Official partner of Maxime Sorel and its team, the Norwegian brand Helly Hansen invited Private Sport Shop for a day on board theImoca V and B - Monbana - Mayenne.
On the program: discovery of the Dragon des Océans and a sea trip around Concarneau and the Glénan archipelago. Here's a look back at Tuesday, September 5, 2023.
A DAY OUT OF TIME
14h. The moment the team has been waiting for. We're quick to board a RIB and set sail for Maxime's dragon. A few jolts and minutes later, we're there. The Imoca is there, in front of our eyes, tall, beautiful, majestic, in the middle of the ocean. Breathtaking.
Today, the wind is calm, the dragon won't be flying, but he'll be showing us his insides. Maxime takes us aboard his intimate space, where he will spend more than 80 days on the next Vendée Globe, where he is at one with his sailboat to bring it to port. A dragon made of carbon, where comfort is rudimentary and every little detail makes a difference. The perfect example: how to boil water and serve yourself without getting burned when the waves crash on the boat for hours on end. Quite a program.
Maxime tells us all about it: his working position, because yes, being a skipper is a full-time job, the management of freeze-dried food, the length of a normal night on a single-handed round-the-world trip (4 hours of sleep every 24 hours, more time wouldn't help, he explains confidently). Dozens of meters of cable, electronic boxes, ropes and crucial information on the cockpit's various screens. A world apart, where you can dream of taking to the open sea.
Once we've visited the bowels, we take a short break on our RIB to take a look at the famous and Instagrammable Glenan Islands. On the way, we were treated to a moment suspended in time. A school of dolphins came to meet us, passing here and there under the boat, letting us catch a glimpse of their fins through supple, graceful movements. A spectacle that only nature can offer. Leaving them to their own devices, we set off again, reaching the Glénan archipelago. Immaculate beaches, turquoise waters, blazing sun - this is Brittany. A paradise on earth, we're now convinced.
It's time to find our 8-ton flying dragon and go sailing on its back. Once transhipped, we chatted with some of the crew. There are 9 of them working on the Imoca all year round. Nothing is left to chance in this type of adventure and project. There's no secret to performance: it's all about people, hard work and talent.
We set sail, 11 knots of speed, the perfect weather for tucking in and steering. More unforgettable moments spent chatting with Maxime, looking out over the ocean as far as the eye can see. This morning, we were in Montpellier, and at 4pm we're piloting one of the fastest sailboats in the world. Quite a day in the office with Maxime and his crew.
It's already time. After a quick interview on the quayside in Concarneau harbor, we're on our way to Brest airport. But first, a quick stop at a local crêpier is in order.
Thank you Dimitri and Helly Hansen, thank you Maxime and his team for this moment.
MAXIME SOREL, FIRST MAN TO CONQUER BOTH EVERESTS
On May 18, Maxime Sorel reached the roof of the world and validated a unique project," My Double Everest "The aim is to complete both the Everest of the seas (the Vendée Globe) and the ascent of Mount Everest. A world first.
Born in Saint Malo, and with a degree in Civil Engineering, Maxime Sorel is a talented skipper and a man of challenges.
After winning the 2017 Transat Jacques Vabre in a Class 40 with Antoine Carpentier, the sailor from La Chaux-de-Fonds joined the 60-foot monohull (IMOCA) circuit, and in 2020 will tackle his first Vendée Globe (a solo, non-stop, non-assisted round-the-world race). After 82 days aboard the IMOCA V and B - Mayenne, he will finish a promising 10th place.
A STRONGER DRAGON, READY TO TAKE ON NEW CHALLENGES
The arrival of a new partner in 2021 (Monbana) marks a turning point in the skipper's plans, with the construction of an IMOCA foiling yacht: the Dragon des Océans.
The Imoca V and B - Monbana - Mayenne in figures:
- Mast height : 29 meters
- Boat width : 5.50 metres
- Boat length : 18.28 metres
- Weight : 8 tons
Why a dragon? "Without inspiration there is no breath. The dragon is still there, stronger, bigger, more mature, more experienced. With his wings spread, his nostrils blowing, he instills the courage to win the race against cystic fibrosis." Sensitized to this disease since childhood, Maxime has become one of the national patrons of the Vaincre la Mucoviscidose association.
His next goal? Another Vendée Globe in 2024.