Vendée Globe

Exactly two months after entering the CDK yard, BRIT AIR was relaunched yesterday (Thursday 3rd April) in Port La Forêt, in SW Brittany. Repairs were carried out following her dismasting in the Transat B to B and she was given a thorough overhaul. The monohull from Morlaix Bay now only needs her mast to be restepped later today to get back into service. As early as next week, Armel Le Cléac’h will be back at the helm and heading out to sea.

The programme includes sea trials, adjustments, and above all, a lot of solo sailing. The Breton skipper does not have much time to lose: in just over a month, he will be setting out on the Artemis Transat with the major goal of qualifying for the Vendée Globe. With 220 days to go before the start of the round the world race, the countdown has begun.


The monohull with its Celtic triskell logo will thus soon be heading out to sea. While this refit was planned a long time ago, the work had to be adapted to the circumstances: «Apart from the need to build a new mast, BRIT AIR’s dismasting, although not causing any major damage to the boat, did make a few repairs necessary,» explained Armel. Straight after these repairs, the technical team gave her a complete check-up, before turning to measures to slim her down.»… The experience gained from the Transat Jacques Vabre enabled the team to see that the Finot design was relatively weak in light airs. « BRIT AIR is a powerful 60’, and can achieve great speeds, but her weight is a handicap in some points of sailing,» said Armel. Without going so far as to undertake any major structural changes, the technical team has attempted to reduce weight wherever possible. The interior fittings have lost some of their comfort, but paradoxically should make working aboard easier for a single-handed yachtsman. The keel has also lost a few kilograms. In the end, she has shed quite a lot of weight and her skipper can hardly wait to see the consequences out on the water!



Today, the monohull will be fitted with her new mast. The many hours of studies and reflection to identify the causes of Brit Air’s dismasting in December would seem to show that this was not linked to any structural problem in the mast, but rather was due to a mechanical cause. With the Vendée Globe coming up, Armel Le Cléac’h’s priority is to ensure she is completely reliable: «This new mast comes from the same mould as the previous one, but with more attention given to the safety aspect, we have strengthened the structure in various ways. We paid particular attention to all the mechanical links.»



Ready to qualify for the Vendée Globe

From 21st to 23rd April, Armel will be attending a training session organised by the Finistère Ocean Racing Centre. After that, he will be returning home to Morlaix Bay for a few PR operations and then, it will be time to think about sailing across to Plymouth, for the start of the transatlantic race, which will be bringing together a wealth of talent on their 60’ boats. Six months before the Vendée Globe, the North Atlantic will be the final opportunity for the solo yachtsmen to study each other and to gain control of their machines. For Armel Le Cléac’h, there is even more than that at stake, as he will be using this event to aim to qualify for the round the world race.

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