Yachting World — February 2018

François Gabart’s background is scrapping hard and

ruthlessly in one-design offshore races. But there is so

much more to winning this race than competitive ability;

it’s his all-round mastery that impresses.

The 34-year-old from Les Sables d’Olonne trained as

an engineer, so brings to bear an exacting and analytical

mind. His capabilities brought him to the attention of

France’s greatest modern round the world racer, two-

times Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux. As part

of his tutelage, Gabart raced with Desjoyeaux in the two-

handed Barcelona World Race in 2011 – they were forced

to retire after being dismasted.

His engineering background and experience led the

way for the design of MACIF with naval architects VPLP,

and resulted in a trimaran with powerful foils, exceptional

average speeds and almost complete protection for the

skipper, allowing him to hit these nerve-shreddingly high

average speeds in reasonable safety.

His boat was more evolved and faster than Thomas

Coville’s previous record holder, Sodebo Ultim, which was

a much-modified design originally launched in 2001.

But as on a round the world race, self-management

also plays a part: the ability to persevere, resilience and

to keep a margin in hand for when a big push is needed or

repairs have to be done. Gabart was fit and experienced

enough never to let his guard down.

the physical form and preparation of the

VPLP-designed MACIF – and to Gabart’s

experience and seamanship.

Since 2004, when Francis Joyon set

what was then considered an era-defining

record in the comparatively simple

trimaran IDEC, nearly 30 days have been

shorn from the record. Only three people

have succeeded in bettering it in the last

14 years: Ellen MacArthur in B&Q (who

took a day off Joyon’s time) in 2005 and

Thomas Coville in 2016.

The record has remained one of the

most difficult for several reasons. First,

the type of multihull needed to improve

on these times has become exponentially

more complex and expensive – the

budget set aside for the project by French

insurance company MACIF is said to be

€25 million, a figure that would be hard

to justify outside France.

To stand a chance of succeeding,

a lengthy period testing and sea time

is needed; in MACIF’s case this is the

culmination of 18 months of sea trials

and transatlantic races.

And irrespective of all these known

factors, a large element of luck is needed

to get all the way round the world without

mishap, and with favourable enough

weather on the way back up the Atlantic

to hold on to any gains made beforehand.

Extraordinarily, Gabart has achieved

two first-time victories, each of which

might have been considered nigh on

impossible: a maiden win in the 2013/

Vendée Globe round the world race

(setting a new course record then too)

and now this remarkable one-shot

record. It confirms Gabart, 34, as

France’s most accomplished sailor and

earned him a rock star following.

Speaking of the new record, his former

mentor, Michel Desjoyeaux, commented:

“At his first attempt, being able to [break

the record by] six days, it shows that he

has a little luck, of course, but especially

a lot of energy and commitment. You

really have the impression that the

oceans are opening

up before him so that

he can run his race,

so that he can break

records... It’s almost

annoying,

but it’s very beautiful to watch.”

How long this glittering new record

will stand depends on the capabilities

and prowess of the next generation of

‘Ultim’ maxis. Last year, two more new

maxi trimarans were launched, aimed at

solo round the world racing and records:

Gitana 17, skippered by Seb Josse,

and Banque Populaire IX for Armel Le

Cléac’h. Both these two new trimarans

are designed to fully foil in tradewinds

conditions, making speeds of up to 50

knots and could, in theory, be even faster.

But converting theory into practice is

another matter and, in this, Gabart, the

engineer and ultimate tactician, now

reigns supreme.

‘I was on the very edge

of things all the time’

AVERAGE SPEED

knots

Time machine:

François Gabart

and his record

breaking numbers

Gabart has achieved superstar status in France

A legend is made

BEST 24-HOUR

AV E R AG E

35.2 knots

FASTEST

24-HOUR RUN

851 miles

Photos: Vincent Curutchet / ALeA / Macif

Photos: Yvan Zedda

Photos: Alexis Courcoux / Macif

Photos:

February 2018 11