CHARAL

The potential of L’Occitane en Provence (now known as Bureau Vallée 3), quickly convinced Jérémie Beyou to approach Sam Manuard for his new IMOCA.

The Charal Sailing Team, including Franck Cammas and Bertrand Pacé, the man who has taken part in seven America's Cups, and the Manuard design team, have opted for a number of innovative choices, such as the narrowest hull of any existing IMOCA, whereas in the 90s and 2000s, the architectural trend (Finot-Conq architects of the four winning boats from the second to the fifth edition) was to design very wide 'bearded flats'. Indeed, back in the nineties and the noughties, the architectural trend (Finot-Conq were the architects of four winning boats from the second to fifth edition) was to design very beamy ‘skimming dishes’. In addition, Charal 2 has a centre of gravity and a weight distribution positioned a long way aft, a rounded Scow bow and V-shaped foils that are deeper than those on the previous VPLP Charal 1 design. Finally, to favour aerodynamics, which is an element that is increasingly sleek on these IMOCAs, the deck is very flat (virtually a flush deck), while the coachroof (exterior cabin) is minimalist and streamlined, and the step more pronounced. More than fifteen engineers, five of whom are part of Charal Sailing Team, worked on Charal 2. Next, more than a hundred specialists were involved in the boat’s construction, designing and machining all the parts, virtually all of which are prototypes, equating to 35,000 design hours and 40,000 hours of construction at CDK, which is the yard which has produced the greatest number of IMOCAs in the past 30 years or so. Jérémie Beyou, who has been sailing off Lorient since the boat was launched, with his first objective being the 12th Route du Rhum, before taking part in his 5th Vendée Globe in November 2024, says he is delighted with his new boat. With a 3rd place in the Route du Rhum, a 4th place in the Transat Jacques Vabre and a 2nd place in the Retour à La Base, the Manuard design has shown its potential, which bodes well for the next Vendée Globe. The 2024 season kicks off with the Transat CIC, where the boat suffers damage to its J2 stay and is forced to retire from the race, but still manages to reach the New York coast. In the New York–Vendée race, Jérémie finishes third before lining up at the start of the Vendée Globe, which he completes in fourth place.