The launch of the Maxi Banque Populaire IX is constantly being postponed... Initially her first race was to be the Transat Jacques Vabre and her launch planned for summer 2017 . However, in May 2017, the Banque Pop team finally preferred to postpone the launch, favouring the optimisation and reliability of the 32 metre trimaran through a series of sea trials.
After a long wait, at the end of September, the Sailing Bank announced a launch scheduled for October 16 . This time, the boat was ready and the final finishing touches were in progress. However, on 12 October, the communication department announced - once again - a postponement of the launch date. The weather had decided otherwise, as windy weather conditions forecast for Lorient postponed the official launch of the Maxi Banque Populaire IX.
So we've been waiting since then to find out when this great carbon bird would be launched. We'll have to wait until October 30th (weather permitting) to finally see the latest generation Ultimate finally come out of its hangar at the CDK shipyard in La Forêt-Fouesnant.
As announced by the communication department of Banque Populaire "Pending a favourable weather window for the launch of the Maxi Banque Populaire IX, the technical team has anticipated a number of stress tests initially planned at the quayside. One of them revealed a minor anomaly that will be easier to repair ashore. The work will be carried out next week by the CDK shipyard. The launch will therefore be scheduled from October 30, depending on the weather conditions."
"We're going to do everything we can with the teams from the CDK yard to make up for this last-minute setback and fine-tune the details that will enable us to set off quickly to test the boat offshore" explains Ronan Lucas, director of Team Banque Populaire.
