Vendée Globe

Nine months less one day: that is how long it will have taken since 5th December to build the new 60´ monohull DELTA DORE, which was launched this Monday morning (4th September) in Cherbourg. For this first 60´ monohull based on a Farr design to be built in France, the conditions were perfect. The team behind the boat and the JMV Industries boatyard staff were there in force to witness this important, symbolic moment. The self-righting tests, the mast fitting and the first trials will take place from Tuesday 5th September. Then, it will be time for the qualifying run for the Route du Rhum and the naming ceremony, before this first race begins on 29th October from Saint-Malo.

It was at 7h30 this morning that the DELTA DORE and JMV Industries teams began to gather around the new monohull, which was looking very smart for her launch. Time for a few quiet moments, to allow the boat to have some peace and quiet in the boat shed, before entering the water and showing what she was capable of. They all worked for hours and hours on end to make sure that the 60’ monohull DELTA DORE would be ready by this morning (4th September 2006). Then, she was picked up by the yard’s hoist and raised until the 4.50 metre keel was out of the pit. Next, the transfer to the quayside was able to begin for her entry into the water. At every step of the way, she was monitored closely by all of the team. As the crane drew near, the clouds parted letting some sunshine appear. The umbrellas could be put away, and Cherbourg looked like she was having one of her fine days. The team was so nervous that their emotion was difficult to detect. The boat was raised up and then slowly moved into place above the water. At 11h03 local time, the bulb on her keel touched the water. Without being ceremonial, that moment had something majestic about it, and everyone was there to watch: Gilles Chiorri, who has been working on this boat for a year alongside Jérémie, Fanch Guiffant, his faithful assistant, Yann Clavier, Bruno Béhuré and Eric Le Borgne, who make up the key members of the sailing team, Jean-Marie Vaur, Stéphane Digard, the yard boss at JMV Industries accompanied by some of the workers, who have been building DELTA DORE over the past nine months. Between the two teams, there was a lot of joking, when the monohull DELTA DORE was in the water. She was floating, a beautiful sight, and the first stage of her “journey” was over. A few minutes later, Jérémie Beyou and his team went on board. Her fabulous story has only just begun.
The first impressions from the skipper, Jérémie Beyou, a few minutes after she entered the water: "We were a little on edge this morning for the launch ... Now she is in the water, there’s a nice lapping sound, as she moves forward. We absolutely had to keep up with the schedule. We’re on time with a new boat, a new design and some innovations. There was no way we were going to take over an existing boat, as DELTA DORE is a company, which innovates in household technology, so their boat had to live up to their image. The steering system, as well as the aft ballast tanks, which jut out a bit, are rather like those on Virbac, but there are also a lot of things that are different. We now have a lot of little adjustments to make to get everything as we want. I carefully studied the appendages and we spent a lot of time on them. The keel is looking great, as you can see when the boat is hoisted up. It looks like a sledge. She is light, wide and powerful and glides through the water. From tomorrow onwards, we’ll be tidying her up, making sure for the fourth time that she is watertight. In theory, she is very dry. Then we’ll be preparing her for the capsize tests. I can’t wait to get sailing with my team. Not only are they excellent technically, but also great sailors. What they feel and say is going to be very important to me."

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