IDEC - Francis Joyon - The Absolute Adventure

I don't usually write about racing but Francis Joyon is my favorite skipper and he left 4 days / 4 hours ago from Brest (France) for a single handed round the world tour aboard IDEC. Ellen MacArthur still holds the record aboard CASTORAMA with 71 days, 18 minutes and 33 seconds in 2005. A record she took away from Francis Joyon aboard IDEC in 2004 with 72 days, 24 hours and 22 seconds. A record Francis Joyon had prepared with an old boat (27 meter catamaran ex Sport Elec to be handled by a crew not single handed), a very little budget and the help of friends. Anyway they are both great single handed long distance competitors.

This time Francis Joyon left Brest with a brand new mega trimaran : 29.7 meter LOA, 16.5 beam, anda 32 meter high mast. This amazing carbon trimaran has been designed by the famous Nigel Irens and his french associate Benoit Cabaret. The two have designed great racing multhihulls including Ellen Mac Arthur's 75 foot B&Q/CASTORAMA. Francis Joyon asked Nigel Irens to design a very simple boat, easy to handle for a solo circum navigator but powerful and fast enough to beat Ellen's record : quite a challenge for a designer. The result is this very long catamaran with a limited width able to face southern passages without getting out of hand. Winches and equipment are reduced to a minimum, no heating system onboard, no thermic engines. Very far away from luxury catamaran !!!!!!! IDEC was buit by Marsaudon Composite shipyard in Lorient which is equiped with a very large air oven (27 m x 12 m x 6 m hight). The mast was built by Lorima (builder of the mega luxury catamaran GEMINI mast).

As I am writing this post IDEC is heading south at the amazing average daily distance of more than 500 miles, 280 head of Ellen Mac Arthur.

To bad news is IDEC's website in only in French so far. I got in touch with the PR manager of the IDEC group who told me they will soon have finished the translation I will keep you informed. You can still get connected and have a look at the great pictures and videos in the multimedia section.

(Pictures of IDEC by jm Liot/ddpi press and mer et media)

Another french skipper is on the starting block: Thomas Coville and his trimaran SODEBO, again a Nigel Irens' design but 32 meters long and built the Boat Speed shipyard in Australia. SODEBO has a great website but again only in french. Good luck to both of them.

PRIVILEGE 745 - THIRD UNIT

The Privilege shipyard in France has just finished its third PRIVILEGE 745. This is the largest catamaran built by this shipyard. The architect Marc Lombard said he designed a very stable boat that could satisfy both sail and motor yachts fans. She can average 15 knots sailing and 12 knots motoring. She is built in vacuum bagged sandwich composite.

Featuring states of the art electronic equipment including a central digital control panel to manage most of the function such as the A/C, the batteries, the fuel and water level in the tanks... The interior available in different wood finishes, was designed by Dierdre Design a multi-awarded Design company. There is a lot of room inside with as usual an impressive owner suite in the rostrum, with its own bath tub, the Privilege signature . All guests state rooms have true walk-around berths. Quite a success for the shipyard with this third large unit .
Charter a Privilege 745 Catamaran with Windwards Islands

MAGIC CAT SOLD BY BERNARD GALLAY YACHT BROKERAGE - MULTIPLAST 82 ' -

"Magic cat has been sold by Bernard Gallay Yacht Brokerage and has undergone a complete refit with a new interior and cockpit design by Franck Darnet".

MAGIC CAT was designed, built by Gilles Ollier's team at the Multiplast shipyard and launched in 1996.

She has been completely refitted in 2005 after 10 years of intensive sailing, including a three years around the world voyage and is still in perfect conditions. She is probably the fastest luxury cruising catamaran ever built so far.

MAGIC CAT has benefited from the great experience of Multiplast in building racing multihulls. She was built in vacuum bagged carbon composite, features a kevlar rigging with a rotating wing carbon mast and a carbon boom. Very fast, she is capable of cruising above true wind speed with usual speeds over 25 knots. With 4 double cabins for 8 quest, she is handled by a crew of three.

During the 12 month refit at her birth shipyard, the structure has been completely checked. New systems, engines, generators, have been installed. MAGIC CAT is ready to go for another ten years of luxury and fast sailing. (She was sold by Bernard Gallay Yacht Brokerage and is now available for charter.)

I just realized this is my 51 st post. I hope you enjoy as much reading my blog as I enjoy writing it. Please if you want to leave any comments it would be great. Also if you have news I can post they will be very welcome.

If you want to get in touch with me directly use this email adress : sebastien.barthez@gmail.com.

Exclusive 76 - Owners Version

A second ExclusivE 76 is being built at the Kingcat Shipyard in France. While the first unit was built for Sparkling Charter, this new unit has been ordered by a European client for his own use. She features one owner suite in the port hull and two guests suites in the starboard hull. It was very important for the owner to offer real crew quarters. The two crew cabins have an independant access from the salon or through decks hatches,with their own heads and shower. I think the interior layout is quite a sucess for this size of catamaran.

Another very interesting thing about the Exclusive 76 is that it was designed from scratch (including the moulds) to accomodate many different kinds of layout, thus offering many choices without important modifications in the building process.

This Gilles Ollier design will be fitted with a carbon mast, boom, spar and bowsprit, as well as built-in swing keels, she should be quite fast under sail. This ExclusivE 76 number 2 should be launched end 2008.

Georges Benarroch, Exclusive Marine CEO ".. our client was attracted by the technical specifications, the flowing lines and the optimum use of capacity on the Exclusive 76".

There are many great 3ds of this exeptionnal luxury catamaran on the website of ExclusivE Marine. They are the work of Guillaume Hennes, check his website he is very talented.

YAPLUKA Catamaran Yachts

One of the best catamaran Video I have seen. The Yapluka 73.

GILDAS PLESSIS ET ASSOCIES-STUDIO 3

Back to my blog, sorry for the delay between the last post and this new one, I was away busy at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show.

Thanks to Gildas Plessis for the information and the images for this post. Studio 3 is an architect and design office created by Gildas Plessis and two associates Yan Dilassier and Xavier Fay. With 5 designers aboard and powerful dedicated softwares the team is able to master the most demanding projects, from production yachts to superyachts and of course luxury catamarans. They have done superstructure design work for Oceanco and Vegayachts.

Let me introduce three of their catamarans designs.

ETOILE MAGIQUE (above) is a 25 meters charter catamaran launched in 2005. Built in composite in Saint Malo by the Etoile Océane shipyard, it is available for charter through Etoile Marine Charter. It features 8 doubles cabines with their own head and a huge 55 sqm cockpit. Studio 3 is actually design a luxury version of this catamaran.

DREAM OF DUBAI, is a 49 meters in aluminium, being developped right now by the design team for a luxury charter company. A double decker with a lot of space available, restaurants and accomodations are separated for privacy and feature a great view on the sea. No doubt with such a name this project will be available for cruises in the DUBAI area.

GREYHOUND, 22 meter, in composite with dagger-boards, carbon rotating wing mast, my favorite, a very innovative and agressive design.

This fast catamaran features two independent hulls. In the hulls you have 3 double cabins and one single all with their own heads. On the platform, one side hosts a dining room and the other an owner suite both with balconies on the sea !!.

The interior has been designed by Olivier Gossart a French Designer with offices in Paris. Check his website I really like his hotels and restaurants designs.

Good luck to this design team and thanks again for the information.

If you are a designer, a design team or a luxury catamaran builder. Do not hesitate to send me your information so I can post it on my blog.