60 Pieds Open - Vendée Globe

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60-feet Open

The 60-foot IMOCA, designed for the open seas

Imoca It was with the second edition of the BOC Challenge in 1986 that the 60-foot Open class first appeared. At the start in Newport, there were five monohulls, each measuring a very reasonable 18.28 metres with battened mainsails, spinnakers measuring more than 400 m² and ballast tanks aimed at keeping the boat as upright as possible. Jean-Yves Terlain's UAP - Pour Médecins Sans Fronti�res stood out with her carbon mast.

The creation of the Vendée Globe in 1989 put the class under the spotlight. The newest 60-foot boats featured the characteristics required for downwind sailing in the Southern Ocean. A wide beam (they were nicknamed "rudders on fire") and a long waterline length. It was a few years later, in 1998, under the presidency of Christophe Auguin that the class obtained recognition from the international federation: ISAF. At around the same time, canting keels, aimed at improving righting ability, became common and computer systems were installed to obtain weather forecasts and to communicate with land and send photos and videos. Autopilots, essential for solo sailing, became more and more "intelligent." Hulls and sail plans also evolved with the boats gaining power, with wider sterns and better performance in upwind conditions. We can note that cockpits became better and better protected, with some having sliding roofs to cover practically the whole of the area where manoeuvres are carried out. The safety requirements imposed by the class on sailors and designers are largely responsible for this success. Since the 2000 race, boats have had to show their self-righting ability before taking part in the race and their bulkhead compartments guarantee a high degree of buoyancy, even if the boat capsizes or if there is an ingress of water. It nevertheless remains an open class allowing many innovations and making each boat unique.

In the 2008 Vendée Globe, the boats have been designed by eleven different design teams. Another unique feature of this class: they do not just establish the measurements for the boats, but set up their own circuit, which sees a world champion named each year.

(source: IMOCA)