Imoca : les dernières infos Tip & Shaft

With just a few days to spare, Paul Meilhat could have taken part in the Azimut Lorient Agglomération Challenge, which runs from 10 to 15 September. His Imoca Biotherm will in fact be relaunched on the 13th in Lorient, while he awaits a week later his new pair of foils, launched following the breakage of his port foil on The Transat CIC. Speaking to Tip & Shaft, the 42-year-old sailor, who is about to take part in his second Vendée Globe, looks back over the past few eventful months.

With the New York-Vendée-Les Sables d’Olonne race approaching its epilogue – Charlie Dalin is expected to finish on Saturday night – Tip & Shaft interviewed a number of experts to analyse this week’s racing, which has been marked by a very spread-out fleet and radically opposed options. We take a look at the situation with skippers Tanguy Le Turquais and Paul Meilhat, and the event’s weather consultant, Christian Dumard.

Three weeks after the arrival of The Transat CIC, 28 skippers will set sail on 29 May in the New York Vendée-Les Sables d’Olonne, the last qualifier for the Vendée Globe. As it does before each major event, Tip & Shaft surveyed a panel of experts, including Charles Caudrelier, Armel Tripon, Alain Gautier and Tom Laperche, to take stock of the forces at work.

Second in the Transat Jacques Vabre and winner of Retour à La Base at the end of last year, Yoann Richomme has once again hit the jackpot by winning The Transat CIC on 7 May. With just a few days to go before the start of the solo return transatlantic race, the New York Vendée, on 29 May, the 40-year-old skipper of Paprec Arkéa spoke to Tip & Shaft.

Busy news this week for TR Racing, which on Wednesday announced the change of name for Thomas Ruyant’s and Sam Goodchild’s Imoca boats, both renamed Vulnerable, before inaugurating its new premises at Lorient La Base on Thursday. All good reasons to talk to Alexandre Fayeulle, Chairman of Advens, founding partner of TR Racing and owner of the two boats. 

After three months of refit work, the Imoca boats are now ready to tackle a busy season, starting on 28 April with the start of The Transat CIC, followed by theNew York-Vendée and the Vendée Globe. Tip & Shaft takes a look at the technical issues that have kept the teams busy this winter.

Forced to give up the Transat Jacques Vabre and Retour à La Base at the end of 2023 due to a medical problem, Charlie Dalin will be making his return to competition in The Transat CIC, which starts on 28 April from Lorient. Ahead of a week’s training with the Finistère centre in Port-la-Forêt, Tip & Shaft spoke to the skipper of Macif Santé Prévoyance.