SolOceans

"This first test is conclusive, but needs to be put in context" explained Yvan Griboval, CEO of SailingOne and skipper of the SolOceans one-design for this occasion. "On one side, we have sailed with the test set of sails which has now been used on more than 28,000 nautical miles. From the beginning, the belly of the mainsail is too big and the Solent is too small as it lacks 4.50 square metres. Even if those North 3DL sails are in an exceptional state after such a journey round the world, it’s not an ideal solution to do such speed test on a flat sea, especially against the best Class40 equipped with new sails or the big names from the IMOCA 60’ Class."

"Then, without being disrespectful towards the six persons who took turns onboard to constitute a crew of four each day, we were looked on as amateur next to the best 60-foot and 40-foot crews with stars from the oceanic race circuit. In fact, we are in a demonstration process. Nicolas Bérenger, Fabien Delahaye (Skipper of the Figaro Bénéteau Port de Caen - Ouistreham) and Liz Wardley (Skipper of Sojasun) who reinforced SailingOne’s team - including Jean-Baptiste Daramy, in charge of the series production of the SolOceans one-design and his colleague Julien Laurent - discovered like me our one-design in such conditions. Each trimming was a new experience with uncertain effects. The speedometer needle oscillated between zero knot and more than one knot. In those conditions, we could hold up with the speed of the IMOCA 60 or lose three lengths in a few minutes! Nevertheless, we were always faster or really faster than the Class40. The discussion is now closed. It’s logical when taking into account the architectural differences that exist between the SolOceans one-design and the yachts from the Class40."

"On close reach, it would have been more efficient to use the Code 0 rather than the Gennaker ", said Michel Desjoyeaux, technical adviser of the production of the SolOceans one-design series, who got the best time of the Grand Prix Petit Navire at the helm of Foncia on the occasion of his first official participation to a sailing event after his victory in the 2008 Vendée Globe. "It does show that we have room for improvement", added Yvan Griboval as a conclusion to this first day.

On the first day of the runs, on Thursday 30 April, the most favourable breezes varied between 13-17 knots with the real wind going below 12 knots and up to 18-20 knots. The three-nautical mile course, perfectly buoyed by the organizers, allowed the yachts to sail either full and by or to glide reaching. The IMOCA 60 prototypes where using either the Gennaker or the Code 0. The Class40 sailed under Spi or Gennaker.

Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia (Farr Design) got the best time with 15.77 knots, followed by Sébastien Josse on BT (Farr Design) with 15.58 knots, Marc Thiercelin on DCNS (Finot Conq & Associates Design) with 15.23 knots, Jonny Malbon on Artemis II (Rogers Design) with 15.17 knots and Armel Le Cléac’h on Brit Air (Finot Conq & Associates Design) with 15.02 knots.

In those conditions, the SolOceans one-design sailing full and by under mainsail and Solent set a record at 14.10 knots. The difference of speed with her "big sister" Brit Air (Finot Conq Design), is only of 0.92 knot i.e. 6.1%, and of 1.67 knots with THE reference: Foncia i.e. 10.6%.

The best four Class40 getting 11 knots and more that day are: Bruno Jourdren (with Bernard Stamm and Kito de Pavant) on Le Pal (Rogers Design) with 11.44 knots, followed by Giovanni Soldini on Telecom Italia (Tyker 40 Evolution - Verdier Design) with 11.20 knots, François Angoulvant on Fermiers de Loué (Sabrosa - Gouard Design) with 11.10 knots and Gérald Bibot on Zed 4 (Akilaria RC2 - Lombard Design) with 11.00 knots.

The gap between the SolOceans one-design and the best Class40 on this day is thus equal to 2.66 knots i.e. 18.9%.

On May Day, the breeze was light and gently settled up to 15 knots of true wind: the weather conditions in which the SolOceans one-design was said to get "stuck" on the water by observant who had never seen her sailing and who widely spread the rumour.

At the end of this second day, Marc Thiercelin gets the best average speed on DCNS (Finot Conq & Associates Design) with 14.12 knots, followed by Michel Desjoyeaux on Foncia (Farr Design) with 14.04 knots, Sébastien Josse on BT (Farr Design) with 13.99 knots, Armel Le Cléac’h on Brit Air (Finot Conq & Associates Design) with 13.65 knots and Jonny Malbon on Artemis II (Rogers Design) with 12.86 knots.

With an average speed of 12.89 knots, the SolOceans one-design is doing better than Artemis II for three hundredth. The gap with the fastest IMOCA 60 prototype of the day, the other "big sister" DCNS (Finot Conq Design), is equal to 1.23 knots, i.e. 8.7%.

Only one Class40 got more than 10 knots on average that day: Giovanni Soldini on Telecom Italia (Tyker 40 Evolution - Verdier) with 10.31 knots. The best performer the day before, Bruno Jourdren on Le Pal (Rogers Design) only gets 9.64 knots on average, the third speed of the day for the Class40, behind Wilfrid Clerton on CGMer (Akilaria - Lombard Design) with 9.76 knots.

The gap between the SolOceans one-design and the best Class40 on that day is equal to 2.58 knots, i.e. 20 %.

Those results are instructive, but the vocation of the SolOceans one-design is not to be ranked among the IMOCA 60 or Class40 prototypes. Comparing with what is happening in the Figaro Bénéteau Class, the philosophy of this oceanic one-design Class is to race on equal footing only inside its own class: the SolOceans one-design Class. Moreover, the major competition of this class (a biennale event) the SolOceans, the first single-handed race around-the-world where all the sailors - men and women - will race on equal footing, will exclusively be open to the SolOceans one-design (Starting from Caen - Normandy France on 23 October 2011).

But when the fleet of the SolOceans one-design will enter a race open to monohulls from various categories, such as the 2010 Route du Rhum - La Banque Postale, with representatives from the IMOCA 60 Class (18.20 metres) and from the Class40 (12.20 metres), we are sure that the SolOceans one-design (16 metres - 52.5 feet) will hold its rank in the oceanic circuit. It will be easier for the understanding of the media and of the general public. It’s exactly what SailingOne’s team wanted to show at Douarnenez. Done.

Nevertheless, the results on flat sea, with no swell or waves which favour the impressive accelerations of the 16-metre Finot Conq Design, leads us to predict that the SolOceans one-designs steered by trained solo sailors will reach oceanic average speed superior to the record of 430 nautical miles on 24 hours at nearly 18 knots on average (with a pick at 26.7 knots under auto pilot) realised by Charles Caudrelier and Liz Wardley during the round-the-world Reconnaissance Tour of the SolOceans in February 2008 during the fine tuning of the SolOceans one-design under the colours of Bostik.

 


* At 36 years old, Nicolas Bérenger, born in Mauritius but with his roots in Sanary-sur-Mer, started sailing in the traditional dinghy circuit: Optimist and 420, before starting sailing on one-design monohulls while studying at the Brest Business School. Nicolas Bérenger then sailed on the one-designs of the Tour de France à la Voile (seven editions) followed by the Solitaire du Figaro single-handed race. In 1996, he rescued Alain Gautier who fell in the sea during the second leg of the Solitaire du Figaro single-handed race. A real complicity was born from this emotionally strong meeting. For seven years, Nicolas sailed onboard the ORMA 60 Multihull skippered by Alain Gautier over 20,000 nautical miles in racing conditions including 20 Grand Prix du Championnat des Multicoques ORMA. Since 2005, Nicolas Bérenger sails the colours of KONE Elevators (Ascenseurs) on the Figaro Bénéteau Circuit. He won the Cap Istanbul race twice: first in 2007 double-handed with Thierry Chabagny and then in 2008 single-handed this time. Thanks to this victory as well as a regular season, Nicolas Bérenger was runner up of the Single-handed Offshore French Championship in 2008. He has also won six French Champion titles on different types of boat. He finished seventh of the Solitaire du Figaro single-handed race in 2008, his best ranking so far in this prestigious race.