A talented skipper
While they have decided to part ways with their euro skipper Sébastien Simon euros, Arkéa and Paprec have not decided to withdraw from ocean racing. The euro sponsors, who have created their own structure based in Lorient, have just announced their new headliner. It's Yoann Richomme, a talented skipper who has won a number of major solo and crewed races on various circuits: two victories in the Solitaire du Figaro in 2016 and 2019 and victory in the Route du Rhum in 2018 in a Class 40. He was then at the head of the Volvo 65 Ocean Mirpuri Foundation crew in 2021 and won the event.
Building a new boat
Since Sébastien Simon is keeping the IMOCA in the sponsor's colors (he is looking for new partners), Yoann Richomme and Arkéa Paprec are launching the construction of a new boat for early 2022. It is an Antoine Koch / Groupe Finot Conq design, as the skipper explains.
"We chose the architects in early July. We agreed on the sponsors, Romain and I, in just a few days. We chose Antoine Koch and the Finot-Conq group, and we grafted ourselves onto a project that was in the making, that of Thomas Ruyant. We are trying to find synergies between our teams to move forward intelligently. The molds for the new IMOCA are in production, we will receive them in January and a slot has been reserved at Multiplast, in Vannes, for the beginning of 2022. The construction of the boat will take a year."
The boat will be launched in January 2023 with a view to competing in the 2024 Vendée Globe. Yoann Richomme will participate in all the races of the IMOCA circuit, both double-handed and single-handed.
"Our IMOCA boat wants to be a seaworthy boat that goes well in the sea, which is not easy with these machines that reach more than 30 knots. We're making sure that it's a boat that doesn't crash as much as the last generation of boats, which tended to get a lot of water on the deck. We've seen some very interesting developments in Class40 in the last few years. I've kept up to date with these developments by going sailing and I know today that the decisions we make are linked to personal experiences and not virtual elements. It's reassuring." concludes the skipper.
