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IMOCA BUSINESS CLUB

About the IMOCA Ocean Racing World Championship

The IMOCA Ocean Racing World Championship, created in 1991,  was organised in order to principally promote single handed ocean racing onboard IMOCA 60’ monohulls, and by organising a variety of races, single-handed, double-handed or crewed.  The two major events in the Championship are the round the world races, the Vendée Globe and The Barcelona World Race. The points of the round the world races are credited in the arrival year.

The ranking is established at the end of each year, and the Championship title is awarded annually based on the number of points won during that year, as well as the points won in the previous year. This way there is always a round the world race included in recognition of the title. For the double-handed races, both sailors onboard will be each accredited with the total amount of points, and for crewed events only the skipper will be accredited with points. The champion is rewarded with honour and respect, there is currently no prize-money involved.

The Point Scoring System

Single handed around the world - 10 points
Double handed around the world - 8 points
Single handed transatlantic - 4 points
Double handed transatlantic - 3 points
Crewed ocean races (depending on distance) - 2-4 points
Crewed race 1,000 – 2,000 miles - 1-2 points

IMOCA Champions (since the Championship creation in 1991)

2010     Marc Guillemot (French)
2009    Armel Le Cléac'h (French)
2008    Yann Elies (French)       
2007    Bernard Stamm (Swiss)
2006    Jean Le Cam (French)
2005    Mike Golding (UK)
2004    Mike Golding (UK)
2003    Bernard Stamm (Swiss)
2002    Roland Jourdain (French)
2001    Roland Jourdain (French)

Why Race On The IMOCA Circuit?
With 30 boats competing in the last Vendée Globe, there is no doubt that this International Class is currently the world’s most successful offshore racing class.  With 20 years of development behind it, these state of the art yachts continue to evolve.  No longer is sailing IMOCA 60s solely an adventure, it is a highly competitive sport.   As a result the fleet has been attracting a number of major corporate sponsors from all around the world.  From international clothing brand, Hugo Boss, to French defence and aerospace giant Groupe Safran, to British insurance company Aviva or Edinburgh-based investment managers Artemis, to internationally renowned branded cheese producer Groupe Bel or International world leader in ecological services Veolia Environnement  – to name just a few of the many companies involved with the circuit.

Ecology - with increasing concern for the environment globally, many companies involved in nursing the ecology of our planet, have seen the IMOCA circuit as a perfect vehicle to use as a marketing tool. These include Paprec, Ecover and the £32 billion turnover giant Veolia Environnement. While sailing is a mechanical sport, it harnesses the power of a source that is natural, freely available and non-destructive – namely, the wind. 

Other sponsors such as Groupe Safran find easy alignment with the technical nature of the class. IMOCA 60s are also known as Open 60s due to the open nature of the rule to which they are built. With minimal limits placed on the parameters of the boats, designers have an opportunity like no other in the yacht racing world to try out new ideas. The more promising of these technologies often filter down into other areas of the sport.

A unique aspect of the major IMOCA races is their length. Apart from occasional races for maxi-multihulls no other classes hold events that are non-stop around the world, taking around three months at sea without stopping and quite often without seeing land. Being alone for this length of time is something that happens in no other sport. The Barcelona World Race recently changed the game again, the two crew on board having to spend three months solely with each other’s company, with a whole different set of consequences.

While today IMOCA events are certainly races, the ‘shorthanded, big boat, long race course’ formula is an opportunity for unparallel adventure and this is perhaps why it is so attractive to the media and then in turn to large corporate sponsors.

Sponsors of IMOCA 60s in the 2008/09 Vendée Globe:
Akena Vérandas – construction;
Aquerelle - florists;
Artemis – investment managers;
Aviva – insurance;
Brit Air – airline;
BT – telecommunications;
Cheminees Poujoulat – heating, chimneys;
DCNS – Defense Naval systems;
Delta Dore – energy management;
Ecover – ecological cleaning products;
Foncia – property;
Generali – insurance;
Groupe Bel – mini cheeses;
Hugo Boss – fashion, clothing;
Maisonneuve – Property; 
Paprec – recycling;
Pindar – printing and internet;
PRB – construction materials;
Roxy – women’s clothing;
Safran -  defence and aerospace;
Temenos – banking software;
Veolia Environnement – environmental services;
Virbac - pet medicines;
VM Materiaux – building materials, construction

A truly INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT. Nationalities in the 2008/09 Vendée Globe: 18 French skippers; 7 British; 2 Swiss; 1 Spanish, 1 Canadian, 1 Austrian