DRAGON FLY

After a promising Vendée Globe debut and a fine 10th place, Maxime Sorel launched the construction of a new IMOCA last year.

Maxime Sorel notably spent a month in Cascais this summer trialling his boat and sailing in breezy conditions and big seas, before successfully completing his qualifier for the Route du Rhum in boisterous conditions and getting himself “into a bit of difficulty”. Built in the moulds of APIVIA at Multiplast, then assembled at Mer Concept, the budget being limited, solely the forward section of the boat has been modified without the mould being cut (bosses). The young skipper has obviously customised his boat, whilst making very few modifications in relation to Apivia, and above all racking up the miles to find his feet on his foiler so he could then “take a step back and work on certain areas of the ergonomics.” Some of the weight was shifted aft and the nav station was adapted to the sailor’s wishes to make it more “functional and comfortable”. There were no major transformations involved so as not to impact the structure. “We’re still a small team with a small amount of knowledge and we still have a lot to learn” explains Maxime Sorel, reassured with regard to the solidity of the boat, which he won’t think twice about driving hard when racing. With the lessons learned from these hours of sailing in strong breeze, the team quickly realised that the 60 footer could prove unbearable to sail, and that some thought needed to go into the ergonomics of V and B-Monbana-Mayenne. Maxime Sorel purchased the plans for the foils from the last version of 11th Hour Racing Team 1 designed by Verdier, which have been adapted to the boat. The foils are both tolerant and versatile and are proving wholly satisfactory so far. Since its launch, Maxime Sorel's IMOCA has been in the Top10 at every race on the circuit.