As every year, the players in the IMOCA Class met on Thursday 5th April 2018 to vote on the major decisions that will be implemented within the class. Around sixty people were present - including skippers and their team managers. As for the orientations, they were adopted with a rate of 85 to 90%.
Promote the use of renewable energy
In 2016, Conrad Colman made the bet to use an IMOCA without fossil fuel energy. He ended up at the... place. Today, the 60-foot monohull class is betting on moving towards boats that are more optimised in terms of sustainable development and no longer use diesel. Several skippers have already announced that they will be using an electric motor instead of a combustion engine. This is a desire in the age of time and an awareness shared by the skippers.
"The decision on renewable energy is also a step in the right direction. To think that you can go around the world by producing your own energy, without diesel, is very inspiring. By promoting clean energy, we are making our small contribution to a larger issue that affects all of our societies. It is the soul of the IMOCA class to constantly seek innovation in all areas. Personally, I have a partnership with the BMW brand, which is doing a lot of research into batteries for hybrid and electric cars. We are working on the installation of these batteries on my IMOCA and the decision on renewable energies taken at the General Meeting will help me a lot in this respect. We hope to make the system more reliable for the 2019 season" said Boris Hermann, a new member of the Board of Directors.
Participate in the Volvo Ocean Race
The Volvo Ocean Race on the IMOCA racing programme? It's a possibility to which the players in the Class have agreed. As such, the next crewed round the world race with stopovers will be able to be raced aboard 60-foot monohulls. A decision to be validated between the IMOCA Class Board and the Volvo Ocean Race Board, as Antoine Mermod, President of the IMOCA Class explains: "This is a decision that needs to be validated between the IMOCA Class Board and the Volvo Ocean Race Board Overall, the skippers voted overwhelmingly in favour of this merger. Discussions will now continue in the coming weeks between IMOCA and VOR, in order to define the bases of this partnership together. The skippers have a real desire to move forward in this direction and we're ready. The ball is now in the VOR's court..."
"I'm very happy and very enthusiastic about this agreement because the Volvo Ocean Race is really a race that I dream of doing for several reasons. First of all, it's a sporting one because the VOR is without doubt the hardest race, which allows you to confront the best sailors and bring together a truly international line-up. For a project leader like me, it's a real plus to be able to offer the VOR because its international dimension allows you to get close to the world's leading brands. And for those who don't have a boat, it gives them the opportunity to showcase their know-how to get on board. Everything is therefore very positive..." said Paul Meilhat, member of the Board of Directors, regarding the participation of the IMOCA Class in the VOR.
Better radar to reduce the risk of collisions
Remember the unfortunate Kito de Pavant in the 2016/2017 Vendée Globe, who, hitting a cetacean, was forced to abandon his boat after a major water ingress. To reduce the risk of collision, the organisation has decided to take on board more efficient radars from the start of the Route du Rhum 2018.
The aim is to increase safety on board the boats and to enable single-handed sailors to have a better watch and prevention tool.
An International Board of Directors
In addition to these three important decisions, the General Meeting elected two new members to the Board of Directors: Alan Roura from Switzerland and Boris Herrmann from Germany. They join Louis Burton, Paul Meilhat and New Zealander Conrad Colman. Antoine Mermod remains Chairman, the British Alex Thomson as Vice-Chairman and Charles Euverte as Treasurer. Of the eight members of the Board, four are foreigners, which reflects the desire to internationalise the IMOCA class.
