Last to leave, first to arrive
Built at CDK in Port la Forêt, this Farr design with straight daggerboards was designed for Michel Desjoyeaux, after his first victory in the 2004 Vendée Globe. Powerful and light, it won the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre with Emmanuel Le Borgne.
A big favourite in the 2008 Vendée Globe, Michel returned to Les Sables-d'Olonne a few hours after the start. One of his ballast tanks cracked and damaged the electrical system on board. He will be setting out again forty hours after the rest of the fleet, avoiding a terrible depression, which caused several dismasting among the favourites.
After an incredible comeback, Michel will overtake all the competitors to arrive as the winner in Les Sables-d'Olonne. He improves the record by more than three days, despite his delayed start and the extension of the route through the gates imposed by the race committee.
A big experience around the world
Like many Farr designs of this generation, this 60-foot boat will be taken over by a Spanish team to compete in the Barcelona World Race 2011. Renamed MAPFRE, Spaniards Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez will finish second in this edition.
Taken over by Jeremy Beyou, he will be wearing the colours of Maître Coq at the start of the 2012 Vendée Globe, but will have to retire off Cape Verde following the breakage of his keel head.
In 2013, the boat is bought by Jörg Riechers, who will carry out major modifications to the hull. The bow was cut out so that a more modern shape could be grafted onto the front third. The boat was built at CDK, but Jörg had to give up his plans to sail around the world after his sponsor withdrew.
Bernard Stamm will recover this machine in 2014 and will have it undergo a major overhaul. A new keel is installed and the ballast configuration is modified. Bernard, assisted by Jean Le Cam, will win the Barcelona World Race 2014 with this modified machine.
A beautiful course with Jean Le Cam
Jean Le Cam will be taking over this boat in 2015, and will finish sixth in the last Vendée Globe. A unique fact in the history of the Vendée Globe, three competitors will be arriving in the space of less than three hours: Jean-Pierre Dick (on St Michel-Virbac) 4th, Yann Eliès (aboard Quéguiner - Leukaemia Espoir, the first daggerboard boat in the rankings) 5th, and Jean 6th on Finistère Mer Vent.
On his return from the Vendée Globe, Jean is taking part in a test campaign for a folding "Solid Sail", which is being studied by the Chantier de l'Atlantique.
Reverse the weight and trim of this 60-foot daggerboard..
A major refit has been undertaken with a view to the 2020 Vendée Globe.
Among the IMOCA fleet, YesWeCam is among the boats that have covered the most miles, but also among those that have evolved the most. The general idea being to move the boat's masses backwards, the engine, the survival locker and the hydraulic power unit have been moved backwards. The daggerboards have been changed for a lighter profile. The central ballast tanks have been removed in favour of the lateral ones.
In the end, almost 500kg were removed from the boat. The aim was to sail with less ballast, and to move the boat's trim as far back as possible.
A boat and friends
Jean's boat has been christened "Hubert", in homage to his friend Hubert Desjoyeaux, who died in 2011, and who built this IMOCA at the CDK yard.
Another of Jean's friends, Titouan Lamazou, an artist and winner of the first Vendée Globe, has painted the portrait of Jean, which adorns the bow of this 60-foot boat.
Aboard this boat that he knows by heart, Jean will be using his immense experience and a boat that is ready to stay ahead of the IMOCA class daggerboards.
Yes we Cam - Jean Le Cam
- Baptismal Name: Hubert
- Sail number: 001
- Former names of the boat : Cheminées Poujoulat - Mare - Maître CoQ - Mapfre - Foncia
- Architect: Bruce Farr design
- Job-site: CDK Technologies
- Launch date: January 03, 2007
- Width: 5.90m
- Displacement (weight): 8t
- Number of drifts: 2
- Presence of foils: No
- Sail area upwind : 300m2
- Sail area downwind: 620m2
