GUNBOAT 78 - NEW GUNBOAT - NEW ARCHITECT

Gunboat is coming out with a new catamaran in their range. There was a gap to fill between the 66 and the 90 and they came out with the GUNBOAT 78 designed by Irens and Cabaret.

The designers have used their experience creating the record breakers IDEC II and SODEBO to design the hulls which are really powerful. Built in vaccuumed sandwinch with carbon spars as all the GUNBOAT range no doubt it will be a very fast cruising catamaran. The interior layout remains very original and confortable. The platform host a large salon with a folding dining area. The five cabines include 2 masters cabins with queen berths as well as in the Captain's cabin. As usual the forward cockipt is used for sail handling. No need to run around the boat and take risks to sail. Every thing is in this protect cockpit, the central nerve to the GUNBOAT. One the the GUNBOAT's signatures with the carbon dagger boards and now rudders both retractable to reduce as much as possible the draft.

I really look forward to see the first in production and sailing.

LYMAN MORSE - NIGEL IRENS - 82 ' ROCKETEER

Lyman Morse is a shipyard located in Maine with over a century of custom boat building. They have started to work on a 82 ' catamaran project "ROCKETEER" with the famous british architect Nigel Irens.

Lyman Morse has built and launched all kinds of yachts, from classic sturdy motor yachts to elegant sea worthy sailing monohulls and a high tech catamaran such as recently a 61 ' Morelli and Melvin design. "ROCKETTER" owner curently owns a 56' catamaran but wanted more space and confort and performance for long range cruising. Nigel Irens has designed some of the most famous racing Multihull including the last record breakers Francis Joyon IDEC 2, Thomas Coville SODEBO, and Ellen Mac Arthur B&Q/CASTORAMA. No doubt this 82' luxury catamaran will no lack performance.

No more information for this project yet but I will wach for news for you and keep you updated.

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.