When you love a catamaran, you don't set limits. Jean-Pierre Fréry, a professional skipper converted into a dealer, has been thinking for 20 years about a non-stop round the world trip on a cruise catamaran.
An incredible number of miles in a Lagoon catamaran
Through his job, his deliveries, his sales, he has created a relationship of trust with Lagoon sailing boats. And today it's precisely on A Lagoon 400 S2 for its easy to manage size that he wants to start for a non-stop round the world trip through the 3 capes.
The skipper knew the Lagoons very early on as his first catamaran was a 47 and then sailed aboard three 57s for a long time. he quickly became attached to the brand - preparing for a 67 customer - before becoming a Lagoon agent in 2005. Today Managing Director of Chemins d'Océans, he is one of the brand's most important distributors with 150 Lagoons sold per meter.
A Lagoon 400 S2 for its easy to manage size
Jean-Pierre logically chose a Lagoon for his project. For budget reasons, he opted for a 400 S2. This model offers advantages for long and extreme sailing with a rear window of only 80 cm (easily defensible), a well protected cockpit and a two-level spreader rig, particularly well held.
Another plus: the advanced mast is well suited to three months of downwind sailing. It is easier to open the mainsail properly and relieve the helmsman or autopilot (this is not the case on the latest Lagoon 40s, whose rigging is much further back). Finally, on board the 400 S2, all the ropes are identical: "With a large 12 mm Dyneema spool, we can replace all the halyards and sheets on board", explains Jean-Pierre. This non-stop round the world voyage, a first in series production catamarans, will be validated by the WSSRC, the body responsible for ratifying sailing records.
A crew of 3 people
On board we will find a crew of 3 people. Jean-Pierre Fréry, 54 years old, initiator of the project and Founding Partner and General Manager of Chemins d'Océans. At his side, his professional partner Pierre Trauchessec 55 years old. Finally, the skipper friend Alexandre Birien, 44 years old independent skipper who works at Normandie Refit.
Departure in the fall of 2018
Cavok, the Lagoon 400 should set sail next winter (between October 2018 and February 2019) from La Rochelle (it will be present at the Grand Pavois 2018). The approximately 22,000 miles of this round-the-world trip should be covered between 135 and 150 days according to estimates. Even if they are slower than racing yachts (the average is expected to be between 6.2 and 6.8 knots), Cavok's crew will benefit from the support of a leading router, Christian Dumard.
