Tell us about your new boat, what's the difference with Banque Pop IX?
The notable difference is in the appendices, which are really different in terms of size. We have developed stability under foils while at the same time trying to facilitate our flight in a maximum of conditions. The foils are much larger than those installed on Banque Pop IX. They are designed to be raised and lowered depending on the conditions, and whether or not power is needed. When conditions are encountered, Banque Pop'XI will be able to raise its foils to regulate its speed.
Today we can see that the foilers taking part in the Vendée Globe are forced to slow down the potential of their boat in certain conditions. Sometimes it is necessary to reduce the foil's thrust to preserve the boat and improve the life of the crew.
The "aero" part has evolved a lot compared to Banque Pop IX. On these boats, which sail at an average speed of over 30 knots, a maximum number of fairings have been fitted on deck to limit aerodynamic drag. The location of the cockpit, which was chosen by the team, is at the level of the aft arm. The floor is lowered in relation to the deck of the central hull, but we didn't opt for an extreme solution as on François Gabart's future Ultim or on the Hugo Boss IMOCA. We want to keep a vision of our environment and the boat.
The floats are very similar to those used by Banque Pop IX, only a few details have been improved.
Your previous trimaran capsized after hitting a UFO. How did you anticipate this problem on the future Ultim?
We've obviously taken into account the experience we gained on our previous trimaran. We've improved the boat's ability to withstand an impact with a UFO. The design team has put in place a sort of "bumper" on the bow arm, which is designed to withstand a shock. This fuse will allow us to preserve the structure of the arm in the event of an impact.
Fibre optics have been installed at all the hot spots on the boat. With the constant whistling of the foils, you can't always hear what's banging. We can't be listening to all the boat's noises, and this fibre should enable us to alert us to any possible fragility in the structure.
What are the differences with the latest Ultim trimarans?
Length and width will be identical to the last two Ultim (Sodebo and Gitana), i.e. 32m long by 23m wide. From an external point of view, the main difference is in the life cell. It is far forward on Sodebo, below deck on François' future boat (Gabart), and rather aft on Gitana. Banque Populaire XI's air draught will be a little shorter than the other Ultim boats.
Banque Pop is a member of the Ultim class, how do you see its evolution?
The Banque Pop team is still in the Ultim class. We are delighted with the arrival of the future Actual (ex Macif) in the class and also with the purchase of Yves le Blevec's former boat. This shows that the class is showing a certain dynamism. It needs skippers who are going to write great stories and tell adventures.
The next deadline for the Ultim class will be the Transat Jacques Vabre, which should bring together at least six boats, which will be a great line-up. We need to race and finish them, in order to show the public the incredible potential of our machines. We exchange a lot about safety issues. We've had our share of problems, just like all the other boats. This is part of the history of a relatively young class.
What do you think of Sodebo's advance? [EDITOR'S NOTE This interview was carried out a few hours before the announcement of the retirement of Thomas Coville's trimaran ]
This is great! Thomas and his crew passed Good Hope with a day's lead. But it won't be easy to hold this lead in the Indian. When Idec won the record, his trajectory in the Indian Ocean was almost perfect, on a single tack. It's difficult to make such a beautiful route! If Thomas and his crew reach Cape Leeuwin with the same timing, they can glimpse the prospect of winning the Jules Verne.
After her aborted attempt, we also hope that Gitana will be able to leave again soon.
When will Banque Pop XI join his element?
The launch is scheduled for April 2021 in Lorient. In spite of a rather special context, we are on schedule. Our first race will be the Jacques Vabre, which will start in Le Havre on October 24, 2021. Then we will focus on the Route du Rhum 2022.
