A pure Anglo-Saxon product
In 2007, Finot Conq lost its dominant position in the IMOCA market to Farr and Owen Clarke. The latter was chosen by Mike Golding to design the boat he would use for his third Vendée Globe. Supported by Ecover, Mike had a boat built with straight daggerboards, two steering wheels, a rotating mast, a small coachroof and a large stepped hull.
It also features a movable flap on the transom to adjust the trim of the 60-footer. This vertical carbon plate, nicknamed "platex" by Merfyn Owen, generates a vertical thrust, lifting the bow and stabilizing it in the wave. The design studies were carried out by Mike and Dee Cafari's design teams. In his first race with this boat, Mike finished 5th in the Route du Rhum 2007 in a duo with Bruno Dubois.
Several dismastings for an IMOCA
During the Vendée Globe 2008, Mike Golding was one of the favorites, but dismasted south of Australia when he was in 2nd place. After repairs and repatriation by cargo ship, Ecover III finished 3rd in the double-handed Transat with Javier Sanso. The boat was subsequently leased to Jean Le Cam and Bruno Garcia for the Barcelona World Race. Under the colors of Président, they dismasted south of Cape Verde after a violent collision under gennaker. The boat returns to the yard for a major refit: the steering wheels and platex are removed, the mainsheet tiller is moved forward and the coachroof modified. The rotating mast is replaced by a classic fixed mast.
Mike Golding takes the helm again for the 2011 Transat Jacques Vabre, in a duo with Bruno Dubois (9th), then finishes 6th in the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe, battling it out with Jean Le Cam. Golding thus becomes the first yachtsman to complete three Vendée Globes, a feat that will be repeated by others thereafter. The boat, in the hands of Ireland's Enda O'Coineen, dismasted again in the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe. However, Enda finishes his circumnavigation on another boat, bringing Thomas Ruyant's IMOCA back to Les Sables-d'Olonne.
A 4th Vendée Globe for Arnaud Boissières
In 2017, Arnaud Boissières' team (nicknamed Cali) took charge of the damaged IMOCA. The boat, in poor condition, enters the Mer Agitée yard under the direction of Michel Desjoyeaux. The IMOCA undergoes a complete overhaul with major modifications. Hydrofoil shafts are added to improve the boat's performance. The foil profiles installed are similar to those used by Jérémie Beyou in the 2016 Vendée Globe. Shorter than those of the 2019 generation, these profiles are designed to lighten the front end of the boat. In addition, the weight has been moved back to facilitate the efficiency of the foils. The mast root has been moved by 1 meter, and a new system of lifting rudders has been installed. The mast is replaced by a wing mast with outriggers. Thanks to these improvements, Cali finishes 9th in the Route du Rhum and 18th in the Jacques Vabre with Xavier Macaire.
Cali then takes the start of the Vendée Globe for the fourth consecutive time. Thanks to the lessons learned from the Jacques Vabre, Cali and his team optimize the winter work carried out in Les Sables-d'Olonne. Major work was carried out on the sails to improve performance in the transition phases in the Atlantic. The cockpit is fitted with an extended cap to better protect the skipper, and a composite "slide" is installed at the stern to facilitate sail trimming.
In this configuration, the sailor from Les Sables will finish 15th in the 2020 Vendée Globe.
A mellow IMOCA for Fabrice Amedeo
Taken over in 2023 by Fabrice Amedeo, fresh from a shipwreck, the 60-footer had a broken foil and needed a major winter refit. The skipper decided to remove the foils and return the boat to its original configuration, with straight daggerboards.
This solution has the advantage of limiting the budget allocated to the boatyard, while restoring the reliability of a daggerboard boat. Considerably lightened, she is also fitted with solar panels, and made more reliable. With this 2007 boat, Fabrice's sole aim is to complete a beautiful round-the-world loop, with no desire to win among the daggerboard fleet.
- Length 18.28 m
- Width 5.8 m
- Draft 4.50 m
- Weight 7.9 tonnes
- Mast height 28.5 m
- Mast type Mast-wing
- Foils No
- Max. sail area
- About 260 m2
- Carrying 435 m2
