What is your opinion on the disparities of opinion between SVR-Lazartigue and the Ultim 32/23euros class?
The bottom line is that we designed a boat for François et Mer Concept that was the best in terms of modernity at the time of its conception. We did it in full awareness of the regulations. The boat was visited three times by the class supervisory board during the construction, which did not raise any objections. The class commissioned three recognized experts to validate or invalidate the choices that may have been made in relation to an article of the OSR (International Ocean Racing Regulations) that defines the position of winches in relation to a deck. They concluded that the boat was compliant and met the regulations. The supervisory board agreed with this opinion.
The Ultim class was not satisfied with the case and took it to World Sailing, which writes the articles on ocean racing. We're getting into a zone that I can't control anymore.
Why did you choose a very protected boat concept?
We did it on the one hand for performance, to go faster than the others while respecting the rules. We've worked a lot on certain technological advances by developing previous concepts. It's our way of working, as we do for all the boats, as we did for Groupama 3 at the time, for example.
Our job is to make boats perform well. But not at any price, because it is associated with safety. We realized with Mer Concept that given the new way of sailing these boats, with faster accelerations and decelerations, we had to protect the crew by enclosing them under a cap. There are too many boats that have capsized and lost their crew to take risks.
In this ultra-protected cockpit, in the event that the boat capsizes, the crew cannot be in the water outside their boat. They are in a cell. Aviation also had this evolution between the open cockpit with a pilot behind a windshield and a closed cockpit. It's the same thing for racing cars or motorcycles which are streamlined and whose pilot is fully helmeted.
Performance means thinking about safety differently. This design has a double effect, as it brings more aerodynamics, and probably more performance than the boats we made before.
Is there any upstream work with the euro classes? Discussions on the design of the project?
The class sent two experts on three occasions. The supervisory board came to the shipyard, to Mer Concept, to visit the boat, to see how it worked. The reports were without any reservations. I don't understand this reversal of fortune when things were done in order and according to the rules. The boat was known by the Ultim class.
Does this call into question the architecture of future projects?
Today the opportunity does not present itself since there are no other Ultim projects underway. In the IMOCA class, we took the plunge a long time ago with Hugo Boss, which was launched before SVR-Lazartigue. Other IMOCA boats have come out with this kind of arrangement, like Corum. In the IMOCA class, we're continuing in this vein. Boris Herrmann's boat will be a boat with a protected and sheltered living area.
Our goal is to protect and shelter people who are sailing against the elements. When you're going 40 knots and you add 20 knots of apparent wind, it feels like 60 knots. It's not sustainable to sail like that.
It is a logical way to protect them from the wind, the elements and possible accidents, because on these boats it is possible to lose a mast or to turn over. It is also important to protect the sailor and not to expose him too much.
On a boat like Hugo Boss, we are on the inside. Antoine, one of our employees, transported the boat for 4 days to return from Cape Town with Alex. They didn't have to go out and he wasn't subject to the dangers of the outside world. When you are on boats like that, at those speeds, the outside puts you in much more danger.
If SVR-Lazartigue had to carry out the work required by the Ultim Class to enter the rules, what would it cost?
I don't know. I hear rumors of changes. Who will decide on these changes? What will be the criteria? Who will validate this? The mandated experts, who are professional people, and act in the same way with the IMOCA class for the interpretation of the rules, as well as the supervisory board, have indicated that everything was in conformity. Why today think about making changes to something that conforms to the euro?
What are the current challenges for the SVR-Lazartigueeuros trimaran?
If he is not accepted in the Ultim class, he will be able to sail, but not in the class races. It's a shame, because the Ultim class is very young. The fleet is not large. Today, there are 3 owners in the Ultim class.
When I hear that the boat is scary, because it is faster than the others, we must not forget that in the Jacques Vabre 2021, it came in at 2 e 10 hours after the first and 4 or 5 hours before the third e on a race of 7,000 miles. He didn't "blow up" the counters. He wasn't fast enough to knock everyone off their feet. I am surprised by this reflection. Today, nothing has proven that this boat had performances that were really above the others. We're talking about sporting fairness and three boats stood out. How can we say that the boat that came second was faster than the others and harmed the competitors? I am doubtful.
In any case, we will continue to build boats for demanding skippers, who race with the desire to win. We will not be blamed for making fast boats. In any case, I don't want to get into the controversy, I just find the situation harmful.
