A long development
Following Jean-Pierre Dick in 2004, Jeremy Beyou was the first of six skippers to ask Bruce Farr for a 60-foot boat for the 2008 Vendée Globe. Narrower than the Finot-Conq designs, but wider than the Lombard designs, this Farr design has a marked chine, artificially widening the hull surface.
Built at JMV in Cherbourg, this 60-foot boat required a very long development. Her first and talented skipper, Jeremy Beyou, never managed to make her shine.
Abandonment in the Route du Rhum, dismasting in the Barcelona Race and a broken spreader bar in the 2008 Vendée Globe have marred his debut.
A great career under the Bureau Vallée colors
Taken over by Louis Burton, he finished in 7th place in the 2011 Jacques Vabre and will compete in the 2012 Vendée Globe. Louis took the best start by crossing the line in 1st position. But a collision with a trawler off the coast of Portugal forced him to retire after four days of racing.
Louis has had some encouraging results, finishing 5th in the 2013 Jacques Vabre, with Guillaume Le Brec. He also finished 5th in the 2014 Route du Rhum and 9th in the 2015 Jacques Vabre with Romain Attanasio as his crew member.
She underwent a major refit in 2016: improvement of the cockpit protection, change of keel, making the boat more reliable, change of electrical and electronic circuits.
With a great experience on this machine, Louis takes the start of the 2016 Vendée Globe with confidence. He will finish in 7th place, completing his course in 87 days.
A beautiful story of sailors and friends
Taken over by Erik Nigon in 2018, his goal is to line up at the start of the 2020 Vendée Globe with Louis Burton's former boat. He finished the 2019 Jacques Vabre (27th) and the last Route du Rhum (10th), but Erik was unable to complete his budget.
As for Clément Giraud's project, it has been a long winter. He is registered for the Vendée Globe, but has no more boat. The day before the start of the 2019 Jacques Vabre, his IMOCA caught fire in the port of Le Havre. His boat could not be repaired. Three weeks later, his main sponsor announces the end of the partnership. The sky is dark.
Clément is gradually losing hope of participating in the 2020 Vendée Globe, until Erik Nigon offers to lend him his 60-foot boat! This was a great show of maritime solidarity between these two fellow travelers. Welcomed in the hangars of Yannick Bestaven's team, the boat has been completely revised. As the 60-foot boat was recovered late, the work had to be condensed into a very short period.
The Farr design has undergone a thorough overhaul in order to adapt it to this round-the-world race: rudders, ballast tanks, keel sail, bulb reduction, electricity, hydraulics, rig, sail, rigging, water suction system... Clément did not have enough time to adapt foils, which he would have liked to graft to his boat if his timing was less tight.
But it doesn't matter, the main thing is that Clément will be at the start in Les Sables d'Olone on November 8th.
La Compagnie du Lit- Jiliti - Clément Giraud
- Christian name: Fille de feu 5
- Sail number : FRA83
- Former names of the boat : Delta Dore, Bureau Vallée, Vers un Monde sans Sida
- Architect: Bruce Farr design
- Shipyard : JMV Cherbourg
- Launch date: July 26, 2006
- Width : 5,75m
- Displacement (weight): 8,5t
- Number of drifts: 2
- Presence of foils : No
- Sail area upwind : 300m2
- Sail area downwind : 620m2
