BIOTHERM

Designed by Guillaume Verdier and built using For The Planet (ex-LinkedOut) moulds, Biotherm's implementation has not only saved time while limiting the budget, but has also been 'economical' in terms of carbon footprint and LCA (life cycle assessment), which is now compulsory in the IMOCA class when building a new boat. Paul Meilhat is very familiar with the Verdier plan, having sailed the entire 2021 season with Charlie Dalin (victory in the Rolex Fastnet and second place in the Transat Jacques Vabre behind Thomas Ruyant and Morgan Lagravière on LinkedOut) on Apivia, a very similar IMOCA, so he is not starting from scratch. However, given the very tight schedule (Biotherm having announced its partnership in March 2022), the winner of the last Route du Rhum in the IMOCA class wanted a solid, simple and versatile boat, almost a sistership to Apivia, which with LinkedOut had been winning every race for the past two years. Starting from her basic version - the plans dating from the previous campaign for the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe - the monohull has been updated to suit her skipper's taste and minimalist spirit. The now spatulate bow has been changed and has more rocker, the aim being to get the nose of the boat out downwind, the foils are the latest generation, and the rudder systems and the cap protecting the cockpit have been optimised. Everything has been kept as simple as possible, without taking any risks in terms of technological choices or overly complex developments. In June 2022, Paul Meilhat and his technical team joined the Persico yard, to put the finishing touches to the boat - laminating, machining, sanding, fitting the cables and deck fittings, installing the systems, etc. After an express refit and a more than remarkable Route du Rhum, Paul Meilhat and his team set off on The Ocean Race adventure. The circumnavigation was not without its pitfalls, but the crew completed all 7 legs and finished in 4th place overall. The boat kicked off its 2024 season with the Transat CIC, but without the result it had hoped for. Midway through the race, it suffered a collision that damaged a foil, significantly slowing it down for the remainder of the crossing. A few months later, the boat lined up at the start of the Vendée Globe as one of the favorites. Throughout the race, it sailed mostly in heavy conditions. Towards the end, after reporting damage to a headsail, Paul Meilhat announced that Biotherm had suffered a forestay failure. Paul managed to secure the mast and went on to finish 5th in this round-the-world race.