Barcelona World Race: Hola, Professor!
While it might be considered bad news by certain competitors (those who'd prefer a more 'open' playing field), the announcement of Michel Desjoyeaux's participation in the next Barcelona World Race was received with great satisfaction by the race organisers in the Catalan capital. The king of singlehanders revealed his plans in Paris, and the least one could say is that he did not summon the press to talk about minor objectives: after all, who else could reveal a programme including two new boats?
Arguably, the Multi One Design (MOD70) side of things (see French News, page 12) captures the attention most immediately, as it triggers a potential rebirth – or replacement – for the lamented Orma 60 fleet. But Michel's latest Imoca 60 campaign is a new adventure too, rather than a simple follow-up.
First of all, the Professor is going back to Brittany-based designers for his new weapon, rather than sticking with the Farr office that helped him to his second Vendée Globe victory last year. By switching to VPLP/Verdier, Michel makes the same move as his former teammate, 'disciple' and PRB successor Vincent Riou, and as his rival Jean-Pierre Dick. Mich Desj knows his new interlocutors very well, since Vincent Lauriot-Prévost designed his former Orma trimaran Géant and the MOD70 itself, while Guillaume Verdier was working with Groupe Finot when Mich's 2000 Vendée-winning PRB was conceived…
Certainly, the dominance of the VPLP/ Verdier designs Safran and Groupe Bel in the Transat Jacques Vabre seems to confirm that this design pairing is really onto something, and the next Barcelona World Race will be a fantastic setting in which to display these boats to their maximum.
Lining up for the Barcelona event was the other surprise Desjoyeaux pulled out of his hat in Paris – not that it seemed unlikely he would participate one day, but he'd not exactly given out any strong hints in that direction! Having won the 2007 TJV (and the 1990 Twostar, as well as the 1992 AG2R Transat), he's no newcomer to doublehanded racing, and the endorsement of such an accomplished ocean racer has huge significance for the event's promoters. As Pere Alcober, president of the Fundació Navegació Oceànica Barcelona, said: 'This news is the best reward for everyone in the organising team, for our city and for all those working to advance our sport in Spain.'
We caught up with the planet's most titled solo oceanic artist, and asked him how his new programme had taken shape. 'I was interested in the Barcelona World Race the first time around,' he said, 'but it was too close to the Vendée Globe, which I wanted to tackle with maximum motivation. Two round-the-world races back to back seemed a bit too much, but the doublehanded Spanish event stayed at the back of my mind.
'Then the opportunity came to sell Foncia, which meant I could actually start thinking about a new boat. The timing was tight for this year's Route du Rhum, but I asked my brother [Hubert, owner of the CDK yard in Port La Forêt] if it could be done and he said yes.
'So… with a new boat it seemed logical to line up for more than one major race, and since the Barcelona organisers have made it possible by offering to ship the boats back from Pointe-à-Pitre in time, it made perfect sense. During shipping my shore crew will be busy preparing the boat so that when it gets to Barcelona in early December it will be in perfect condition for the start!'
Now about that new boat, Michel remains unsurprisingly elusive when it comes to details. 'I've known both Guillaume [Verdier] and Vincent [Lauriot-Prévost] for a while, so it's definitely not a matter of jumping on the bandwagon. Initially, we had thought of making a Safran clone, as the mould had become available with Jean [Le Cam] unfortunately still some way from securing his funding. But discussing the situation with the designers, we decided to push the concept a bit further and create a new generation of boat.
'I won't go into the specifics just now, but when the boat is launched you will see that she's quite a different machine…'
Michel also admits that as the Imoca 60 class recently passed up the chance to tighten down their regulations to keep down costs, his own creativity has been given room to roam. 'As much as I'm not going to complain, because I'm having lots of fun with the refinements I can bring to my new 60, I remain convinced that the class have rejected some very worthwhile simplifications.
'As a result, the boats are getting increasingly complex and have become very expensive. Seen from a personal perspective, it's fantastic because I've always been passionate about the "prototype" aspect of the Open rule, but I think it's detrimental for the class as a whole. It doesn't help its growth. And with my own boat, well, I think you'll be able to see that this time we've really gone quite far.'
Now there is another question: who will have the privilege of sharing the new beast's cockpit with the Professor in the Barcelona Race? 'Funny, but I'd had a lot of offers even before I knew I was going to take part! Of course, now that I've announced it I have even more, but my mind is not made up, though I do have a few ideas.
'I take my time to let things ripen, but when the time comes I make my decisions very quickly… Let's just say that for the moment the fruit is still green, and I have other things to take care of.' Like, for instance, overseeing the technical preparation and training of Iker Martínez and Xabi Fernandez, who have inherited Foncia and whom Michel will be coaching in the run-up to the Barcelona start in December...
Jocelyn Blériot
Photo below by Guilain Grenier / GMR
Both the boat and the sailor will be starters in the next Barcelona World Race, though not together. Michel Desjoyeaux's stripped and extremely well-optimised Farr Imoca 60 is going to a new Spanish owner, while Desjoyeaux – having changed his mind about the potency of the Verdier/VPLP design combo – is having a new boat built by his brother at CDK in Lorient
