News

Shortly before some of the skippers in the Barcelona World Race made their pit stop in New Zealand, Luc Talbourdet, President of the IMOCA class replied to a few questions about the race and took advantage of the opportunity to talk more about the next major dates on the IMOCA calendar.

© Thierry Martinez / Sea and Co

How do you feel about the way the current Barcelona World Race is going?
Luc Talbourdet: Firstly, it’s an absolutely fascinating race thanks to the top class line-up. I was very pleased with the welcome that was given to our skippers and their partners in Barcelona. Everything that was done was what you would expect for such a major international event. This is only the second edition of the Barcelona World Race and in three years, the number of entrants has already increased by more than 50%. Today, the Barcelona is one of the pillars of the IMOCA calendar and of ocean racing in general. This is the result of the strategy put in place by the IMOCA class more than five years ago. Thanks to the Barcelona, the round the world voyage has become more easily accessible for more boats, more countries and more skippers from as varied a range of backgrounds as the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympics. This IMOCA race has attracted the top ocean racing sailors, which proves how successful it is.

What do you think about the performance of the Spanish skippers in this race?
LT: Excellent! There are six Spanish boats and two of them are up in the three leading boats. That shows that they are well prepared and it rewards the investment that has been made over the past few years. Spain and Barcelona in particular, have become a reference area for the IMOCA class.

How are preparations going for the next major date on the IMOCA calendar, the Europa Race, which will start in Istanbul on 1st July?
LT: We are expecting around ten competitors, and are aiming to double the number of entrants we saw in the first race, when six boats took part. The organiser Olay Nautic (a Turkish company) is making the race even more European. After Turkey, the IMOCA fleet will stop in Spain (Barcelona), in France (Brest), in Germany (Hamburg) and finally in England (Cowes). This race enables the IMOCA class to be seen all over Europe and show off the skippers and their partners in their respective territory. It is also an opportunity to do some crewed sailing, sharing know-how and passing on experience to encourage young sailors. The IMOCA class offers a round Europe race and a round the world race every other year in this way. I’m very pleased about this programme.

How many 60-foot IMOCA boats are you hoping to see at the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre in November?
LT: Let’s just say around fifteen boats as in the Barcelona World Race. This year is the year of double-handed racing. The Transat Jacques Vabre will give us another great race enabling the boats to show their full potential.

Bernard Stamm’s boat is due to be launched shortly. Do you think any other boats may be built for the next Vendée Globe?
LT: Bernard’s boat will be the fourth new boat built for the next Vendée Globe. François Gabart and a skipper whose name has not yet been announced are building two new boats. At most two other boats could be built as long as the decision is taken by June at the latest… after that it will be very hard. In conclusion, we can say that out of the thirty boats making up the IMOCA fleet, no fewer than 23 are very competitive: 17 boats from the last generation and 6 brand new ones. So this means we are able to establish a good balance between competition and sustainability within what is an open class.

What projects are being examined and what work is going on within the IMOCA class?
LT: Our guiding principal is to ensure the durability of the class and to continue its development. The strategy aimed at making the class more international is paying off. We are the biggest international ocean racing class that exists and we propose a programme that is stable with a recurrent schedule. This is an important advantage. It’s our task to ensure that the effects of our mixture of racing, adventure and technology are felt around the world. To finish, it is important too to maintain good value for money for our sponsors. On this basis, the IMOCA class has a great future ahead of it.