SolOceans - News - Eric Loizeau onboard the SolOceans one-design (04/09/2009)

Eric Loizeau onboard the SolOceans one-design

Thursday April 9th 2009 News RSS

Eric Loizeau* sailed onboard the SolOceans one-design between 3 and 5 April, from Caen (Normandy - France) towards Belle-Ile and Lorient (Brittany - France) in order to be at the start of the Transat BPE. It’s his second time onboard, after around 100 nautical miles sailed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic last autumn. Eric Loizeau gave us his impressions about the oceanic one-design Class created to take part in the 2009 Transat Jacques Vabre, the 2010 Route du Rhum and the 2011-2012 SolOceans.

Eric Loizeau onboard the SolOceans one-design - April 2009 Eric Loizeau at the helm of the SolOceans one-design alongside Pen Duick III onboard which he won two legs of the 1977-78 Whitbread, the round-the-world crew race, including the Cape Horn leg, when she sailed the colours of Gauloises 2.
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"The wind went from 0 to 18 knots. The sea was not too choppy. We did not get wet. Most of the time, we sailed facing the wind when the breeze was steady, with the mainsail high and the jib. We have also used the Code 0 when the wind was light, the Gennaker...and the engine."

"My first impression of the SolOceans one-design is that she is an easy boat even though high-tech. Despite the fact that she is sixteen metres long and her mast is 23 metres high, you steer her as if she was a small boat, very easy boat. Even the coffee grinder seems to be oversized. Nevertheless, I think it makes things easier to take one reef in the mainsail and for the Gennaker. You are then less tired and it is more efficient. I really want to sail in the breeze now to test it."

"The SolOceans one-design is nice to steer, even in the calm weather. She is stable and speeds up easily. You feel like it’s solid and reliable. I really feel like she can make things easy for any solo sailor during transatlantic races. I would myself feel safe and at ease during a round-the-world race. She is made for that."

"I heard that she was "slower" in calm weather. But it’s not the feeling I have. She goes fast even when the wind is light and despite the fact that the sails have already been used on more than a circumnavigation. They are in quite a remarkable state after so many nautical miles."

"The living area is Spartan but practical. The bunks should be lowered of about 20 centimetres, as they are a bit high at the moment. Changing the bottle of gas of the gas stove is not convenient. A better solution should be found especially for a solo sailor. A system should also be added to indicate the canting of the keel. It’s lacking at the moment. This system can be found on some Open 60 and it’s easy to install. But I heard it has already been installed on the second unit of the series and not changed yet on the first unit of series, the one I sailed on."

"My conclusion after this second navigation onboard the SolOceans one-design is that I am looking forward to coming back a third time and to be reaching or to sail downwind in a strong breeze and a rough sea, i.e. in the real hard conditions of oceanic sailing."

* Eric Loizeau is one of the last major sailor of his generation. He was crew with Eric Tabarly, who gave him the helm of Pen Duick III, renamed Gauloises 2 to race the 1977-78 Whitbread - the round-the-world crew race in four legs - and won the Cap Horn leg and the last leg. Pioneer of oceanic race on multihull onboard Gauloises 4, Roger & Gallet and then Duel Aigle, he became world champion in 1986, the year he won the Rouen - New York Double-handed Transatlantic Race with Patrick Tabarly. He also held for a while the single-handed Atlantic Ocean crossing record (1982). He has changed direction and in the early 90’s went into sports and adventures raid. In 2003, Eric Loizeau climbed Mount Everest (Centenary Expedition) with Patrick Berhault and Nicolas Mugnier. His next goal: to get the opportunity to race solo around the world on equal footing with the others to fight for the final victory.