Louis Burton, what is the history of your boat, Bureau Vallée 2??
It is a boat that was launched in 2015 for Armel Le Cléac'h. It raced with it in 2015 and in 2016 for the Banque Populaire team. As early as June 2016, with our sponsor, we made a commitment to buy her back, as we believed in her potential and that of the Banque Populaire development team. The boat and her skipper took part in the Vendée Globe and they won it.
Have you made any big changes techniques??
We have not made any major changes in 2017. With my wife, Servane Escoffier (also an ocean racer), we did the Transat Jacques Vabre and finished 9th, sailing with the Vendée sails, which was a good catch tomorrow. For us and for the Bureau Vallée team, it was already a big challenge to get back an IMOCA as sharp as this one.
We prepared for the 2018 season by putting the boat in my hands in terms of ergonomics, small modifications with no great structural importance, but crucial for the round the world programme.
For the sails, however, there was a bigger folder. First the hooks which had been damaged, we solved these problems in partnership with the manufacturer Profurl. But above all, the IMOCA rule has evolved by removing 1 sail from the set. This meant that we had to rework all the sails with North Sails.
We have also changed the standing rigging, the mast is a one-design designed for 2 or 3 round the world voyages. All ropes have been replaced as well as runners and forestay. The computers and software are new and all the power generation equipment, generator and hydrogenerator too.
The other major project is also linked to an evolution of the gauge. Following a vote, the class rules now authorise the adjustment of the incidence of the foils (the rake). Previously, the foils were in a fixed position, now we can play on their horizontal inclination. In a dynamic situation, these appendages improve their performance, the faster we go, the more lift they create, but also drag. It's like an airplane, on the runway you use flaps to increase lift and take off, but to reach cruising speed you have to decrease the flap incidence to reduce drag.
And for the occasion, have you redesigned foils??
No, we have a sensible budget and new, longer and more powerful foils were too expensive. So we just put in place this incidence adjustment, it's already a big job to modify the shafts of the existing foils. We carried out this work between the Route du Rhum and the Transat Jacques Vabre. Then, with Davy Beaudart, we started the 2019 season with a high-performance boat, but we also experienced some reliability problems, as the forces involved are considerable. This season, 2019 has been very constructive in preparing for the 2020 Vendée Globe.
What are the energy sources available at Bureau Vallée 2n??
We have two main sources of energy production. A large generator attached to the diesel engine, which we try to use as little as possible. On a round-the-world trip, we've reduced consumption by a factor of four in eight years, so now we expect to use 100 litres of fuel to go around the world. Then we have hydrogen generators integrated into the hull via nozzles, they receive high pressure water to turn the propellers and thus produce up to 30 Ah, whereas normal consumption is around 15 Ah.
Has sanitary containment impacted your préparation??
Unlike other teams, we've had the boat for several years now. This has allowed us to renew the equipment and technical developments little by little. In the end, we were less penalised than many teams. We closed our doors for 10 days at the beginning of the confinement. The people in the office were teleworking and the technicians worked in shifts, one in the boat and another in the workshop. In short, we mostly ran out of sailing time, but we were ready by the time we could get on the water.
What are your sporting objectives with this boat, which has already won the Vendée Globe??
He's a very well-born sailor who has proven that he can win. On the other hand, the technological evolution of the last 4 years is undeniable. There are nine new boats with different levels of reliability, but they all go faster than us. With Bureau Vallée, we have a well thought-out project and we have limited the costly evolutions. Thus some IMOCA of the same generation are better on paper with very large foils (MACSF, Initiative Coeur, PRB, Malizia II) and even a new scow bow for Boris Herrmann. So on paper we have a scratch ranking around 13th place. But in a Vendée Globe, the average of the boats finishing the race is one out of two, so that can create surprises and great opportunities. So the aim is to do better than last year, so at worst sixth and if possible to get into the top five, but above all we need to get the boat back. If my new boat is better, she's also more fragile, so I have to position the speed cursor correctly to last.
