The birth of the IMOCA foils
Remember, they made their appearance on the 12th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2015 . At the time, these 5 boats were launched before the race and were designed by VPLP-Verdier: Safran, Banque Populaire VIII, Edmond de Rothschild, St-Michel Virbac, HUGO BOSS.
The double-handed transatlantic race is a massacre for these new boats which are experiencing major structural problems. 4 were forced to abandon. It was not until the 2016 Vendée Globe that the potential of the older generation foilers was highlighted. Of the 29 boats at the start, they will be 7 equipped with foils 6 new foilers (St-Michel Virbac, Edmond de Rothschild, Safran, Banque Populaire VIII, Hugo Boss, No Way Back) and one old generation, modified (Maître Coq).
Armel le Cléac'h completes his round-the-world voyage in 74 days on Banque Populaire VII (now Bureau Vallée 2). Hugo Boss takes the 2nd place of the podium. Jérémie Béyou (Maître Coq) completes it. The victory of these 3 foilers confirms the advantage of the appendages on these 60-foot monohulls.
IMOCA boats transformed and made more reliable
Thus, at the start of this 14th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre, there will be 11 older generation foilers, built between 2007 and 2015. And the last races - Rolex Fastnet and Défi Azimut - have highlighted the potential of some boats. Starting with PRB led by Kevin Escoffier who finished on the 2nd step of the podium, behind Charal, on both races.
"PRB is very strong, consistent and constant" explains Jéremie Béyou . In the Transat Jacques Vabre, he will be in a duo with Nicolas Lunven, a duo that is also feared Sébastien Simon skipper of the Arkéa-Paprec foiler. "They are still great sailors! Kévin Escoffier, Nicolas Lunven... I was training with him and I won the Solitaire du Figaro the same year."
It will also be necessary to count with 11th Hour Racing led by the American Charlie Enright in duo with the Frenchman Pascal Bidégorry, both regulars of The Ocean Race (ex Volvo Ocean Race), a round the world race with stopovers. Let's not forget that this is the ex-Hugo Boss, runner-up to Banque Populaire in the 2016 Vendée Globe and that they took 3rd place on the podium in the Azimuth Challenge.
Master Rooster (Yannick Bestaven and Roland Jourdain), Valley Office 2 (Louis Burton and Davy Beaudart) and Heart Initiatives (Samantha Davies and Paul Meilhat) have also performed well and should naturally be in the Top 10.
We should also not forget Isabelle Joschke's IMOCA boat, which will be sailing with Morgan Lagravière - MACSF - which underwent a real refurbishment with major modifications: foils, mast, cap, electronics and sails. The sailor took 8th place in the Azimut Challenge, the first race after her return to the water. This Transat Jacques Vabre 2019 will be a real test.
"PRB and Initiatives C?ur have been updated and are boats with interesting speed potential. Moreover, their versatility can allow them to do well , concludes Jérémie Beyou .
The editors' podium: PRB / 11th Hour Racing / Maître Coq or Initiatives-C?ur.
And yours? Who do you see finishing on the podium of upgraded foilers? Share your opinion by leaving us a comment.
