Presentation
This 2004 Marc Lombard design IMOCA has had a long career in the hands of Roland Jourdain, who competed in the Vendée Globe the year it was launched.
At the front throughout the race, the skipper was forced to retire due to keel damage. This incident was repeated four years later, when 'Bilou', then solidly in second place during the climb back up the Atlantic, was forced to retire in the Azores, the keel having failed. The boat was then sold to Boris Herrmann, who finished 5th in the double-handed round-the-world Barcelona World Race 2010-11. She then passed into the hands of British sailor Samantha Davies, who sailed in the Savéol colors. Unfortunately, she was dismasted west of Madeira in the early days of the 2012-13 Vendée Globe.
Skipper Yoann Richomme then took possession of the boat, with the aim of taking part in his first Vendée Globe in 2016-17. However, he had to give up due to lack of funding.
Nevertheless, the boat and its skipper continue to sail on the IMOCA circuit, notably taking part in the 2017 Transat Jacques Vabre with navigator Pierre Lacaze, the monohull's current owner. The latter is distinguished by the presence of a mainsail painted by star JR. Despite Pierre Lacaze's ambitions to take part in the Route du Rhum 2018, the boat was put up for sale at the beginning of the year. The boat's former préparateur, François Guiffant, enters the race solo. However, the sponsor puts the project on hold, deeming the time trial too ambitious.
In 2020, the boat was leased by Conrad Colman for the Vendée Globe 2020, a project in which Yoann Richomme had initially intended to take part before having to give up due to a lack of funding. The New Zealander is also forced to withdraw due to a lack of sponsors.
In 2022, Pierre Lacaze announced back problems, leading his replacement skipper and project manager, François Guiffant, to take part in his place in the Route du Rhum 2022 and the 2023 season.
