Presentation
This particular IMOCA monohull has surely won the most accolades of her generation: designed in 2011 for François Gabart, she finished fourth in the Transat Jacques Vabre (with Sébastien Col), then won the BtoB return transatlantic race before taking the win in the Vendée Globe 2012-2013, then the Route du Rhum 2014.
Taken over by Paul Meilhat, the ex-Macif, rechristened SMA, suffered a few troubles, particularly during the Transat Jacques Vabre (with Michel Desjoyeaux) and above all in the return solo passage as the skipper was injured and the boat abandoned. Recovered again after a series of incidents, the monohull was returned to her former glory and finished fourth in The Transat and the New York-Vendée, but during the Vendée Globe 2016-2017, Paul Meilhat was forced to divert to Tahiti after her keel ram broke. After several podiums and victories, the skipper of SMA rounded off his time on the boat with a victorious Route du Rhum 2018, the boat having been sold to Banque Populaire. Following a selection process, Clarisse Crémer skippered her to sixth place in Brazil (with Armel Le Cléac’h) in 2019 and 12th of the Vendée Globe in 2020-21. Retaining her original configuration, Banque Populaire X has no foils…