Régis Trichot discreetly built a 13.3 m cruising catamaran in just 14 months. Here we meet and talk to this extraordinary handyman.
A self-taught amateur builder
Originally from Champagne, Régis learned to sail on the inland waters of the northern half of France. After catching the "sailing bug" at a summer camp in Antibes, he scoured lakes and reservoirs on all kinds of small sailboats.
Eager to indulge his passion, in the 1980s he set about building an 8-meter plywood monohull. The yard was set up on his parents' farm. Weighing in at 1,500 kg, Régis learned the rudiments of amateur boatbuilding on the job.
On the strength of this experience, he went on to build a trimaran, again in plywood, 7.6 m long and 6 m wide.
His professional life forced him to put his "amateur" builder ambitions on hold. After founding and then selling a crêperie and a discotheque, he embarked on the construction of an 18-meter catamaran of his own design.
With this large ocean-going cruiser, he sailed to the Balearics and Tunisia. He then sailed up to England, before selling it to the Netherlands in the 2000s.
A new challenge
After several years of restoring farmhouses in central France, Régis decided to build a new boat. As usual, he drew the plans himself. He chose a catamaran for its living space, but settled on a length of 13m.
He begins construction at his home in the Nièvre region. On the strength of his experience, he first makes a model of his boat. He justifies: "Because the problems encountered on the model will be almost the same as those I'll have to solve on the real boat"
The boat's structure is pre-cut, then assembled in the house, before being dismantled for transport. With a friend, he fills two vans with all the pre-cut parts of the boat, as well as the many tools needed for such a construction site, some of the fittings, and two second-hand Volvo engines.
The whole convoy moves to Port Saint Louis du Rhône, where the 13.3 m by 6 m catamaran will be assembled. Comfortably installed at Port Navy Service, Régis sets about assembling his giant puzzle all by himself.
A 4,000-hour job site
For 14 months, Régis gave his all to this boat. Working every day, and sleeping on site, the human investment is gigantic. Most of the time alone on this titanic construction site, he copes and makes a point of reusing equipment neglected by other sailors.
The sponges are cut from a spinnaker pole. The boom and gooseneck are custom-made from mast remnants. Ditto for the forward beam, which is fashioned from another mast. The martingale is made from the spreaders of a 50-footer. Recup' and système D are essential for Régis. He scours the ads to buy second-hand equipment.
He makes his own diesel and freshwater tanks. On-board power is supplied by 1600 watts of solar panels, which power the 600 Ah of gel batteries.
A set of sails is trimmed by a local master sailmaker. After 4,000 hours of hard work, Régis launches his boat at Port Navy Service.
A low budget for a unique prototype
After having his plans and construction validated by the Affaires Maritimes, Régis set sail for a sheltered anchorage on the Etang de Berre. He is now putting the finishing touches to his boat, while offering occasional outings to local people.
Named "Uky" after his dog, this steeply curved catamaran displaces around 5 tonnes, with an air draught of 15m. This means you'll have to watch out for over-sales!
Régis estimates the budget for the project at around ?50,000, including the purchase of materials, travel and 14 months' storage in Port Saint Louis. Keen to help another amateur builder, he is offering the plans of his catamaran for a token sum to anyone wishing to embark on such an adventure.
