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Thomas Ruyant’s new IMOCA has been launched

This Thursday in Lorient, Thomas Ruyant’s new IMOCA left the CDK shipyard hangar to be launched for the very first time. The result of a collaboration led by Antoine Koch’s AKO consultancy, alongside teams from TR Racing, GSea and Finot-Conq for the design calculations, this 2028-generation IMOCA builds on the experience gained by Thomas Ruyant during his two Vendée Globe campaigns.

Nouvel IMOCA TR Racing
© Pierre Bourras / TR Racing

The aim of the project was to develop a more versatile and high-performance IMOCA, particularly when sailing upwind and during restart phases. It is part of a collaborative approach with the teams of Boris Herrmann (Malizia) and Loïs Berrehar (Banque Populaire), who are currently building boats using a similar mould.

Notable developments include a redesigned layout to make life on board easier, wheel steering stations facing the sailing direction, and in-depth work on the rudders and hull to improve stability and efficiency when flying.

Owned by Alexandre Fayeulle, this new IMOCA is currently looking for a title sponsor. Its racing programme includes a debut appearance in the 2026 Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, of which Thomas Ruyant is the titleholder, before a possible entry in The Ocean Race 2027 and, as the ultimate challenge, the 2028 Vendée Globe.

This is the third new IMOCA I’ve launched. It’s always quite something. Above all, it represents two years of hard work, careful thought and discussions with lots of people. These are symbolic moments for our TR Racing team and for everyone who has worked on this beautiful boat. Today, it has been unanimously acclaimed! We haven’t tried it out yet, but a boat this beautiful is bound to be fast. We’re now entering a phase of fine-tuning, finishing touches and testing before we really put the boat through its paces and get it up to speed. We can’t wait to make our first runs. We’ll soon realise just how capable this IMOCA is, although we have no doubts about it.

Thomas Ruyant
VULNERABLE
Thomas Ruyant
© Pierre Bourras / TR Racing

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