The Multi50 class is a class of fast, high-performance 15-metre multihulls for competitive racing. Find the latest news and investigations from Tip & Shaft on the subject.
After racing the third leg of the Pro Sailing Tour on Viabilis with Pierre Quiroga, Pascal Bidégorry is training this week with Tom Laperche on SVR Lazartigue whilst also awaiting the launch of Macif, Charlie Dalin’s new Imoca, at the end of June. He will sail with Dalin this season, notably on the Transat Jacques Vabre. Tip & Shaft spoke to him this week.
After taking second place aboard Malizia of the fourth leg of The Ocean Race on Wednesday evening into Newport Rhode Island, Christopher Pratt managed to then make the first stage of the Pro Sailing Tour on Wind of Trust this Friday in La Seyne-sur-Mer of the. The boat was formerly Gilles Lamiré’s and Pratt is the new skipper. Tip & Shaft reached him early Friday morning during his connection at Paris CDG airport in between his flights from the United States and to Marseille. The sailor from Marseille took the time to talk about his busy times.
After the Ultims, the Mini 6.50, the Figaro and the Class40, Tip & Shaft is continuing its pre-season review of the key classes of 2023 now looking at the Ocean Fifty. And we find a class which, as is often the case in a post-Rum year is active with newcomers and a few leavers.
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.
At the age of 50 Yvan Bourgnon now divides his time between the Seacleaners organisation which he founded five years ago, a part time profession as a lecturer and sailing: he races in the Ocean Fifty class with Gilles Lamiré, on the Nacra 20 with his son Mathis and on the ETF26 Series leading the Zizi to Fly crew. As he prepares to compete in the Raid Quiberon, Tip & Shaft caught up with him.
How the second season of the Pro Sailing Tour, which will start in May in Bonifacio (Corsica) and end in July in Roscoff, is being organised.
Seventy nine duos, that is a record entry for the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre which starts next Sunday, November 7. And as before every big race, Tip & Shaft has mustered a posse of experts to assess the fleets and predict who will be successful.
The new Imoca rule which will be applicable from 2022 to 2025, was voted on at the class association’s general assembly on April 15. To understand the main developments, Tip & Shaft tells more about this rule with some IMOCA experts.
Following on from Class40 and the Figaro with Arthur Le Vaillant and Briton Sam Goodchild, Leyton have been on the Ocean Fifty circuit (ex Multi50) since last year. This is a partnership which links the funding specialists and consultants to Goodchild until the 2022 Route du Rhum 2022. Tip & Shaft took the the opportunity to talk with their marketing director, Caroline Villecroze.
The Multi50 class will offer a line-up of six or seven trimarans this season. The official programme will be unveiled on 16th March with a new look to the race format, new partners and some new locations. Tip & Shaft looks at what is going on.
After almost a month of lockdown, the different ocean racing divisions are spending a lot of time working with race organizers on the possible reprogramming of their 2020 or even their 2021 calendar, while at the same time trying to reassure their members, affected to varying degrees by this new turbulent economic crisis. After Tip & Shaft spoke to IMOCA’s Antoine Mermod last week, this week we go round the houses, speaking to other key classes.
Over the past fortnight, the Covid-19 pandemic has led many race organisers to modify their plans. Among them, OC Sport Pen Duick which postponed (currently the situation) the Transat AG2R La Mondiale and is looking at various options for The Transat CIC, but remains confident about the Solitaire du Figaro. Tip & Shaft talked to the Managing Director, Hervé Favre.
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