Armel le Cléac'h continues to discover his Maxi trimaran, launched on October 30, 2017. After many day-long training sessions, which have enabled the team to make the boat more reliable and carry out numerous manoeuvres to push the boat into its entrenchments, it is time to cross the Atlantic.
"He it's time to go out to sea, to cross the Atlantic, because I think we've done everything we needed to do reliably by sailing by the day. On short outings we did a lot of manoeuvres, and that's very interesting because we're pushing the boat into its entrenchments, but that's not the playground for these big multihulls, which are there to cross the Atlantic and sail around the world. We hope to be able to make these crossings (Editor's note: round trip Lorient - Pointe-à-Pitre) in a short time. This will enable us to discover other problems linked to big sailing" explains Ronan Lucas, director of Team Banque Populaire.
"The first sea trips went well, we didn't have any problems learning the Maxi Banque Populaire IX. It's still a big prototype so there's a lot to test. We're gaining confidence in the machine, from the very beginning we felt that this boat had potential. In the given timing, we managed to achieve the first objective: to take the boat in hand, tune it and test all the numerous systems on board. Even though I'd never flown before, I immediately felt superb sensations, but from the start, we had to find new automatic systems, particularly on the adjustment of the appendages. It's not something you're born with until you've tested it, so you have to think a little bit about the impact it can have on the trimaran. What's really interesting is that even with little wind, the boat goes fast. Over these first few months of testing, we've had all the conditions and we've already reached peaks of 45 knots" details Armel le Cléac'h.
Setting out on 2nd February 2018, Armel le Cléac'h has surrounded himself with a team of 5 sailors (Billy Besson, Franck Cammas, Charlie Dalin, Pierre-Emmanuel Hérissé and Florent Vilboux) for this first transatlantic race. The objective? A round trip between Lorient and Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) for an intense training programme: a crewed preparation in preparation for the Nice Ultimed, but above all a spotting in the West Indies 8 months before the start of the legendary Route du Rhum.
" Compared to what we expected, we're satisfied with the initial results, but we're waiting for the first confrontations with our competitors to make sure we have the foundations for a solid, high-performance boat. The flight from the very first sail was a pleasant surprise and everyone was delighted. You tell yourself that you put a boat in the water a few days before and after a few hours of sailing, it flies! It's a good sign, it means that the overall design is true to what we imagined. We sail very regularly in 38/42 knots. You can easily reach this kind of speed without necessarily needing a lot of wind" adds Ronan Lucas.
" We know we have a versatile boat that can compete with the competition, now it's up to us to work and operate it offshore. On this crossing, we're setting off with a crew with several personalities, what's always interesting is to exchange with several characters and to have everyone's feelings on the Ultim. The return trip will also be done with a crew, but I'm going to start doing some solo manoeuvres. It's going to be a great baptism of fire. Crossing the Atlantic in a few days to get the sun, it's always a pleasure. (laughs)" concluded Armel le Cléac'h.
