Desire for multihulls..
After his victory in the Vendée Globe, François Gabart dreams of multihull records. He will now be able to try his luck since his giant trimaran hit the water on 18th August in Lorient. Designed by the VPLP architectural firm, she is 30 metres long and 21 metres wide and will have required 100,000 hours of work. It was at the CDK Technologies shipyard (in association with Multiplast for the central hull and the mainsheet bar, as well as various suppliers) that the Macif trimaran was born after 18 months of work.
"It's an absolute joy for me to see the boat on the water and to share that with my team and Macif, after the last two years spent together on this boat. I can't help but feel a bit of relief because launching a boat of this size requires a lot of concentration, but above all emotion and immense pleasure. It's a strong and very symbolic moment in the life of a project, which rewards the work of all those who have worked to make it a reality. It is now up to us to take in hand this magnificent bird of the seas which, I am sure, will bring us many emotions" said the young sailor.
A trimaran to break records
This maxi-trimaran was designed to break records. Thus, it is light, with very refined hulls, and airy thanks to its rudders and foils. The deck layout is also innovative, as it has been designed to allow François Gabart to sail with maximum safety: his living cell, called "cabin", has been installed on the same level as the central hull, in the aft extension of the cockpit. A cap covers the whole thing to protect the skipper. Finally, she is equipped with the latest electronic and computer tools. Now launched, the boat will undergo a battery of static stress tests in the port of Lorient, in order to validate the structure, before a first navigation.
After his victory in the Vendée Globe (2012-2013), then in the Route du Rhum in 2014, aboard his 60-foot Imoca (which left the yard on 16th August 2011), Macif and François Gabard are opening up a new avenue for their collaboration. The 32-year-old skipper will be taking part in his first official race in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2015, alongside Pascal Bidégorry. A way for him to take charge of his trimaran and store as much information as possible for 2016. Followed by a series of solo records. The aim over the next two years will be to prepare for a Round the World Race in 2017 and then the Route du Rhum in 2018, in the Ultimate category.
First conclusive tests
The day after the trimaran was launched, the technical team carried out static tests to stress the multihull to the maximum of its possibilities. Carried out in port, these tests consisted of 9 operations which proved conclusive after two days.
François Gabart and Pascal Bidégorry on the trimaran Macif
On 22nd August last, the maxi trimaran Macif was sailed for the first time, in the hands of François Gabard and his team. On 28th August, the multihull set sail on a motorised delivery trip to her home port, Port-la-Forêt. From now on, numerous technical sailings will take place over the coming weeks, to prepare this giant of the seas for the Transat Jacques Vabre, which will set sail in October.
François Gabart and Pascal Bidégorry on the trimaran Macif
Provisional programme for the trimaran MACIF
- October 25, 2015: Start of the Transat Jacques Vabre Le Havre (France) - Itajaí (Brazil), double with Pascal Bidégorry
- 2016 : First solo record attempts : Discovery Route, Crossing the Atlantic, Crossing the Mediterranean Sea
- 2017 : Record attempt around the world
- 2018 : Route du Rhum
Solo records to be broken
- Discovery Route (Cadiz-San Salvador, 3884 miles): Armel Le Cléac'h ( Banque Populaire VII ) in 6 days 23 hours 42 minutes and 18 seconds on January 30, 2014 (23.16 knots theoretical mean speed)
- Crossing the North Atlantic (New York-Cape Lizard, 2880 miles): Francis Joyon (IDEC) in 5 days 2 hours 56 minutes and 10 seconds on 16th June 2013 (23.41 knots theoretical average speed)
- Crossing the Mediterranean (Marseilles-Cartagena, 455 miles): Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire VII) in 18 hours 58 minutes and 13 seconds on 1st October 2013 (23.98 knots theoretical average speed)
- Around the world (21,600 theoretical miles): Francis Joyon (IDEC) in 57 days 13 hours 34 minutes and 6 seconds on 20th January 2008 (15.84 knots theoretical average)
- Distance covered in 24 hours : Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire VII), 682.85 miles on 26th January 2014 (28.45 knots theoretical average)
Photo credits : Alexis Courcoux / Macif
