To be fast... and to last

As we wind towards the 2004/5 Vendée Globe, Guillaume Verdier and Vincent Lauriot Prévost (VPLP), specialists in Open class mono and multihulls, look together at a new IMOCA Open 60

Introduction

For over 12 years monohull Open 60s have been developing under the unifying IMOCA Class Rule (International Monohull Open Classes Association), first recognised as an international class by ISAF in 2001. The IMOCA rule was created after the first Vendée Globe by the participating sailors as a rule that focuses heavily upon safety but permits great freedom in design.

The rule has slowly evolved in the light of racing experience, as well as various 'incidents' (capsizes, dismasting, structural failures). At first the boats focused primarily on the singlehanded races (Around Alone, Vendée Globe and the Rhum), pushing them to have a heavy emphasis on downwind sailing. However, more recently design has responded to the influence of the growing number of important crewed events (EDS, Rubicon, Calais, Round Britain). Now we aim at a more rounded 'product', with the emphasis on true versatility and the ability to offer high performance on all points of sail.

To read the remainder of this article please go to the October 2004 edition of Seahorse, available at selected newsstands or by calling: + 44 (0) 1590 671899 or by email at: info@seahorse.co.uk

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