1964, Tabarly's victory marks a turning point in the world of sailing
On May 2, 2016, the Transat (which is none other than the English Transat), which revealed Eric Tabarly in 1964 and forever marked the world of ocean racing, will kick off. It is on board of Pen Duick II he started the race with a 13.60 m ketch, ultra modern for its time, and had the nerve to win it. A feat hailed by all since he was the first to take part in a solo race with a boat specifically built for it, but above all to sail a boat of this size solo! The affair was covered by the media, Tabarly became a national hero and received the Legion of Honor from General Charles de Gaulle!
In the footsteps of Tabarlyâeuros¦
In tribute to the great sailor, disappeared on June 12, 1998 in the Irish Sea, Loïck Peyron âeuros who has in common with Tabarly his victories in the Transat âeuros will be at the controls of Pen Duick II, in its original configuration. The sailor with 3 victories and title holder of The Transat will use the same set of sails, a paper chart, a navigation manual with the stars, but also a sextant. The only "technologies" that the skipper from La Baule will allow himself is a vintage windvane gear (already installed in 1964) and a tablet that will be used to send photos of the boat.
Loïck Peyron has never sailed with Eric Tabarly and only sailed for the first time on PenDuick II in 2014, but feels like his spiritual son, an heir to this great master of sailing. Even if his Jedi master remains "Mike Birch". This idea has been in his head for a while, as he knew in the same generation the sextant navigation on old sailing machines and the ultra sophisticated navigation on flying sea cars. While at the time, it was thought impossible to sail solo on a boat of this size, it is now commonplace.
An aborted attempt in 2014
In 2014, Loïck Peyron was to start the Route du Rhum on "Happy", a small yellow trimaran and sistership of Olympus, aboard which Mike Birch had won the first edition in 1978. Called to replace Armel Le Cléac'h, injured in the hand, on the trimaran Banque Populaire, he had won the 2014 edition in 7 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes and 32 seconds. He will repeat the experience in 2018.
The Transat, revealing talents
The Transat is a solo sailing race from west to east, starting from Plymouth. The race was born in 1960 and its finishing port is New York. The other editions will go to Newport, but for the great return of the race in 2016, the solo sailors will return to the original finish city. The Transat has contributed to the birth of great sailing heroes such as Eric Tabarly, double winner (1964 and 1976) or Alain Colas, who won in 1972 on Pen Duick IV and disappeared six years later in the middle of the Route du Rhum, on the same trimaran renamed Manureva.
A winter construction site to cross the seas
Pen Duick II is a boat that has done a lot for ocean racing and was very innovative, especially with its large tilting chart table which inspired the architects to design the boats of the Vendée Globe. For her participation in "The Transat", the ketch has undergone several months of work at the National School of Sailing and Water Sports in Saint-Pierre de Quiberon and was launched on March 24.
The boat has been cleaned and sanded, repainted and sealed, the fuel tank and sails changed. The electronic equipment on board has also been installed, but will not be used since Loïck Peyron wants to sail the old way. It is however mandatory to cross the Atlantic. Since then, the sailor who is not afraid of anything has been training to sail solo.
