At the front of the Vendee Globe, it is Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss of VPLP Peteghem and Prévost, versus Thomas Ruyant on LinkedOut and Charlie Dalin on APIVIA, both from Guillaume Verdier, battling for the lead.
With Jérémie Beyou on Charal forced to return and start again, and Nicolas Troussel on Juan Kouyoumdjian‘s Corum L’Epargn now dismasted and retired from the race, it reduces the pre-race favourites to the three present leaders.
Although as we have already seen in this short time . . . circumstances can change suddenly and dramatically.
Vincent Lauriot Prévost of VPLP – Hugo Boss is the only plan somewhat caricatured, to better illustrate the differences; in truth, it’s rather more curved, Vincent notices it, yet admits that it’s the architectural side.
The lateral back opening is designed to slide, to avoid hitting. As a result, the waterline is narrow, little wetted surface in light weather, improbable, in a round-the-world race.
It must be said that the skipper is familiar with the way, and will sail to win…

When not originating the AC75 foiler rule, Guillaume Verdier with his friend Benjamin Muyl, went around the constraints, known and measured, by optical fibres.
They then based themselves on the mast’s resistance to evaluate the limits of the boat’s righting moment, trying to reduce its ballast and weight.
An original, but logical process, where the hull has to be perfect at small angles of heels, by skimming the waves.
