There's a lot of activity in the IMOCAeuros class!
There will be 40 skippers at the start of the 2024 Vendée Globe, compared to 33 in 2020 (there were 37 officially registered). The opening of new places, as well as the regular arrival of new skippers in the class, shows the good health of the IMOCA class. Projects are coming in, new sponsors are joining the adventure and the race for miles will start in May with the Bermuda 1000 Race to hope to get a place on the solo round the world race, especially for the newcomers. As proof, there are 27 official participants in the Route du Rhum 2022 this year compared to 20 in 2018
In addition, 18 invitations will be allocated by the race management, all classes included. Thus, we will undoubtedly see the winner of the Vendée Globe euros Yannick Bestaven or the fastest sailor to complete a single-handed round-the-world race, Clarisse Crémer, who are not yet on the list of starters.
To try to see more clearly the movements of the IMOCA class, we have drawn up an inventory of the situation, and in particular of the new boats whose construction is in progress or planned for this year 2022.
15 new boats under construction
15 new IMOCA boats are currently under construction (or under development by the various architectural firms) and will be launched between 2022 and 2023.
The Manuard plans
Jérémie Beyou was the first skipper to sail on a latest generation foiler in 2019. This flying IMOCA based on VPLP designs is now for sale, as the skipper will set off again on Charal 2 for a new campaign in 2024. For this new boat, he has chosen Sam Manuard, renowned for his round-nosed boats (in compliance with the rules). Launch scheduled for June 2022.
Samantha Davies is swapping its old generation IMOCA (2010), which it equipped with foils in 2019, for a Manuard design from the mussels of L'Occitane en Provence, the first of its kind with a spatulate bow. Launching planned for May 2022.
A third Manuard plan is currently under construction at the Black Pepper shipyard and will be launched in early 2023. If the financing of the construction is assured, the skipper is still unknown.
The Verdier plans
Since the design of Apivia euros, the winner of the 2021 IMOCA season, Guillaume Verdier has been on a roll in the small world of 60-foot monohulls. He has designed no less than 5 projects for the next Vendée Globe.
Charlie Dalin reiterates its confidence in the architect who designed his first boat with the same performance objective for Apivia 2, which will be launched in 2023.
Yannick Bestaven the great winner of the 2021 Vendée Globe, continues its partnership under the colors of Maitre Coq, but with a new boat. It is a Verdier design, conceived in the molds of the monohull 11th Hour 2 (Malama), of Charlie Enright's American team, launched in 2021. Launch planned for May 2022.
Paul Meilhat is also back on the IMOCA circuit with a project of his own. The skipper had not found a sponsor since his campaign in 2016, but continued to animate the circuit as co-skipper with Sam Davies or more recently Charlie Dalin. Thanks to his new sponsor Biotherm, the 37-year-old skipper has launched the construction of a new boat from the LinkedOut 1 molds, which is scheduled to be launched in 2022.
Kevin Escoffier will be back in the 2024 Vendée Globe after his shipwreck on the round-the-world race in 2020. Still accompanied by PRB, he bought a boat already under construction in England and initially destined for a The Ocean Race project. The hull of the 60-foot boat was repatriated to Lorient at the team's base at the end of January 2022 for a launch in May of the same year.
Thanks to the arrival of a new sponsor Monbana euros Maxime Sorel entrusted Guillaume Verdier with the design of a new IMOCA based on the first Apivia design. However, the skipper and his team have chosen to evolve the hull and foils of the initial plan for even more performance. V and B euros Monbana euros Mayenne will be launched in mid-June 2022.
The VPLP plans
German Boris Herrmann who finished 5th e of the Vendée Globe has gained notoriety and found new partners to launch the construction of a new foiler. This new boat will be equipped with a protected living area as discovered on Alex Thomson's latest Hugo Boss. Malizia II will be launched in July 2022.
Armel Tripon who is currently sailing Ocean Fifty will be back in the Vendée Globe 2024 thanks to his new partner Airbus. The boat, a sistership of Boris Herrmann's future IMOCA, will be built from decommissioned carbon fibers and scraps of composite parts and will sail under the colors of the association "Les P'tits Doudous" supported by a group of partners, which has yet to be found. The construction will start in June 2022 for a launch planned for spring 2023.
The Koch euro Finot Conq plans
Yoann Richomme figure of the class40 circuit joins the IMOCA circuit under the colors of his new partner Paprec Arkéa. His boat will be a sistership to Thomas Ruyant's new IMOCA and will be launched in January 2023.
Thomas Ruyant is taking advantage of the major contribution of Advens, the main sponsor of TR Racing (the skipper's team) to launch the construction of Advens 2, which is scheduled to be launched in early 2023.
The Farr plans
German Jorg Riechers joins the IMOCA circuit. He is the 2nd e germany to participate in the Vendée Globe 2024 under the colors of the electric boat builder Alva Yachts. He entrusted the design of his new boat to Farr Yacht Design, which has not designed an IMOCA boat since the 2008-2009 campaign. Construction began at the end of February 2022 and the boat is scheduled to be launched in March 2023.
An architect not yet revealed...
9 e of the 2016 Vendée Globe, Éric Bellion is re-entering the world of ocean racing and is launching the construction of a new IMOCA boat Comme un Seul Homme with a new sponsor Altavia. Co-designed with Jean Le Cam, this new boat should also have a round nose, but in a sobering approach, it will not have foils. The team has not yet revealed the name of the "renowned architect" behind the design. The boat will be launched in the spring of 2023 and it is aboard Hubert, Jean Le Cam's IMOCA boat leased for one year, that it will participate in the 2022 races.
