Presentation
This boat is a legend! With five circumnavigations of the globe to her credit, the IMOCA’s likely racked up more miles than any other boat in the class and has hosted the greatest number of skippers since her launch in 2006 in the hands of Michel Desjoyeaux…
The instigator of Mer Agitée started how he meant to go on with a win in the Record SNSM, then the Transat Jacques Vabre with Emmanuel Le Borgne in 2007. And despite Foncia’s technical pit stop in the opening miles (a short circuit), Michel Desjoyeaux bagged the win in style in the Vendée Globe 2008-2009, securing a second victory in as many participations.
Chartering the boat, which was rechristened Mapfre, Spaniards Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez, Olympic 49er champions, finished 2nd in the Barcelona World Race 2011, before Jérémie Béyou adorned her in a Maître CoQ livery in 2012 in the Vendée Globe. Unfortunately, her keel head was broken and her race came to an end at Cape Verde. German sailor Jörg Riechers was next to buy her in 2013 and modified the bow of the Farr design.
With sponsor Mare out of the picture, Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm took over the helm with Jean Le Cam, securing victory in the Barcelona World Race 2015. The sailor from north-west Brittany then took possession of her to further optimise her and finished 6th in the Vendée Globe 2016-2017.
Known as Hubert (in tribute to her builder, Michel Desjoyeaux’s older brother and co-founder of the CDK yard with Jean Le Cam and others), then Finistère Mer Vent or Yes We Cam! the boat served as a practice boat for Nicolas Troussel under the colours of CORUM L'Epargne, who finished 13th in the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre. The following year, Jean Le Cam completed his fifth Vendée Globe on Hubert, earning a fourth place, following the miraculous rescue of Kevin Escoffier.
In 2022, Eric Bellion, first rookie in the Vendée Globe in 2017 on Comme un seul homme, has returned to IMOCA after a five-year break and is chartering the famous 60-footer as he awaits the build of a new non-foiling ‘budget’ IMOCA designed by David Raison, with input from Jean Le Cam and himself.
Then, in the spring of 2023, 22-year-old Violette Dorange announced the purchase of the legendary IMOCA boat from Jean Le Cam, with the aim of becoming the youngest woman to take part in the Vendée Globe in November 2024.
DeVenir is a sporting and social project involving a number of partners. These historic partners have been joined by France's leading recruiter of young people: McDonald's restaurants. More than 130 McDonald's establishments have taken part in the DeVenir project, with the aim of giving restaurant team members the chance to experience an incredible adventure, promoting the values of the project and solving the problems of integration through original communication.
