.”
Aiming for the top of the rankings
Among the most ambitious, Jérémie Beyou is aiming high, even if his boat is new. “Depending on conditions, we have the capacity to do well, so there’s no point in hanging around,” he said. “It would be too easy to say that you can’t win the Route du Rhum with a new IMOCA. I really want to win, and this is a realistic goal. We have been working towards that.” Kevin Escoffier is also aiming high. “I may not be the favourite, like some of the other skippers on new boats, but I want to have a great Route du Rhum and develop a fantastic project over the long term, so I need to finish and push hard whenever possible. If I don’t get in the top 5, it would be disappointing. I’m not setting off just to watch the others sail away. I am determined to get the best result possible.”
Maxime Sorel has the same goal of being in the top 5.
Others have their ambitions, but give priority to completing the race and gaining in confidence. “Even if I am continuing to discover the boat, she seems safe and she feels good,” explained Boris Herrmann. “I’m immensely proud that everything is working after all the work done by the team The goal in the Route du Rhum is to do our best, give it our all and go all the way. This is an important step forward before heading for Alicante and competing in The Ocean Race (the crewed race around the world with stopovers). It’s important for the boat to finish in good condition.”
Winner in 2018, Paul Meilhat has given himself a different goal. “I’m not thinking about my previous win and not piling on the pressure because of that. Today, I’m still in the fine-tuning stage and getting used to my IMOCA, which is only normal.” The winner of the 2020 Vendée Globe, Yannick Bestaven thinks he has found 70% of the potential of Maître CoQ V for the moment._ “I hope to learn very quickly,” he added. “I’ll be giving it my best and if the timing is not the best for the Route du Rhum, we’ve plenty of time before the Vendée Globe.”
As for Sam Davies, this will be her second Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe and she is as always enthusiastic. “I’m really pleased with how Initiatives-Cœur performs. Sometimes, I’m rather surprised by her average speeds and how easy it is to get her sailing fast. The timing has been a bit tight to fine tune the boat and get all the systems up and running (Sam will be sailing without ballast tanks). I can’t wait to get out there on my boat. I’ll be learning a lot. It’s hard to give myself a clear goal, as I haven’t really raced sailed a lot against the other boats.”_