A design inspired by Thomas Ruyant's two Vendée Globe participations
On the strength of his two previous Vendée Globe participations, Thomas Ruyant has precisely defined his near-ideal IMOCA. He raced the last 2020 edition aboard a latest-generation Verdier design, LinkedOut, now renamed Vulnerable and currently in the hands of Sam Goodchild, who shares the same TR Racing stable.
He entrusted this new project to architect Antoine Koch and the Finot-Conq firm, in collaboration with Gsea Design and its in-house teams, to create a boat combining performance and reliability. The hull features a very pronounced, tight chine at the stern, offering a reserve of power, and a slim hull for less drag. The bow is designed to get out of the waves, less like a scow and more like a banana bow.
Technical innovations for a good compromise between performance and effort
Built by CDK Technologies and launched on March 16, 2023, For People, the boat's first name, incorporates several innovations. The deck has been redesigned in comparison to its predecessor, to reduce humidity on board, with a less "pool-like" shape for better water evacuation. The cockpit, more enclosed and protected, is designed to limit movement and bring the living area closer to the inside of the boat, facilitating maneuvers and improving skipper comfort. Thomas Ruyant has easier access to the winches and coffee grinders from the chart table.
The For People concept is a better-structured boat, offering a better passage through the sea by being more tolerant of the skipper, but also offering more forward vision with a better-protected skipper. Although not as fast as the old LinkedOut, it moves through high-speed ranges more easily. In short, For People is much more at ease in the South Seas.
For the foils, the team also drew on past experience. Lift has been improved and the appendages have been positioned closer to the boat to improve verticality and make the IMOCA sail flatter.
A winning design for Thomas Ruyant
Right from the start, Thomas Ruyant demonstrated the potential of his boat. In the Défi Pom'Potes speed runs in May, he finished on the top step of the podium alongside Morgan Lagravière. Two days later, he won the Guyader Bermuda 1000 Race again, out of 13 participants. Unfortunately, a structural fault forced the sailor to abandon the Fastnet Race in July. The IMOCA returned to Lorient by the wheel and entered the shipyard to repair and reinforce the structure in the forward area.
Back on the water in autumn 2023, Thomas Ruyant and Morgan Lagravière take first place in the Transat Jacques Vabre. First in a fleet of 40 IMOCA boats. He then finished 17th out of 32 in the Retour à la Base, but set a new 24-hour solo monohull distance record: 539.94 miles covered.
Evolution and reliability for the Vendée Globe 2024
Since her launch, and with a view to the Vendée Globe 2024, the IMOCA has undergone several phases of testing and optimization. Feedback has led to adjustments to the foils and rigging, as well as optimizations to the onboard electronics. After a winter refit, the boat returned to the port of Lorient under a new name, Vulnerable. Along with Sam Goodchild's IMOCA, she becomes the ambassador of a campaign on vulnerability initiated by Advens, a European flagship in cybersecurity and TR Racing's title and technology partner.
In 2024, he was 5th in the New York Vendée - Les Sables d'Olonne and 7th in the Défi Azimut-Lorient Agglomération.
"A great deal of work has gone into making all the essential parts of the boat more reliable. We're no longer in the development phase, and I'm convinced that I have in my hands the ultimate machine, the one I've dreamed of, and which our teams have optimized perfectly for a non-stop round-the-world race. The next Vendée Globe winner will be the sailor with the fewest technical problems. Thanks to Advens, I'm lucky enough to have the tools on board to get an instant, accurate picture of what the boat is going through, in terms of pressure and loads. It's up to me to stay out of the red, to sail with finesse, and to be fast when I need to be, just as I was when I set the 24-hour record last December during Retour à la base" confided Thomas Ruyant after a major summer refit in preparation for the Vendée Globe 2024.
