A decade after its last edition, La Rochelle is once again hosting the Class40 World Championship, these monohull sailboats intended for racing on the high seas whose length equals 12.19 meters. Sixteen crews – four to five sailors on average – will compete for this title from this Monday until Saturday by alternating 24-hour races, built and coastal courses in the Charente straits as well as participation in the Tour de l’île. of Re.
“This high-level event near the coast and with a crew offers an interesting contrast in the Class40 calendar, given that its boats are mainly intended for races on the high seas and with a reduced crew”, thus gauges Halvard Mabire who chairs the combination of these monohulls.
more virtuous
The courses offer direct confrontations over relatively short distances. A peculiarity which is not to displease Kéni Piperol, a 26-year-old sailor. This Guadeloupean will start the Route du Rhum next November and intends, by then, to gain as much experience as possible on “Captain Alternance”, his brand new sailboat built in Gironde by the Lalou Multi shipyard.
“This boat was launched last January. It is new, still in break-in. The objective is to accumulate the number of outings by November”, confirms the young skipper who is delighted to take part in this championship from La Rochelle: “It’s an original format for the Class40s. These boats maneuver easily provided you anticipate,” he explains.
His new sailboat is likely to attract attention. And for good reason: it is the first fully recyclable Class40, 100%! “This is a world first. Resins and PET foam have been combined because they have the same chemical bases. This will make it possible, during the deconstruction of the ship, to separate them more easily by pyrolysis and to actually reprocess them, which was not possible until then”, summarizes the Kéni Piperol who puts forward “a more virtuous whole, inscribed in the circular economy”.
The performances of “Captain Alternance” would also be there. “The sailboat had to be competitive, reach the same gauge weight as its competitors. Lalou Multi has succeeded and this machine is at the top! “says the navigator. This sailboat and all its competitors will be visible every day at the trawler basin in La Rochelle.
