The sails on board the Vendée Globe yachts remain the last unknown in the equation for victory. An unknown that will remain a secret until the finish! Indeed, in the 2016 Vendée Globe, the skippers are entitled - it's the rules - to have a maximum of nine sails on board. Including a compulsory storm sail. Considering that the boats all have a mainsail and 3 jibs, this leaves the choice for 3 extra sails. And this choice can make the difference at the finish.
A little historical backstory. In 2008, Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia had embarked a specific jib, "his secret weapon" which he had used in the deep south. This is a downwind sail capable of withstanding very strong gales. Made from Cuben Fiber, it was almost indestructible. Michel had used it in the South to avoid distorting his other sails and thus preserve them for the climb up the Atlantic. This choice had also been dictated to avoid changing sails too often depending on the conditions. Fewer manoeuvres, therefore less fatigue and less loss of time (the boat slows down during manoeuvres).
For the 2012 edition, Michel Desjoyeaux coached François Gabart and advised him to take this same sail. Now known on the pontoons, it has taken the code name MDTK (for Michel Desjoyeaux Trinquette). At the start, Armel Le Cléac'h on Banque Populaire had not opted for a sail of this type. While sailing in the southern seas, he had to manoeuvre more and switch from J2 to J3 regularly, while François Gabart caught up with him gently without having to manoeuvre. François rounded Cape Horn a few minutes ahead of him and arrived in Les Sables-d'Olonne as the winner with a 3 hour lead..
But these very small differences show that the choice of sails is not as important as that. They are made according to the skipper's way of sailing. For example, Michel Desjoyeaux has always advocated "sailing in slippers". He was the first to protect his cockpit with a large cap, which has now been taken up by all the competitors. He prefers to avoid the foredeck as much as possible, hence the choice of this sail, which has a very wide range of uses (from medium to strong winds).
The arrival of new boats equipped with foils also changes the choice of sails to be embarked. Indeed, faster at downwind speeds, these yachts create apparent wind, which tightens the wind angle and forces them to go downwind less. As a result, the spinnaker is used much less, to the benefit of the gennaker, which is flatter and better suited to tighter points of sail. The spinnaker is therefore no longer used much, except in very light winds. Will some skippers dare not take them on board in the Vendée Globe? The choice of sail type can be made up until the last moment before the start, as the competitors have to provide a list to the race directors when they leave the quay. The weather conditions at the start, light weather for example, could influence some in this choice.
If a sail set has a maximum of 9 sails, it is highly unlikely that some will take only 8, but the choice of which sail to take on board at the start is a choice left to the rich. Indeed, only the big teams can opt for one or the other in the boat's wardrobe. Competitors with tighter budgets, who cannot even have a complete new set of sails at the start (count between 150,000 and 250,000 euros for a complete set of sails) will not have this choice. Already one problem less!
