The skippers
Armel le Cléac'h discovered sailing at a very young age aboard an Optimist, in the Morlaix bay. At the age of nine, he began his career as a sailor and was already dreaming of the open sea. He continued his sailing apprenticeship and ended up joining the Finistère team, to make a name for himself by racing aboard a 420.
In 1999, he became a professional skipper after winning the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole. In 2000, when he made his debut in the Solitaire du Figaro, he revealed his talent and took first place in the rookie class, and second place in the junior class e in the general ranking. He then tackled the Tour de France à la Voile, between two seasons, at the helm of a Figaro Bénéteau and won the event in 2001, confirming his sailing skills, both solo and with a crew.
In 2003, he entered the very closed circle of winners of the Solitaire du Figaro and made definitive history by beating Alain Gautier by 13 seconds. Convinced of the young sailor's talent, Gautier entrusted him with the helm of his 60-foot Foncia multihull. That same year, he won the French Single-handed Offshore Racing Championship. In 2004, he won the 7th edition of the Transat AG2R with his friend Nicolas Troussel.
After a capsize in 2009, during the Transat Jacques Vabre, Armel le Cléac'h left the ORMA championship to join the Imoca circuit. In 2008, he participated for the first time in the Vendée Globe, his childhood dream. He finished 2nd e this performance will be remembered as a great sporting achievement.
In 2010, Armel le Cléac'h will make his comeback on the Figaro Bénéteau circuit and will win the Transat AG2R with Fabien Delahaye and will register his name for the 2nd edition of the Figaro Bénéteau e time to the Solitaire du Figaro prize list after an undivided domination and three stage victories out of four. A few months later, he won the 2nd e place in the Route du Rhum.
Recognized as one of the best sailors of his generation, he joins Banque Populaire at the helm of the Imoca monohull in 2011, with his sights set on the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe. In November of the same year, with Christophe Pratt as co-skipper, Armel will be on the 3 e step of the podium in the Transat Jacques Vabre. A year later, he finished 2nd e of the Vendée Globe after a 78-day battle with François Gabart.
In 2014, he is due to set off on the Route du Rhum, aboard the multihull Maxi Trimaran Solo Banque Populaire VII, acquired by Banque Populaire in 2013. He has been training hard for this: he has crossed the Atlantic Ocean four times, two of them solo. A good start for the series of records planned by the team. Armel Le Cléac'h has broken the Mediterranean record, the Discovery Route record and the record for the distance covered in 24 hours (682 miles). Due to unfavorable weather conditions, he will not have had the opportunity to tackle the North Atlantic between New York and Lizard Cape (Brest). He will make the return trip from New York alone, accompanied by Gildas Morvan, as an observer.
In August 2014, he finally withdrew from the Route du Rhum, with a hand injury, and coached Loïck Peyron, who replaced him at the helm and won the race. This forced period ashore, will allow Armel le Cléac'h to focus on the construction of the new Imoca Banque Populaire, for his third participation in this mythical solo race around the world that is the Vendée Globe 2016-2017.
Erwan Tabarly is an undisputed figure in the Figaro-Bénéteau class and for him, sailing is a matter of blood. He started in 1999 on the Mini 6.50 circuit and achieved great performances (4th in the Mini Transat 6.50 - 2nd in the TransGascogne - 3rd in the Mini-Fastnet). In 2000, he joined the Figaro Bénéteau circuit and spent 13 years there, winning several solo races.
At the same time, he also took place on multihulls, to attempt several crewed records.
In April 2015, he therefore embarked on the Diam 24 OD circuit, which is a big change from sailing monohulls and solo. This summer, he participated in the Tour de France à la Voile and finished in 13th place e place.
This will be his first Transat Jacques Vabre, for which he will play the role of co-skipper for Armel le Cléac'h.
The boat
The brand new IMOCA monohull Banque Populaire VIII was launched on June 9, 2015, after two years of design and construction. This prototype yacht was built to win the next Vendée Globe 2016 and is equipped with foils.
Technical specifications
| Class | Imoca |
| Sail number | FRA 18 |
| Length | 18,28 m |
| Width | 5,80 m |
| Home port | Lorient |
| Architect | VPLP/ Verdier |
| Construction site (builder) | CDK |
| Launch date | 2015 |
| Upwind sail area | 300 m2 |
| Downwind sail area | 600 m2 |
| Source of energy production on board | Diesel Engine and Hydrogenerator |
