After sixteen months of studies and construction, the new 60' monohull Virbac-Paprec 3 sailed for the first time today in Auckland. This is always an exciting moment for any team and with her skipper Jean-Pierre Dick they all appreciated the speed and agility of the blue and white monohull. Sea trials will continue in the southern hemisphere, before Jean-Pierre sets off to sail halfway around the world to deliver his boat to France. Jean-Pierre Dick: “We are just discovering the boat and she already feels right. Virbac-Paprec 3 is a fast machine. She accelerates quickly and is very lively. She’s a boat with a lot of potential and it’s going to be a real challenge to get the most out of her. I’m pleased, as first impressions count a lot after so many months building her. She satisfies the specifications we laid down. She’s a real fiery machine.”

The new Imoca 60 designed by VPLP / Verdier for Jean-Pierre Dick, Virbac-Paprec 3, has just left Cookson’s boat yard Cookson in New Zealand. She is due to be launched tomorrow (Tuesday 18th May) in Auckland. Once in the water, the boat will be sailed to France by Jean-Pierre Dick, who will carry out initial tests and take advantage of the opportunity to train. He is set to sail halfway around the world via the Panama Canal to arrive in France in late July. Jean-Pierre Dick will be taking part in the Route du Rhum in early November, then the Barcelona World Race, which he won in 2008.

Dominique Wavre, skipper of the Mirabaud monohull, named after his new partner, the Swiss private bank: "I’m proud and pleased to begin this partnership with Mirabaud. The Vendée Globe will mark the climax of our joint project, but I’m also looking forward to taking part before that in the Barcelona World Race alongside Michèle Paret, then in the 2011 Transat Jacques Vabre. This is a very balanced programme, which includes rest periods to be able to recover and carry out technical improvements and which should mean that we can be at the start line in the best possible shape. Along with my team I am more motivated than ever. This is the start of a magnificent adventure.”

 Jean-Pierre Dick’s new IMOCA 60 is to be launched in less than a month from now in Auckland, New Zealand. Nicolas Abiven, technical director of the Virbac-Paprec Sailing Team, explains how far the construction has reached: "They’re all very busy in the yard! There are around thirty people working on the construction of Virbac-Paprec 3 and putting the final touches to the stratification. We’re already getting the heavy gear aboard: keel rams, engine, propeller shaft and the electronics. The mast and boom are ready. The team is fitting the final parts of the deck hardware. We have carried out ultra-sound testing to check the quality of the build. The keel is currently being worked on and is due to be finished in around a week or so."

 As each year, the AGM of the IMOCA class has elected its representatives. Dominique Wavre, Luc Talbourdet and Jean Le Cam were voted back in and José Maria Bénavidès, the Spanish representative, was elected to the post made vacant by Jacques Guilbaud. Dominique Wavre handed over the presidency to Luc Talbourdet, who left this post back in 2007. This team closely represents all the members and the heads of the IMOCA class know each other well and will be continuing along the same lines as those that were previously adopted.

The new board of the IMOCA class :
President: Luc Talbourdet
Vice-President: Jean Le Cam
Vice-President: Pascal Chadail
Secretary: Bernard Stamm
Treasurer: Yann Eliès
President of the Events Committee: Alex Thomson
Board member: Dominique Wavre
Board member: José Maria Bénavidès

 What the designers had to say about the new PRB 5 after her launch on Thursday 11th March:

Vincent Lauriot Prévost : "We’re used to launching boats, but at the same time there’s always that little emotion. We’re moving on to the next phase. We’re leaving the yard and the boat is going into the water. Then, there will be the trials and we need to check through everything. This is an enjoyable stage. PRB and Safran? Boats are never the same. She may have the same hull as Safran, but she doesn’t have the same appendages or the same rig. You’ll see she is very different."

Guillaume Verdier : "Our work doesn’t finish today. The boat is built now, but we’re moving on to fine-tuning her. This is where we look at her performance, which is the most interesting phase. As for her structure, PRB is very similar to Safran, but in terms of the balance of sails to appendages, she is very different. We came up with a completely different ."