STAND AS ONE

Stand As One's hull characteristics are similar to those of the latest IMOCA boats, but her distinctive feature is that she has daggerboards instead of foils. The concept, inspired by Jean le Cam, develops the idea of concentrating essentially on what is really necessary to be competitive in the Vendée Globe; in other words, a race that the two sailors consider to be just as demanding upwind in light winds as in sustained reaching and downwind conditions. A very simple, inexpensive, efficient and reliable IMOCA is what Éric Bellion, who finished ninth and first rookie in the Vendée Globe in 2016-17, wanted. "We wanted a reliable boat, quick to set up, with maximum average speed," adds Éric. "That is, never very fast, but fast all the time, upwind, downwind and in all wind angles." "For a race like the Vendée Globe, which is our goal, we can be competitive because it's a boat created by sailors for sailors, a boat we can push to 90-100% and a boat that will be reliable. We've taken a totally different direction from the other teams by focusing on simplicity and lightness rather than maximum speed." This new boat is not just a question of daggerboards rather than foils, it is above all the vision of Jean Le Cam, Éric Bellion and team manager Marie Lattanzio to create a two-boat team. Stand As One, which was built at the Persico yard in Italy, already has a sistership, "Tout commence en Finistère - Armor-Lux", skippered by Jean Le Cam. This team will therefore be made up of two IMOCA boats, all identical, and two more could be added to the stable between now and the Vendée Globe 2028. For Éric Bellion, this new vision could be a game-changer, as both skippers will spend time on the water next year optimizing both boats. "This means that when my boat is under construction, I'll be able to sail on Jean's boat, and vice versa," explains Éric. "It also means that every positive development on one boat can be applied to the other. The Vendée Globe is a race of time, and with two identical boats, we save time..." This program is also quite cost-effective: the total cost of designing, building and fitting out the boat, ready to sail, is around 5 million euros, which is lower than for the latest additions to the fleet. This is just one of the many reasons why the skipper is delighted with the way his team has come together to produce this new IMOCA. "I'm still thinking about the next steps," explains the skipper, "but I'm really happy and proud of the work accomplished. By building this new boat, we've proved that we're capable, with a small team, of realizing a big dream". Contrary to the preference of many skippers for closed cockpits, Éric Bellion has chosen to leave the stern of Stand As One open. "I want to see the ocean, the birds, the moon, the sunset and sunrise." Previously, his boat was called COMMEUNSEULHOMME. This time, English is the order of the day, but the meaning remains the same. The new name reflects the interests of one of his new sponsors, the American company Workday Inc, as well as the promotion of its activities on an international scale. It's also natural for the skipper to talk about his desire to take part in the next edition of The Ocean Race, which will start in 2027. "We want to do The Ocean Race," confirms Eric Bellion, who was at the start in Alicante last January. "We want to project the causes we work with internationally".