Imoca: the latest news and investigations from Tip & Shaft.

The Ocean Race: lessons learned from an XXL leg

10 April 2023

Finishing up with Team Malizia’s victory ahead of Team Holcim-PRB, the third leg of The Ocean Race was full of twists and turns, a giant stage – the longest ever-lasting more than 35 days. Meteo ace Christian Dumard, Imoca skippers Charlie Dalin and Thomas Ruyant, designers Quentin Lucet (VPLP Design) and Hervé Penfornis (Guillaume Verdier), Antoine Mermod, president of Imoca, as well as The Ocean Race director Johan Salén, speak to Tip and Shaft to give us their first assessment.

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Hubert Lemonnier: “I feel quite legitimate in the position of Vendée Globe race director”.

27 March 2023

The Saem Vendée held a press conference last Monday in Les Sables d’Olonne to announce the list of 28 candidates who, to date, have finalized their application for the Vendée Globe 2024 and also to announce the appointment of Hubert Lemonnier as Race Director of the Round the World Race. Tip & Shaft spoke with Lemonnier.

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How the ‘For People’ project with two boats was set up

20 March 2023

Designed by Antoine Koch and the Finot-Conq studio, Thomas Ruyant’s Imoca For People was launched last Thursday in Lorient. It carries the colors of both Advens and Leyton, who are combined in a twinned project which links Ruyant the winner of the Route du Rhum 2022 with the Briton Sam Goodchild. Tip & Shaft tells you more.

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How Banque Populaire have withdrawn from participating in the Vendée Globe

27 February 2023

On Friday February 17th Banque Populaire announced their withdrawal from the Vendée Globe 2024, as a result of the “Clarisse Crémer affair”. Tip & Shaft has tried to find out more about the reasons for this decision.

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Antoine Koch Paprec Arkéa pour Tip & Shaft

Antoine Koch decodes the new Imoca Paprec Arkéa

20 February 2023

Paprec Arkéa will be launched on February 22 in Lorient. It was designed by Antoine Koch and the Finot-Conq studio as was the new Imoca for Thomas Ruyant, launched in March. And so this is a timely opportunity for Tip & Shaft to discuss with the engineer/architect Koch.

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Les Imoca sur la Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race

Antoine Mermod: “It’s up to Imoca to ensure that we make progress in terms of diversity”

10 February 2023

Between the “Clarisse Crémer affair” and The Ocean Race, Imoca is top of the news agendas at the moment and so a good time for for Tip & Shaft to speak with the president of the class, Antoine Mermod.

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Clarisse Crémer left on the dock, Banque Populaire in the eye of a storm

3 February 2023

Banque Populaire announced on Thursday noon that they have been “forced to change skipper” for the next Vendée Globe thereby confirming the information revealed a few minutes earlier by Clarisse Crémer. Their decision, motivated by the Cremer having fallen behind in the race for qualifying miles due to her maternity plus the “inflexibility” of the organization of the Vendée Globe despite the sponsor’s requests has provoked a big reaction. Tip & Shaft tells you more.

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Phil Sharp: “A great concept for the Vendée Globe”

31 January 2023

Britain’s Phil Sharp announced this week that he will have the third Sam Manuard designed IMOCA to be built by Black Pepper Yachts. One of the most successful Class40 skippers of recent years, is also a highly talented mechanical engineer. With his OceansLab he plans to highlight the hydrogen fuel cell technology system which he co-invented and is presently commercialising for the leisure and commercial marine sectors.

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Sébastien Simon: “The Vendée Globe remains an obsession”

20 January 2023

At the end of the first leg of The Ocean Race between Alicante and Cape Verde (see the tracker), Tip & Shaft spoke with Sébastien Simon (32), crew member of Guyot Environnement-Team Europe which he will now join for the second stage towards Cape Town.

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L'Imoca Holcim-PRB participe à The Ocean Race

How the Imoca teams are dealing with logistics for The Ocean Race

10 January 2023

The start of The Ocean Race which will be sailed in Imocas for the first time (*) is set to be on January 15 from Alicante for a first leg heading to Cape Verde. As well as the actual sporting challenge there is a big logistical challenge for the teams involved, particularly as four of them were on the Route du Rhum during November. Here Tip & Shaft assess the human, technical and financial resources required to deal with these challenges.

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Paul Meilhat: “I really thrive in this kind of project”

12 December 2022

This year has been busy for Paul Meilhat. Between the build of his new Imoca Biotherm (sistership of LinkedOut) at Persico Marine then with minimal preparation for the Route du Rhum-Destination and the race itself in which he finished in sixth place, it has been a full on 2022. And it’s far from over as the French skipper flies to Alicante on Saturday to start getting ready for The Ocean Race which starts on January 15. Even so, he still found the time to answer questions from Tip & Shaft.

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Imoca/Ocean Fifty: who will win the Route du Rhum?

1 November 2022

As before every major event, Tip & Shaft has invited a panel of experts to analyse the line-up for the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe which starts on 6th November. In this first part dedicated to the Imoca and Ocean Fifty competitors, we talked to Antoine Mermod, the president of the Imoca class, Jeanne Grégoire, head of the Pôle Finistère Ocean Racing training centre, Daniel Souben, trainer in La Trinité-sur-mer for Orlabay, the sailors, Yann Eliès, Christopher Pratt and Vincent Riou, as well as Jacques Guyader, journalist with Ouest-France.

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Imoca : les dernières infos Tip & Shaft

The Ocean Race: lessons learned from an XXL leg

Hubert Lemonnier: “I feel quite legitimate in the position of Vendée Globe race director”.

How the ‘For People’ project with two boats was set up

How Banque Populaire have withdrawn from participating in the Vendée Globe

Antoine Koch decodes the new Imoca Paprec Arkéa

Antoine Mermod: “It’s up to Imoca to ensure that we make progress in terms of diversity”

Clarisse Crémer left on the dock, Banque Populaire in the eye of a storm

Phil Sharp: “A great concept for the Vendée Globe”

Sébastien Simon: “The Vendée Globe remains an obsession”

How the Imoca teams are dealing with logistics for The Ocean Race

Paul Meilhat: “I really thrive in this kind of project”

Imoca/Ocean Fifty: who will win the Route du Rhum?

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