Six new boats
It's not only in IMOCA that sailors are busy preparing their newly launched boats. In Class40 too. Indeed, six new boats have been launched between 2018 and 2019. We are waiting to see in action the two "small" new boats, Crédit Mutuel, designed by David Raison and Banque du Léman, signed by Sam Manuard and their rounded bows.
Because in Class40 too, architecture is evolving. These rounded bows that we saw in 2018 on Carac and Veedol are becoming normalized, as explained by the architect Sam Manuard.
"Naval architecture evolves according to feedback, but also with the way the boats are used. The general average level is increasing, the boats are more and more pushed because the collective level is pulled up, the skippers sail more than before. Before, we were interested in performance in manageable conditions, now we realize that the boats are limited in heavy seas, the bow tends to dive. We have tried to remedy this. That's why the bows are more and more spatulated."
Class40 Banque du Léman © Thomas Deregnieaux
A dozen favorites
Within this fleet of 27 boats, released between 2007 and 2019, who can win this Transat Jacques Vabre 2019? According to Ian Lipinski there are only a few dozen people who can win the title. " My main competitors will be the Mach 3s (Editor's note: Manuard Leyton Plan, Lamotte Module Création and Aïna Enfance et Avenir") and the Lifts (Editor's note: Plan Lombard Beijaflore and Crosscall Chamonix-Mont Blanc). There is also the unknown of the Mach 4 (Editor's note: Banque du Léman), launched after ours, which is following the same trend as ours and which no one has yet seen sailing
Class40 Crédit Mutuel © Christophe Breschi
Aymeric Chappellier, one of the favorites in his category, skipper of Aïna Enfance & Avenir, a Manuard design released in 2017, is wary of the new Class40, recently launched . "Today, we know that the new boats can perform well in certain conditions. But they came out late and their skippers have little experience on them."
The latter, who will be in a duo with Pierre Leboucher, intends to take his revenge on the 2017 edition. Two years ago, Aymeric finished in 2nd place, only 15 minutes behind V and B led by Maxime Sorel and Antoine Carpentier, due to a technical failure. "I have a little revenge to take."
Among the favorites, we find the 6 boats of the latest generation: Banque du Léman (Koster/Gautier), Crédit Mutuel (Lipinski/Hardy), Lamotte euros Module Création (Berry/Le Turquais), Beijaflore (Mathelin-Moreaux/Guillemot), Leyton (Goodchild/Delahaye) and Linkt (Riechers/Chateau).
The Class40 Lamotte euros Module Creation © Pierrick Contin
We will also have to count on more experienced crews like the duo Louis Duc/Aurélien Ducroz on Crosscall euros Chamonix Mont-Blanc or Thibaut Hector/Clément Commagnac on RenneseurosSaint-Malo/Sea Farmer. The mixed duo of Eärendil; Catherine Pourre and Pietro Luciani will also be to watch.
To go or not to go?
Two Class40s were out of the running for the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre: Vogue avec un Crohn (Pierre-Louis Attwell, Calliste Antoine) and A chacun son Everest (Yves and Renaud Courbon) did not manage to find insurance to protect themselves on this transatlantic race.
Beijaflore (William Mathelin-Moreaux, Marc Guillemot) found a solution and confirmed its participation this Friday morning, October 25.
The Class40 Beijaflore © Eloi Stichelbaut/Polaryse/Beijaflore
Pantaenius, which insures a large number of competitors, no longer wishes to open new files. During the last edition of the Coffee Route, the German insurer shared the fleet with an English company that has since withdrawn from the market. This year, it finds itself covering a large number of boats and sees its risk increase statistically
