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September 03, 2007Groupe Bel has come out of the yard

The 60-ft Open monohull Groupe Bel, designed by Guillaume Verdier and the Van Peteghem - Lauriot Prévost team, came out of the Indiana Boating boatyard in Tuscany today. The most recent addition to the IMOCA fleet to be skippered by Kito de Pavant will be launched mid-week before sailing for the first time off the Italian coast. She will then head for her home port of Port Camargue.
On 3rd November, in Le Havre, Kito de Pavant and Sébastien Col will be lining up for the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre to head for Salvador de Bahia in Brazil.

August 24, 2007Dame Ellen still thinking of the Vendée Globe

In an interview with BBC radio this morning, Ellen MacArthur toned down what she said a few months back about sailing single-handed around the world. While reiterating that she did not wish to take part in the 2008 Vendée Globe, Dame Ellen made it clear that she does not exclude taking part in the 2012 race.

August 21, 2007Desjoyeaux - three times winner

On Tuesday 21st August, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) won his third Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro thanks to a sterling performance, where during each leg he was up in the top three. He thus equals the three victories achieved by Jean Le Cam and Philippe Poupon in the event. \"The standard of the competition and the interest in each leg makes this win all the more enjoyable. All of the boats sailed well and all the racers are capable of making the right moves, and not being content with being behind. That’s why I wanted to be in it: a fight, a confrontation.\" That is something he will surely find in the next Vendée Globe too.

August 20, 2007Groupe BEL to be launched in September

Designed by the Van Peteghem-Lauriot Prévost team, in conjunction with Guillaume Verdier, Kito de Pavant’s boat (Groupe Bel) will be launched in early September in Rosignano, south of Livorno in Italy. \"There’s still a lot to do,” explained Kito. \"We\'re currently fitting the boat out and installing the equipment, before the painting can begin in a few days.\" Since the deck was fitted in mid-July, all of the pieces of the puzzle have been coming together. The keel, daggerboards and hydraulic systems were made in Milan, the winches in England, parts for the rig in Spain, the sails and rudders in La Trinité (Southern Brittany), and finally the mast in Montpellier.

August 15, 2007PRB winner of the Fastnet Race

Vincent Riou and Sébastien Josse won the 42nd edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race on Wednesday 15th August. In so doing, they also set a race record of 50 hours 17 minutes and 44 seconds, smashing the previous record set by Catherine Chabaud on Whirlpool in 1999 of 2 days 5 hours and 19 minutes. A great victory after a particularly hard race. The 608 miles separating Cowes from Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock were far from being quiet for the 17 competitors in the Imoca 60-foot class. Gusts of 40 knots and very unstable winds made the race particularly difficult, forcing six competitors to retire. Cheminées Poujoulat was runner-up and Hugo Boss third.

August 02, 2007Great American III back in the water

At the end of a refit that will have lasted ten months, Rich Wilson’s Great American III was relaunched yesterday at the Maine Yacht Center in Portland, U.S. In the next few weeks, the boat will be undergoing the compulsory Imoca tests before being re-christened later in the month. Several weeks of sea trials are planned (some of which will be taking place in Marblehead, Massachusetts) in order to prepare the boat for the Vendée Globe 2008-09.