On Tuesday 16th February 2021, from Saint-Malo, the Louis Burton yachtsman - who has proved himself in this ninth edition of the Vendée Globe - announced the purchase of l'IMOCA L'Occitane in Provence The company is now under the colours of Bureau Vallée, Louis' sponsor since 2010.
"Louis's race has produced a great sailor. He was extraordinary in terms of both sport and communication, in spite of the thousand galleys he encountered and the thousand solutions he was able to invent to keep going. And we will long remember with emotion his great cry of joy at the top of the mast of Bureau Vallée 2 to leeward of the island of Macquarie. So with all this, renewal was a natural choice for us." said Bruno Peyroles, President and Founder of Bureau Vallée. A fine demonstration of confidence for the sailor, who finished third in the Vendée Globe.
The team had three choices: keep Bureau Vallée 2 and make major modifications, have a new boat built or buy a new boat. This is therefore the second opportunity chosen by the skipper and his sponsor?; a purchase worth between 4 and 5 million euros.
"We had three possible options: building a new boat, buying a new generation foiler or optimising Bureau Vallée 2. After much discussion and reflection, we finally opted for the second solution" explains Louis Burton.
And in this game, one IMOCA particularly stood out, L'Occitane en Provence, a Manuard design with a scow bow and large Dali style foils, built by the Black Pepper shipyard and launched in January 2020. The architect had already distinguished himself with this concept in Mini 6.50 and Class40, but this is a first in the IMOCA world.
" The former foiler in the colours of L'OCCITANE in Provence, now renamed Bureau Vallée 3, is one of the boats designed based on a very innovative concept for this latest Vendée Globe. In particular, this is the technology known as the "scow" (rounded bow), which won everything when she came out in the mini class and then in the Class 40. For me, this choice is the best compromise between performance objectives and keeping to a realistic schedule" continues Louis Burton.
Bureau Vallée 3 will be transported to Saint-Malo on Sunday, February 21, and will join it at the beginning of next week.
In addition to the purchase of the boat, Bureau Vallée confirmed its commitment to Louis Burton until 2026. Thus, the skipper will take part in numerous races aboard his flying foiler: the crewed Europa Race, the Transat Jacques Vabre 2021, the Route du Rhum 2022, the Vendée Globe 2024, and the Transat Jacques Vabre 2025.
The current Valley 2 Office (ex-Banque Populaire, winner of the 2016 Vendée Globe) is now for sale for 2.7 million euros.
