A New Family

A New Family
A New Family

Video: A New Family

Video: A New Family
Video: felicita - a new family (official video) 2024, March
Anonim

The Breton Thomas Coville has long been known as one of the best extreme skippers of our time. With the announcement that he wants to break most of the world's great records with his new 100-foot tri, which is currently being built in Australia, he is finally committed to extreme and solo sailing. The designer Nigel Irens designed a giant tri "B&Q" for Lady Ellen MacArthur for Coville - only that Coville's boat should be even bigger and more sophisticated.

For a long time the two record vehicles lay side by side in the North Cove Marinin New York, Thomas Coville's 60-foot trimaran "Sodebo" and Ellen MacArthur's 75-foot trimaran "B&Q Castorama". Reason: Both were waiting for a weather window that should enable them to make a record trip across the Atlantic in 2004. Even back then, the Coville that drove on was clearly committed to a type of sailing that is outside the Grand Prix and crew races typical of 60-foot Tris. No wonder. Because Coville's sailing past is packed with extreme and high-class events - which, a rare mixture, also include regattas such as America's or Admiral's Cups. He is one of the best of the young, modern skippers, although little is said about him. For a long time he sailed as crew and companion of the skipper on Laurent Bourgnon's "Primagaz" and was one of the salvage smokers who got the Tri afloat again after capsizing at the Europe 1 Star (the former OSTAR) in 1996 - in the middle of the Atlantic. He was also part of the crew that won the Jules Verne trophy on Olivier de Kersauson's "Sport Elec" in 1997. He won the Route du Rhum in 1998, practically representing star skipper Yves Parlier at his Open 60 "Aquitaine Innovations", sailed the Minitransat, the Vendée Globe Challenge ("Sodebo") and and and. Since he finished the Vendée Globe Challenge in 2000 (sixth), he has been one of the established skippers of the former Orma circus.

"I was particularly impressed by the Vendée Globe Challenge and the record runs for the Jules Verne Trophy. It seemed to make sense to simply combine these two experiences and sail around the world one-handed and non-stop. Through the Southern Ocean, on a multihull".

Coville at hand is currently the most sought-after designer of giant record multinationals, the Englishman Nigel Irens. With all the details of the 75 large trimaran "B&Q" in mind plus the experience and data that his good friend Ellen MacArthur sailed with the boat, it seems the natural choice for such a project. It is therefore not surprising that Irens offers an enlarged and refined version of the current record trimaran: "Sodebo" and "B&Q" look similar on the first drawings and at first glance. However, at second glance, significant differences can be seen. Because not only is Covilles Tri much larger, it will also sport other, narrower hull tips, a mast that can be tilted to the side and possibly foils. "The ship will be up to 12 percent more efficient," assures Irens. "A lot of development can be seen especially at the fuselage tips. We are now of the opinion that they have to be as narrow and as long as possible - so narrow that they just don't break off." And: "Sodebo" will have a sister, at least a half-sister. Because the former record holder Francis Joyon will get a new, modern ship after the shipwreck of his "Idec" last year. However, friends admit that the new "Idec" will be part of a typical, budget-reduced "Francis Joyon Project". After all, this typical Joyon style has sometimes led to huge successes - the win in 2000 at the Europe 1 Newman Star (the former OSTAR) against highly armed competition in the Orma class is often overlooked in view of the records he set up later. Only a few details about the new "Idec" are known.

Thomas Covile wants "Sodebo", which will be built in Australia in the same shipyard (Boatspeed) as MacArthurs Tri, to sail through the Southern Ocean to Europe in the six months of the northern winter. However, the actual record attempt is not expected to take place until 2008/2009. Until then, Coville wants to hunt for records. The skipper comments on the drastic increase in specialty boats: "We have a new family here. I wouldn't be surprised if five of the boats set off for the Route du Rhum in 2010". At the Route du Rhum 2006 Coville will compete with his Orma-Tri "Sodebo".

On the other hand, the current leader in the 60-foot class, Franck Cammas, is more crew-fixated. His "Groupam3" is already ready and will leave the halls of the Multiplast shipyard in Vannes next week. However, he Cammas does not want to hunt for records one-handed.

The fact that new, quasi formula-free, giant multinationals designed for solo sailing are emerging in all places allows a glimpse into the future and into the past alike. The one in the future: The days of the 60-foot trimaran class seem numbered. Because paradoxically, this class is the big one years ago. Dinosaur-like multinationals have become less attractive to sponsors. Because for them, the investment in new record breakers is not only cheaper (Coville's new Tri and a four-year campaign cost, so Coville; 1.8 million euros per year. The campaign for the 60-foot Tri "Sodebo" is much more expensive), The new old way of sailing is also "easier to understand in terms of concept," says PatriciBrochard, co-president of the Sodebo Group, which supplies half the world with frozen pizzas and sandwiches. "Only Francis Joyon and Ellen MacArthur have so far managed to break the record with huge trimarans that was once held by a monohull yacht," continues Brochard. "The story of the records is rich in material and romance"

A look into the past brings back memories of the bygone days of excessively large multi and monohulls such as the giant cats "Tag Heuer" or "Charante Maritime", as well as the 236-foot four-masted schooner "Club Mediterranee", which Alain Colas built for the OSTAR in 1976. A look at times when boats were only less restrictively divided into classes, which on their part have developed complex rules - the 60-foot trimarans are cited again. The fact that freer thinking is now taking hold and class structures are breaking up seems to be a step backwards into the future. This step is made possible by advancing technology: after all, designer Irens was not lazy years ago to emphasize that "B&Q Castorama" was basically just a further development of the former "Fleury Michon VIII" by Phillipe Poupon.

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