Transatlantic Battle: Flying IMOCAs Stand Against Legends

Gitana Team IMOCA 60 leading the transformation of complex shaped foils

IMOCA Teams are about to take a powerful downwind battle across the entire Atlantic from New York to France. Teams with new innovations -complex foils that elevate the boat from the surface will test their potential. Legends and IMOCA Masters will not hold back an inch.    

IMOCA´s break, refit and redesign phase is over and Teams begin their way to New York -the warm-up regatta before the Vendee Globe final Leg of the 2 Year ÌMOCA World Championship. New designs in the IMOCAs fleet are inspired by America's Cup multihulls and modern trends of foiling. 

On March 22 in the report “To Foil or not to Foil” IMOCA revealed that IMOCA Ocean Masters Teams have already made their decision on how they will bring it down to the New York Venue.  

“As their winter refits come to a close, the IMOCA teams have made their main technical choices ahead of a season that culminates in the pinnacle event of the class’ four year cycle: The Vendée Globe,” IMOCA explained.  

All the latest generation IMOCA 60s are equipped with these new generation complex shaped foils. Teams which have been sailing for long time and have earned a deserved respect in the sport have divided opinions on whether to take on foils. They have been looking out on how they perform and evaluating the costs. 

Some Teams assured that they avoided to refit new complex shaped foils due to time to install requirements, budget -new foils can add up to 300 thousand Euros and other issues such as rudder adjustments. Mathematical models reveal that a IMOCA boat equipped with new foils can circumnavigate around the World two to three days faster than conventional IMOCA boats but the theory is yet to be put to the ocean test. 

IMOCA has two scheduled events for 2016 and confirmed the Barcelona World Race around the World for 2017. The Transat NY - France is scheduled to start in just weeks on May 29. The race route is long and tough from New York US to Les Sables d'Olonne France. Its format is a Single-Handed Transatlantic Race. The remaining 2016 event is the Vendee Globe -prestigious historical regatta set for November 6 this year.

The next time IMOCA Teams will have a chance to refit is between races and time then will be shorter. Fitting up an IMOCA boat with new foils in this period is complex. 

To answer what type of innovations are pushing the limits of the boats IMOCA responds; “With the introduction of one design masts and keels in the IMOCA fleet, teams and their designers have acknowledged that there are few gains to be made over the best boats from the previous generations. Instead, they have opened up a new avenue of development...complex-shaped foils”. 

Complex shaped foils are designed unlike normal foils to be flexible, are well...complex shaped, designed to cut through water and specifically designed to generate some new movements. 

IMOCA explains they can not only prevent leeway like the conventional daggerboards but also improve righting movement, add stability and power and create vertical lift. 

The vertical lift will allows the boat to elevate its surface reducing wetted surface area and reducing drag. Once could say that new IMOCA´s will fly but IMOCA has a word on that as well. 

“The latest generation foil-assisted IMOCA 60s don’t fly, but they are certainly less immersed than boats not fitted with these foils,” the organization ended the fly or no-fly debate. 

Organizers recognized that the developments are inspired by modern trends and by the “flying America’s Cup catamarans”, the popular “Moth dinghies” and designs which are spreading across the International Regatta World. 

“In the end, everyone seems convinced that foils, in some form or other, represent the future of IMOCA 60 design. However, this winter’s Vendée Globe will mark a transition and as yet no-one is in a position to say how the foilers will behave, in terms of their performance or reliability, over several months of racing on the most challenging of race courses. Computer VPP calculations indicate that an IMOCA60 equipped with new generation foils should be three to four days faster over the whole Vendée Globe course given ‘typical’ weather scenarios. But putting the theory into practice is another thing entirely. However whoever is right, such technological advancements are all vital parts of the rich tapestry that forms the IMOCA Ocean Masters Championship,” IMOCA prophesied. 

But how are IMOCA Teams preparing and gearing up for New York and what do they have to say?

On March 23 Maitre CoQ -one of Teams leading in innovation released the “amazing looks” of what IMOCA called the “second generation of foils”. The foils and boat is just incredible with a real elastic and futuristic feel to it while the really complex shaped foils do not compromise the spirit of the classical and still powerful IMOCA. 

On March 21 it was Safran Sailing Team which went under the security scanner. IMOCA boats which have to race around the World non-stop must go through rigorous security checks. Performance, stability, reliability and safety are all primordial and Safran Sailing Team took their complex shaped foils to the full check. Safran´s foil went under a X Ray Scanner! “Better make sure she's fast but strong!” IMOCA added. 

On his hand the Hungarian Skipper Nador Fa has set the mission to be present at NY-Vendee. The Team is working on building a new mast since they dismasted in the last Transat Jacques Vabre while PRB and Banque Populaire VIII went back in the water. “One with a new super nice-looking design and some amazing humpback-whale-shaped rudders, and the other has a brand new set of foils!” IMOCA explained. 

On March 15 the skipper of Hugo Boss -boat which also dismasted but in the 2015 Barcelona World Race chose another method and approach to get ready for the competition. The Hugo Boss method according to IMOCA is “CRAAAZZYYYYYYYY!!”. 

Skipper of Hugo Boss Alex Thomson strapped and geared up into a kiteboard and while navigating side by side the IMOCA Hugo Boss Boat tied himself to the mast of the Hugo Boss and went airborne navigating his kite double the height of the mast of Hugo Boss. Thomson called the daring stunt the “skywalk”. To compete up against this man is challenging to say the least.  

These Teams are on course and soon they will be hitting the waters of New York. They are geared up and fired up for the head to head battle out into the open Atlantic. They will  cross it in its entirety. 

The IMOCA Ocean Masters World Champion -while still sticking to monohulls and not shifting to multihulls just yet, has nothing to envy on multihull flying catamaran competition. IMOCA Ocean Masters is one of the top competitions of international sailing and one of the most recognized. 

In just two years the best sailors in the World test their will, skills, endurance, their art and their limits on IMOCA 60 racing yachts. They sail both legendary solo and double-handed races under the harshest conditions and go the lengths unlike other competitions which still stick to buoy or port stadium courses. Literally IMOCA Teams go across the Oceans and around the Globe. To do so they encounter dramatic passages -the most respectful and famous capes in this planet.

“Over 1000 people have climbed Everest, over 500 have been into space…but less than 100 have ever sailed singlehanded non-stop around the world,” IMOCA adds. 

Some of the most spectacular sailing done in the past years has been performed in a IMOCA 60 Boat racing in the IMOCA Ocean Masters World Championship. Races which are part of this two year World Tour calendar are all of the highest standards.The Vendee Globe, Fastnet Race, Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre, and Barcelona World Race. 

It is the first time that the Transat NY - Vendée will be run but organizers assure that it is already an International success with 17 Teams from 7 different Nationalities signed up. The race is also considered a warm up for the Vendee Globe and Teams, boats and innovations which will take on the NY Transat are expected to be present at the Vendee Globe which will also count with the addition of 10 more IMOCA Teams. A total of “27 crazy solo sailors, 27 Ocean Masters, will be taking on the ultimate ocean racing challenge and final event of the IMOCA Ocean Masters World Championship”.

IMOCA Innovations at New York will be tested in the toughest test. 

“17 solo riders for a first edition is a very good score, especially when you consider the range of competitors: 6-7 foilers (IMOCA 60s equipped with latest generation foils), and solid challengers…”

Teams will racecourse from New York speeding into the downwind depressions that cross the Atlantic. They will ride these depressions on their back towards the East. 3050 miles of downwind will be enough to prove just how effective and powerful the new foilers are. 

“Anything is possible. It’s hard to say if the weather will favour the foilers. If it’s the case it will be a great occasion to see their real advantage.” Vincent Riou from Team PRB said in late February. 

“We’ve been waiting for this race impatiently. It will be a key moment to test the reliability and integrity of our choices.” Jean-Pierre Dick of Team StMichel-Virbac added.

COQ, NC-New Zealand, Spirit of Hungary, No Way Back-Netherlands, Safran-France, Banque Populaire VII-France and Hugo Boss-UK are some of the most expected to Teams. A big crowd is also expected to show up at New York to meet the Legends and the new Daring Flying Rookies.