Vendée Globe

Jean-Pierre Dick’s brand new monohull, Paprec-Virbac, has just been launched in Tauranga (New Zealand). As was the case for the first boat with this name, Paprec-Virbac’s design team has once again shown a great deal of innovation. The most important feature is the addition of an adjustable trim tab under the hull at the stern. This device has been common on motor-boats for some time, but has never been fitted to a 60-foot monohull before. Jean-Pierre Dick explains:

Is Paprec-Virbac, Jean-Pierre Dick’s second sixty-footer, going to be lead the way like the first boat did?
One thing is certain, the Paprec-Virbac design team including Luc Bartissol, Loïck Peyron, Nicolas Abiven and Jean-Pierre Dick has once again innovated. A large trim tab takes up more than a metre of the stern section. While at sea, the skipper can raise or lower the trim tab to adjust how the boat sails. The other external innovation is a sliding roof to offer protection from the sea spray. Inside too, Paprec-Virbac includes some brand new features. However, these are going to remain top secret for a while, to avoid the competition finding out about them.



Questions for Jean-Pierre Dick, the skipper of Paprec-Virbac


- What is the guiding idea behind the new boat in comparison to the previous one?
Jean-Pierre Dick : « Like other boats from this generation, she is more powerful, wider, and steadier thanks to the canting keel and central ballast. You have to be able to control all this and protect yourself from the sea. So the guiding principle was to enable us to sail quickly in a protected environment. »


- What are the major innovations on Paprec Virbac ?
J.P.D. : «Firstly, there is the feature you can clearly see. The sliding roof to protect us from the sea. There are two flaps, a bit like on a car with a hard top, which enables us to go and trim the sails without having to put on the wet weather gear. Apart from that, the major innovation is obviously the trim tab at the stern. »


- What exactly does this device do under the hull ?
J.P.D. : « In quiet weather, it is raised to reduce the underwater area and limit the drag. Downwind, it is lowered to increase the pressure and enable the boat to be adjusted to ride well. That leads to an additional weight and requires some skilful engineering. However, we believe it will offer an advantage in speed, which is a benefit in the Vendée Globe. »


- Whose idea was this? Did you sign up straightaway to the principle?
J.P.D. : « The initial idea came from Farr, but it was carried out and fitted in conjunction with our technical staff. As with any innovative idea, there is something attractive about it, but you need to accept a certain risk. We won’t be able to say whether it has paid off until it has been tested. It was a difficult decision to take, as we don’t have ten thousand opportunities to build such a boat. It is nevertheless interesting to be the first. It may become a common feature on racing boats in the third millennium. »


- After two years of design and building work, you must be pleased to see the boat is finished?
J.P.D. : «Yes, of course. It represents so much work. It´s also very pleasing for the whole team to see their baby come to life like this. A new boat project is always very exciting. It’s the beginning of a new story. »

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