Designed to withstand all weathers and break speed records...
An IMOCA Open 60 is a Class 60 yacht. It is 18.28 metres long and has a draught of 4.50 metres.
It's one of the fastest monohulls around. It is built in composite materials to be both light and resistant to the worst possible conditions of the open sea. Its surface area, and particularly the fairly wide stern, give this yacht a waterline suitable for the Deep South.
The IMOCA class is a measurement system that defines the rules governing the race, and ensures sporting fairness. This class was founded in 1991 by the International Sailing Federation. It is also designed to improve skippers’ safety and living conditions on board, while working in an environmentally-friendly way with renewable energies.
The IMOCA class rules impose certain technical characteristics on the yachts taking part in a race, particularly the Vendée Globe. Recently modified, it imposes a standard keel, a choice between two masts, and a limited number of appendages and ballast tanks.
Before the start, the yachts undergo various tests. They must meet three criteria to ensure skippers’ safety :
To deal with handling the boat in the different wind and sea conditions they meet, each skipper sets off with up to nine sails. In racing, the decision to hoist a particular sail is always based on a compromise between the boat’s performance and safety.
The only sail to be positioned behind the mast, the mainsail is not interchangeable while sailing. Held in place by the mast and boom, it is the only sail that is not part of the headsails.
A compulsory safety feature, the storm jib is a small fluorescent orange sail that is only used when the wind is very strong (up to 55 knots, i.e. 100 kph).
A triangular sail, the solent is the largest of the “flat” sails. It is used close-hauled (45° to the wind) and on a reach (60° to the wind) in winds of less than 15 knots
This sail is used in heavy weather (winds of 25 to 35 knots) and can be combined with the solent or gennakers.
Gennakers are downwind sails used in medium winds, up to 35 knots with the smallest gennaker.
A triangular intermediate sail, the staysail is used in winds of between 15 and 25 knots in upwind and beam sailing.
The genoa is used in light winds close-hauled, on a reach and on a broad reach up to 15 knots.
The spinnaker is the largest of the sails, measuring up to 400 m2. It can be used downwind in manageable wind conditions.
Find out all the information about the skippers of this 10th edition of the Vendée Globe.
To meet this challenge, sailors need a lot of support.
Meet all the team assisting the skipper on this round-the-world voyage.
The Vendée Globe race is not without danger!
Find out more about the measures taken to ensure skippers' safety.
