© Marin LE ROUX - polaRYSE

It’s a technical challenge as impressive as it is innovative. In recent weeks, the IMOCA Charal 2 has been cut in half to remove the hull bottom, which will soon be replaced.

Never before undertaken on an IMOCA, this operation, planned for many months, was launched after the victorious return from the Transat Café L’Or, in collaboration with Gepeto Composite. The goal? Improve foiling phases, enhance performance on certain points of sail, and make the boat easier to handle solo. The boat is expected to return to the water in June, giving nearly six months of preparation ahead of the Route du Rhum, the season’s main objective.


1/ Why change the hull?
Within the team, optimization is a constant concern. Since its launch in 2022, Charal 2 has stood out for its V-shaped rudders that maximize foiling time. “When we flew the boat flat, we realized that the scow-shaped hull wasn’t optimal,” says Jérémie Beyou. “That’s what pushed us to adapt the hull to fly longer while remaining flat.”

“With our foils, the heel was lower than expected,”adds Nicolas Andrieu, head of the design office. “That made us think about a new hull shape.”The new hull will improve the boat’s glide. While there will be a slight loss of power mechanically – due to reduced heel – the gain comes from improved hydrodynamic drag.


2/ Why is this refit extraordinary?
“You have to imagine a house with everything: walls, partitions, structure, frame, but no roof,”smiles Jérémie. “Visually, it’s quite incredible. It looks like the boat has been cut in half, with two huge holes in the hull.”

Although IMOCA teams, including Charal, have previously rebuilt parts of the bow, none have undertaken such a comprehensive operation.


3/ How is the refit proceeding?
Since winter 2024, VPLP and the Charal team worked together on the hull design, collaborating with Gurit for structural modifications, the same company that built Charal 2’s original structure. The two new hull halves were then fabricated over the past year by Gepeto Composite, just a few hundred meters from Charal’s hangar.

Work on Charal 2 began after the convoy back from Martinique, where Jérémie and Morgan Lagravière won the Transat Café L’Or. “We wanted to start assembling the puzzle as early as December,”says Nicolas Andrieu. Since mid-December, Gepeto Composite’s teams have been busy… cutting the boat in two! “For three weeks, they sliced through the carbon, and pieces fell away,”recalls Nicolas Ferellec, project manager at Charal Sailing Team. A painstaking job, in dust and noise, transforming the monohull. “It’s like only the skeleton remains.”

Since January, technicians have been modifying the structure to fit the new hull shape. The next step will be assembling each hull, a particularly delicate phase. “Everything must be positioned to the millimeter,” emphasizes the project manager. In May, once the composite work is complete, mechanical and electronic systems will be reinstalled, and the boat will return to the water in June. “It’s a major operation, but everyone is highly motivated. We’re fighting to improve the boat,” says Nicolas Ferellec enthusiastically.


4/ What will this change at sea?
Jérémie Beyou is confident about handling his monohull after this extraordinary refit. “It will take time to fully understand its new behavior and find the right settings, but it’s nothing like learning a brand-new boat.”

The new hull should improve performance above 15 knots and in light wind conditions, two areas where the boat was previously lacking. It should also be slightly easier to handle solo. “Last season, in crewed and double-handed sailing, we noticed we could get the best out of the boat more easily than solo,”explains Nicolas Andrieu. “The goal is to make the boat more forgiving so it’s 100% ready for the Route du Rhum and the Vendée Globe.”


5/ What is Jérémie’s program this season?
Charal 2 will be relaunched in June, leaving about six months to reach peak performance for the Route du Rhum, starting Sunday, November 1. “We’re convinced we’ve made the right choice to have the best possible boat for the Rhum,”says Jérémie.

To maintain form, Jérémie will compete in Figaro races, but he will skip the Solitaire du Figaro to avoid fatigue and “be 100% ready” for the IMOCA relaunch. “Then, we’ll focus on back-to-back sailings to build momentum.” The training program will be intense, refining maneuvers and preparing for the Route du Rhum. Having finished 2nd in 2014 and 3rd in 2022, Jérémie aims to claim victory in one of the most iconic transatlantic races.


Source: Charal Press Office