SolOceans - News - Gildas Morvan and Vincent Riou double-handed on board the SolOceans one-design (06/04/2009)

Gildas Morvan and Vincent Riou double-handed on board the SolOceans one-design

Thursday June 4th 2009 News RSS

Gildas Morvan* (Skipper of Cercle Vert) and Vincent Riou** (Skipper of PRB) discovered the SolOceans one-design (16 metres - 52.5 foot) during the 25^th Transmanche en double on the 220 nautical mile course from l’Aber Wrac’h (Brittany - France), to Plymouth breakwater (England) and back. At 14.95 knots on average, they broke by 1 hour 31 minutes and 11 second the previous monohull record established by Gaël Le Cleac’h on board the Open 60 prototype SILL - Beurre Le Gall and by 37 minutes the multihull record established by Hervé Cléris on board a 50-feet trimaran. The SolOceans one-design finished the race 1 hour and 19 minutes behind BT (Farr prototype IMOCA 60) steered by Sébastien Josse and Jean-François Cuzon, who set the new record at 13 hours 14 minutes and 30 seconds at 16.62 Knots on average.

Gildas Morvan at the helm of the SolOceans one-design - May 29th, 2009 Gildas Morvan at the helm (right) and Vincent Riou tested the SolOceans one-design during 25^th Transmanche en double on 29 and 30 May 2009 and thus in strong conditions. They completed the 220-nautical mile course of the race at 15 knots on average, and at the same time beat the previous monohull as well as multihull time record.
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"It was great, we sailed clean. The boat is easy and you never feel panicky. She is simple and rational", Gildas Morvan declared. He added: "the design of this one-design class is coherent, it goes fast and we had fun. Before the start of the Transmanche, we only had a three-hour sailing session with 25-30 knots of real wind off l’Aber Wrac’h enabling us to discover the SolOceans one-design. But everything is simple. We felt at ease instantly. It would not be possible on an Open 60."

Vincent Riou added: "To say the truth, it is a small 60 foot. The technology is less developed. The price and running costs are more affordable. The hull, its bottom and deck structure are good. They bet to sail without inertia ballast tanks and I must say it’s a success. I was agreeably surprised as it is a seaworthy boat on the wind in the breeze without ballast. For prototype specialists, the rigging of the SolOceans lacks slender. But this rigging corresponds to the single-handed race programme of the series, including the SolOceans round-the-world race. With new sails fitting the sail plan, it will be a fun boat for offshore sailing, especially in one-design. Hull structure and sail plan are coherent. As a result she is really tolerant."

"We started the Transmanche close hauled, with 25-27 knots of real wind and rough sea. We had one reef in the main and the staysail", Vincent Riou explained. "In the middle of the Channel Sea, the wind veered aft and slightly abated. We unfurled the Genoa instead of the staysail. The breeze then got stronger and we kept the Genoa, despite the 29-30 knots real wind. At that moment we held the speed of the Open 60s."

"On the way back, we had a small period of calm in the Middle of the Channel Sea. We sailed the rest of the course at more than 16 knots. Then on the last few nautical miles, the wind veered aft and slightly abated. We could have sent the Gennaker or even the Spinnaker but we were too close to the arrival line ", Vincent Riou concluded. And Gildas Morvan, the Aber Wrac’h kid added: "It was fast and we beat the past two records without loosing the Open 60. It was great I liked it ".

* Gildas Morvan, 40 years old, is a strong 1.95-metre Breton from Northern Brittany, who has sailed the colours of Cercle Vert his faithful partners since 1998. His list of records is mainly based on his participation in the Figaro Bénéteau one-design Class (10.10 metres). He was French single-handed offshore sailing Champion in 2000 and 2008. But the "Green Giant" started his career in Soling (11^th at the 96 Olympic Games in Atlanta and 95 French Champion) and then in the America's Cup with Marc Pajot on board France 2 and France 3. Gildas Morvan also sailed in Class40 (2^nd of the Route du Rhum in his category) and in Open 60 (4^th of the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre with Jean Le Cam on board VM Matériaux). But Gildas Morvan's thing has really been the Solitaire du Figaro single-handed race since he first took part to it in 1993 (That year, he finished 11^th and 1^stRooky). Winner of three legs, he finished 2^nd in 2008, 3^rd in 2000 and 4^th in 2005. On board the Figaro Bénéteau Cercle Vert, Gildas Morvan also won six single-handed competitions - including the 2009 Transat BPE between Belle-Ile and Marie-Galante and the 2008 Course des Falaises at Quiberon - and 4 double-handed races with Charles Caudrelier and Bertrand Pacé. Gildas Morvan's goal is simple. He wants to win the 40^thSolitaire du Figaro single-handed race, and then to keep his title as French Champion. Then, he will try to sail a faster racing yacht than his Figaro Bénéteau.

** Vincent Riou, 37 years old, from Finistère too (Brittany - France) and nicknamed "Vincent the Terrible", is a talented skipper who won the 2004 Vendée Globe on board his IMOCA 60 prototype PRB. Before that, Vincent Riou was the technical coordinator of this same boat inside Michel Desjoyeaux's Mer Agitée Team, taking part to Michel Desjoyeaux's first victory in the 2000 Vendée Globe. Since 2005, Vincent Riou is his own boss. He raced the 2008 Vendée Globe on a Farr plan. The competition stopped prematurely for him as he dismasted after rescuing Jean Le Cam off Cape Horn. The jury decided to give him the third place ex æquo. Monohull prototype specialist, Vincent Riou has knowledge of ORMA 60 trimarans, knowledge he amassed while working with Michel Desjoyeaux as well as knowledege of one-design: Figaro Bénéteau, First Class 8 - he was French Champion in 1998 - and Open 7.50. Doubtless that from a technical point of view Vincent Riou sailing on board the SolOceans one-design will a benefit to the Class.