Michel Desjoyeaux's signature
This 60-footer is one of the five VPLP-Verdier plans built in the 2010's. Assembled at CDK, Michel Desjoyeaux brought his experience gained after two Vendée Globe victories. The boat has several innovations, starting with a hull marked by a double chine, a gull wing deck and lifting daggerboards.
Michel will be at the start of the 2010 Route du Rhum, but a southerly option, which doesn't pay much, has dropped him to 6th place. He will then be accompanied by François Gabart at the start of the Barcelona World Race the same year. However, as they took second place after three weeks of racing, they were forced to retire after the masthead broke.
A few hours away from victory in the 2016 Vendée Globe
The former Foncia II is being taken over by the Banque Populaire team, to enable Armel Le Cléac'h to take part in the 2012 Vendée Globe. Armel demonstrated the potential of his 60-foot boat by finishing third in the 2011 Jacques Vabre and then second in the Transat BtB.
After a refit to make her more reliable and then a change of daggerboards, Armel is a clear favourite at the start of the 2012 Vendée Globe. It's a race on a global scale that will be played out between François Gabart and Armel. Neck and neck all along the course, they have swapped the race lead 22 times. Armel will finish in 2nd position in Les Sables-d'Olonne, arriving 3 hours after François Gabart.
This is the smallest gap between the first and second in the history of the Vendée Globe.
Wings with Jeremy Beyou
Jeremy Beyou recovers this machine in 2013, confirming this IMOCA by finishing third in the Jacques Vabre with Christopher Pratt, and second in the 2014 Route du Rhum. In 2016, Jeremy wants to give wings to his 60-foot boat. The boat will be fitted with foils designed with the architects Sam Manuard and New Zealander Nick Holroyd. This modification will monopolise the CDK shipyard for 5 months. The daggerboard shafts had to be moved and the whole boat reinforced to absorb the efforts induced by the foils.
Jeremy confirmed the validity of these modifications by winning the New York/Vendée transat in the summer of 2016. Among the favourites at the start of the 2016 Vendée Globe, he remains in the leading group, rounding Cape Horn in 6th position, in spite of major communication problems preventing him from accessing weather information. He will be making a very fine climb back up the Atlantic, completing a podium finish occupied by Alex Thomson and Armel Le Cléac'h.
He takes off with Sam Davies
This machine is taken over by the Initiatives-coeur team, skippered initially by Tanguy De Lamotte. At the end of the 2014 Transat Jacques Vabre, which he is racing alongside Samantha Davies, Tanguy announced his retirement from ocean racing and Sam replaced him at the helm of the 60-foot boat. For his first race on this boat, Sam has to abandon the Route du Rhum 2018 after discovering a delamination of the hull at the life cell level.
In April 2019, Sam equips his boat with huge foils designed by Guillaume Verdier. These appendages, which are the largest in the current fleet, will allow him to maintain his 60-foot boat of 2010 at the level of the best. The sail plan is also adapted to the new foils.
The anteriority rule published by the IMOCA rule allows Team Initiatives to reduce the mast height a little. The aim of this rule is to enable teams to maintain the competitiveness of old boats while guaranteeing an optimum level of safety. With this shorter mast, Sam's team has been able to adapt the headsails by removing the J1 and enlarging the J2, giving Sam a wider range of uses for this sail. The bulb has also been lightened to make it easier for the foils to work. The retractable cap has been replaced by a fixed model, which provides better protection against the hundreds of waves that weigh down the cockpit throughout a circumnavigation.
Accompanied by Paul Meilhat, Sam is ranked 7th in a Jacques Vabre 2019 with trapping weather conditions.
The machine is not as fast as the latest foilers, but is perfectly reliable. If the head of the fleet is slowed down, we'll have to rely on Initiatives- Coeur, who will be in ambush behind the leaders.
Heart Initiatives - Samantha Davies
- Sail number : ENG109
- Former names of the boat: Maître CoQ - Banque Populaire VII- Foncia II
- Architect : VPLP - Verdier
- Job-site: CDK Technologies
- Launch date: September 20, 2010
- Width: 5.70m
- Displacement (weight): 7.8t
- Presence of foils : Yes
- Sail area upwind : 300m2
- Sail area downwind: 600m2
