Adversaries out on the water, these IMOCA skippers and their teams form a solid group, which also works hard, year-round, on the evolution of their sport and their machine. In this way, over the course of the round the world race, the future of the current boats and their next iterations has been taking shape behind the scenes.
Coordinated by the IMOCA Class (International Monohull Open Class Association), the Technical Committee which currently represents fifteen teams, has been putting forward, studying and debating the Class Rules 2021-25, all of which gained approval on 15 April 2021.
The broad outlines of this work had already been voted on in late August, but inevitably some of the answers would only be revealed during the Vendée Globe. The main challenge for the engineers was knowing how to react in real time to race events, whilst maintaining a set course prior to the start, a fact that was especially true for the skippers. Nearly 100 hours of (virtual) meetings culminated in a final draft, which was voted on at the Annual General Meeting.
“On behalf of IMOCA, I’d like to congratulate and thank all the members of the Technical Committee for their efforts in this thrilling and complex work. Putting forward fair rules, which leave room for innovation, whilst preserving the existing fleet and keeping control of the budget, is not such an easy task.
The sailors’ safety also remains our priority and taking into account the lessons we have learned from the Vendée Globe was key. We’ve finally managed to put forward rules that favour more sustainable performance, whilst once again encouraging the creativity of both engineers and teams.
In short, we have a technical evolution rather than a revolution. The scope of work for the next four years is now set out and, just a few weeks after the end of the Vendée Globe, the approach adopted by the teams is showing signs of a bright future,” explains Antoine Mermod, President of the IMOCA Class.
#1 – Geared towards more sustainable performance
Innovation enabling a better balance between human activity and its carbon footprint is challenging engineers, athletes and event organisers to step up their game. The Class IMOCA has been working on these topics for several years and the Class Measurement now boasts new rules, which are enabling an initial development framework to be set out for the teams.
#2 Limitation on foils
The IMOCA Measurement determines the dimensions and power/stability criteria to be adhered to, as well as the maximum number of appendages and the compulsory standard parts like the mast and the keel. Until now, the size of the foils was unlimited. However, henceforth it has been deemed necessary to set a limit for two key reasons:
In this way, the adopted rule proposes a method of calculation enabling the foils to be compared to one another, so they fit into a box rule, albeit with different designs and geometries. In the next Vendée Globe, this rule will translate as foils which are still relatively large, equivalent to those aboard the current Charal or Hugo Boss, but no greater than those.
#3 Increased safety
There were few incidents in this Vendée Globe, which is a reflection of the overall reliability of the boats. However, Kevin Escoffier lost his boat and three other competitors retired following collisions. These events out on the racetrack have led to some changes to the safety rules, which include:
#4 Boats with enhanced performance
In order to have more of a 4×4-type attitude in the Deep South, the aft mast rake has been increased from 4 to 6 degrees. This means that the skippers will be able to better adapt their sail plan to extreme conditions. A change to the equipment on the mast will also enable more frequent and different usage of the storm sail.
#5 Cost control
The strength of the Class IMOCA lies in the variety of project sizes. Controlling cost is a complex issue then, but it is important to be able to maintain a context whereby everyone can continue to evolve.
by IMOCA Globe Series
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