©Pierre-Bouras

There will be at least five new boats lining up at the start at the 2020 Vendée Globe. Armel Tripon has announced the construction of a new generation IMOCA

There will be at least five new boats lining up at the start at the 2020 Vendée Globe. After Jérémie Beyou (Charal), Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss), Sébastien Simon (Arkea-Paprec) and Charlie Dalin (Apivia), Armel Tripon has announced the construction of a new generation IMOCA. Sam Manuard will be the the designer of this boat built at the Black Pepper Yacht yard in Nantes. She is due to be launched in the summer of 2019.

Winner of the Transat 6.50 in 2003, and having gone through the Figaro and Class40 circuits, Armel Tripon made a remarkable entry into the IMOCA circuit finishing the 2014 Route du Rhum in fourth place. In November 2016, he acquired a Multi50 aboard which he finished on the podium in the 2017 Transat Jacques Vabre. His next big challenge on this boat will be the 2018 Route du Rhum. He will then focus entirely on his IMOCA project. “It is a great adventure, which is starting for me. It will be in fact the first time I have sailed on a brand new boat,” explained Armel. 

“An innovative project”

Armel Tripon has made an unusual choice for his IMOCA by choosing Sam Manuard as the designer and Black Pepper Yachts as the builder. “We are working on a very innovative project,” confirmed the skipper. “Sam Manuard will be designing his first IMOCA. We want to work with someone who has a new way of looking at the IMOCA rules. Sam was really keen and was motivated to work on this project. For Black Pepper, this is also a first. They have already built a big 18m cruiser, the Code 2, but never a monohull for the Vendée Globe. The yard is going to have to extend their team and find people with other skills, but the boat is to be built entirely in their premises.”

A boat designed around the foils to be launched in the summer of 2019

It is not a surprise, but Armel’s future IMOCA will be fitted with foils. “She will be innovative and designed around these appendages with a hull that is very different from the last generation of IMOCAs,” he added. “Work is due to begin on the boat in July with her launch scheduled for July 2019.”