An Ultim that has benefited from all the experience of Banque Populaire
32m long, 23m wide, the equivalent of several tennis courts. But there's no question of her clogging up the Vieux-Port. Banque Populaire XI made a stopover in Marseille during the Olympic fortnight that brought the city to life in the summer of 2024. The 35-metre black mast is easy to spot among the 3,200 pleasure boats moored in the heart of Marseille.
To climb aboard this giant trimaran, you enter through a hatch in the cockpit cap, taking great care not to step on any of the many Plexiglas "windows".
At launch, the aft part of the cockpit was open to the outside, then completely closed to improve crew comfort and the trimaran's aerodynamic profile.
In the center is the utility winch, which hoists the mainsail and adjusts the headsails. It is connected to the two coffee grinder columns on either side.
Just aft is the watch seat, where Armel keeps an eye on his watch when he's not at the chart table. With a direct view of the control screens and sail plan, it can also be reclined for relative rest.
Foils, rudders, centreboard, mast, mainsheet and appendage adjustments are all made by the on-board hydraulic power unit, which sits on the port side. Dozens of valves regulate hydraulic flow to the 27 hydraulic cylinders distributed throughout the platform.
Dozens of sensors are installed on board, both to tell Armel the level of his adjustments, and to detect stress on all the boat's sensitive points. In the event of an overload on an arm, stay, cap shroud, sheet or other, a powerful alarm sounds, telling the skipper where the problem lies.
On all his boats, whether caravels or Ultim trimarans, Armel has always kept the same color code on all the maneuvering lines, to instantly identify each person's role.
In theory, the combined work of the different load-bearing planes allows Banque Populaire to exceed 50 knots. But in practice, because of the risks involved, and the danger of cavitation at these speeds, a good average over a whole day is 35 knots.
A central hull reserved for the crew
Further forward is the navigation area, the galley and Armel's bench. On a custom-made mattress, Armel can rest a little longer. The chart table swivels so that Armel can keep an eye on his nav and the boat's various parameters, even when lying down.
A small hatch in the floor gives access to the bowels of the trimaran, in the central hull. Here, only the safety hatch provides a semblance of light.
No paint or coating, just bare carbon. This is where the rest of the crew rests when they are not sailing solo. Comforts are limited to a small kitchenette, bunks and a bucket used as a toilet.
In the middle is the impressive electrical panel and hydraulic power unit. Everything is visible and easily accessible, to save weight and enable rapid intervention in the event of problems.
The media man has a small office to work from at the very rear. Behind the monumental centreboard is the engine, which is not fitted with anti-noise foam. Finally, there's a storage area at the front, which can be closed with watertight doors.
A deck layout that encourages air flow
Interventions on deck are kept to a minimum to avoid exposing the crew. The sail plan is in its fourth version since the launch of the boat. Lowered as much as possible to promote a plate effect between the sails and the deck, i.e. to prevent air from passing from one side of the sail to the other through the bottom, thus encouraging air flow.
Last but not least, the fore and aft linkage arms are fitted with tensioned canvas fairings to improve aerodynamics. It takes an average of 2 years to make an Ultim reliable after it leaves the yard.
Banque Pop will be undergoing a major winter refit, during which she will be fitted with a new pair of foils. After that, she will again undergo a reliability phase, before lining up at the start of the Jules Verne Trophy in winter 2025.
