Bernard Stamm will be taking part in the 2012 Vendée Globe at the helm of a 60-foot IMOCA boat built in Switzerland at Décision S.A and designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian, the Franco-Argentinean designer. This project was made possible thanks to the Landolt family, Bernard’s long time loyal partner.
Juan Kouyoumdjian is the Franco-Argentinean designer, who came up with the winning boats for the last two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race: The two ABN-Amro boats four years ago and both Ericssons this year. The powerful 60-foot IMOCA, Pindar also came from his drawing board. Over time with each new boat, he has acquired a reputation as an innovative designer. Based in Valencia in Spain, Juan Kouyoumdjian’s company includes a multicultural team specialising in high performance boat design for racing boats.
A scientific project
Bernard Stamm’s 60-foot IMOCA will also be used as a platform for scientific research around the oceans. For this purpose a scientific committee bringing together scientists from the world of oceanography and the Lausanne Technical School (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) will be led by Océanopolis (the Brest Marine Institute).
Initially, this group of experts will be determining which project (s) will be followed over the next few years. Alongside Océanopolis, who will be managing the project, and the Lausanne School, there will also be scientists from the development research institute, from the national Engineering school, from the Breton maritime centre, the European marine university institute, the French oceanographic institution, Climsat and Météo France.
The support of Landolt and Cheminées Poujoulat
It was Marc Edouard Landolt, who enabled Bernard to build his first 60-foot boat aboard which he lined up at the start of the 2000 Vendée Globe. The two men have known each other for a long time. To explain, Bernard Stamm was working at the ‘l'Abordage' yard in Pully, after years in the merchant navy. He was preparing Marc Edouard Landolt’s boat that was skippered by Bertrand Cardis, the Director of the Décision S.A yard… Pierre Landolt, the late Marc Edouard’s brother, continued to support Bernard and decided through the family foundation to build this new boat. When Bernard Stamm and Pierre Landolt thought of Décision S.A. for the construction of the 60-foot boat, everything fell neatly into place: “This is a joint project,” explained Bertrand Cardis.
It is the Landolt family, who will be the owner of the new 60-foot boat and as soon as the boat is built, another loyal partner will be joining the project to work alongside Bernard on his race programme - Cheminées Poujoulat, which has been the sponsor of the Swiss skipper for many years now.
