Ocean racing
Ocean racing department
THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT TO SUPPORT HIGH PERFORMANCE PROJECTS, COMMITTED TO TECHNOLGICAL TRANSFERS
Created 15 years ago by the yachtsman François Gabart, MerConcept was born from the desire to develop an ocean racing team at the peak of innovation and performance.
Equipped with new skills in engineering, technical studies, design and assembly of very high technology boats, MerConcept assists the creation and development of sporting, human and innovative projects, providing sportspeople with the optimum conditions for their preparation sponsors with the opportunity to get the most from their investment.
Now based in a unique workshop in Concarneau, we design, construct and pilot the boats of the future and in particular we are supporting two demanding and high-performance projects: the ULTIM SVR-Lazartigue, a 32-meter flying trimaran, and the Imoca MACIF health/insurance monohull, 60 feet long.
Our ocean racing projects
SVR-Lazartigue trimaran
Created by the architect Vincent Lauriot Prévost, MerConcept’s engineers and several ocean racing experts together, the SVR-LAZARTIGUE was designed to push back the limits of ocean flight. Inspired by the experience acquired on M100 with which François holds the solo round the world record in 42 days, this multi-hull yacht which was designed and assembled at the heart of our own premises is intended to be bold and inspiring.
This trimaran with its clean lines, futuristic design and avant-garde flight systems and piloting software, is able to sail in high speed flight around the planet. It will attempt to break records and win ocean races while promoting the colours and values and of the Kresk group around the globe. As an ambassador for the KRESK4OCEANS endowment fund, the SVR-LAZARTIGUE Trimaran will sail the oceans to raise awareness of the environmental objectives at stake.
This trimaran belongs to the new generation of flying boats where aerodynamics are at least as important as hydrodynamics. The development of new technologies in all areas of design make the SVR-LAZARTIGUE trimaran a unique and revolutionary boat.
“Our ambition was to design a reliable and fast boat that is ideal for both solo and crewed racing under all circumstances, whether for classic ocean races, a record-breaking campaign or a race around the world. Within the team, the philosophy was to create a boat where performance, safety and aesthetics play a vital role”
François Gabart
Two and a half years after work started on its design, on 22nd July 2021 this 32m-long giant entered the water for the first time in Concarneau, its home port.
On 7th November 2021, just three months after its launch, François Gabart took the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre alongside his co-skipper Tom Laperche. At the end of 16 days of racing and a tough battle, the two skippers finished in an excellent second place in this historic Transatlantic ocean race. This high-class performance promised a fine future for this new flying boat.
This potential was confirmed by the first record the boat broke last year during the crewed crossing of the Mediterranean between Marseilles and Tunis in 13 hours 55 minutes and 37 seconds and by the Atlantic crossing in 6 days, 23 hours, 3 minutes and 15 seconds during the 12th edition of the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe in November 2022.
This new 2023 season is sure to be a dynamic one, full of history. We’ll share the schedule with you soon.
Main dates to come
5 au 8 Septembre 2024 24H ultim
25 septembre au 6 Octobre 2024 Finistère Atlantique
Novembre 2024 Standby Trophée Jules Verne
Tom Laperche
Record
RECORD
- 2017 Seventh in the Transat Jacques Vabre – Class 40
- 2020 Third in the Figaro Solo
- 2021 Second in the Transat Jacques Vabre – Ultim
- 2021 Third in the Figaro Solo
- 2021 French Elite Ocean Racing Champion
- 2022 Winner of the Figaro Solo – French Champion
- 2022 French Elite Ocean Racing Champion
François Gabart
In 2006, François Gabart creates MerConcept while he is still a student at the INSA. MerConcept is born from his ambition to have a successful career as a professional skipper. First of all, the company enables François to increase his experience on different types of craft, and to perform well in the Figaro Solo race. He then wins the Vendée Globe in 2012 and the Route du Rhum in 2014 in Imoca.
The company takes off again in 2013, a year when François recruits ten new people to build reliable, high-performance boats to win more races and break more records. In particular, the new staff will be working on the MACIF trimaran project.
Record
RECORD
- 2010 French Solo Ocean Racing Champion – Figaro MACIF
- 2012/2013 Winner of the Vendée Globe – IMOCA MACIF
- 2014 Winner of the Route du Rhum – IMOCA MACIF
- 2015 Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre – MACIF Trimaran
- 2016 Winner of the Transat Bakerly – MACIF Trimaran
- 2017 Round the world solo record in 42d 16h 40min 35s
- 2018 Second in the Route du Rhum – MACIF Trimaran 2021 Second in the Transat Jacques Vabre – SVR-LAZARTIGUE PALMARES Trimaran
- 2022 Mediterranean crewed record in 13h 55min 37s – SVR-LAZARTIGUE Trimaran
- 2022 Second in the Route du Rhum – SVR-LAZARTIGUE Trimaran
IMOCA MACIF Santé Prévoyance
At the start of November 2021, APIVIA Macif Mutuelle announced its desire to continue its ocean racing programme until 2026. After the first three years of its commitment filled with victories and podiums, the next Imoca is continuing the adventure, with MACIF as main branding and APIVIA still present but to a lesser extent, alongside its talented skipper Charlie Dalin, with the construction of a new IMOCA, once again hosted and managed at MerConcept.
This 60-foot single-hull yacht which is at the very forefront of technology has been designed by the Guillaume Verdier naval architecture firm, which was already involved in the construction of the first APIVIA alongside Charlie Dalin, who is always heavily committed thanks to his background as a naval architect. Our team will also be at the heart of this construction project, just as it was involved in the design of APIVIA 1, boosted by the experience it acquired while operating the boat: observations while sailing and performance studies in particular. The technical and sporting management of the project will also be run from our team in Concarneau, which will be the boat’s home port.
By 2026 and with the IMOCA MACIF, Charlie Dalin will be taking the start of some of the most classic races on board this new boat: Transat Jacques Vabre (2023 and 2025), Route du Rhum (2026), and the key focus on the Vendée Globe 2024 where Charlie will be targeting a win after his second place in the 2020 edition.
“I’m really looking forward to sailing on this new boat which will be launched in June; I’m sure that the Imoca MACIF is going to be very exciting. Macif and I have a long history together: it started in 2015 with the Macif Skipper programme, then continued in in 2019 with Apivia and is still going today under the Macif brand. We’ve come full circle! I’d like to thank everyone who’s helped me and been by my side from the start. I’m really proud of how far we’ve come and I’m delighted to be competing again surrounded by the very best!”
Charlie Dalin, Skipper of the IMOCA MACIF
Main dates to come
10 Septembre 2024 Défi Azimut
Novembre 2024 Vendée Globe
“The new boat in Macif’s colours will be launched in summer 2023 and all of us will be united behind Charlie to help him in his new adventures and to dream with him”
Nathalie Mayance, President of Apivia Macif Mutuelle
Charlie Dalin
SKIPPER, Charlie Dalin is no stranger to great adventures and has created an incredible reputation for himself over the years, as both a naval architect and an accomplished sailor. His passion and experience have led to a desire shared with the MACIF group to create history on the Imoca circuit, with a first boat launched in 2019 and a second boat which is being designed to perform on circuit races, notably the Vendée Globe 2024.
Record
RECORD
- 2014 Second in the Figaro Solo – French Solo Ocean Racing Champion
- 2015 Second in the Figaro Solo
- 2016 Second in the Figaro Solo – French Solo Ocean Racing Champion
- 2017 & 2018 3rd in the Figaro Solo
- 2019 Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre – Imoca Apivia
- 2020 Second in the Vendée-Arctique – Imoca Apivia
- 2020-2021 Second in the Vendée Globe – Imoca Apivia
- 2021 Winner of the Rolex Fastnet & Second in the Transat Jacques Vabre – Imoca Apivia
- 2022 – Winner of the Vendée-Arctique & Winner of the Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race & Winner of the Défi Azimut – Imoca Apivia
- 2022 – Second in the Route Du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe – Imoca Apivia
65 experts behind the skippers and the boats
ASSISTANCE, CONSTRUCTION, COMMUNICATION, LOGISTICS, SPONSORSHIP AND MORE – A 360° TEAM
Our team is made up of over 65 passionate people from a wide range of backgrounds, with precise know-how and trades which complement each other, but who all share the same DNA: to imagine, construct, develop and assist innovative, high performance projects with meaning.
In addition, in the technical development phases or in major operations, the MerConcept team brings in outside skills by calling on service providers.
STAFF NUMBERS
OCEAN RACING – 30 people
Engineers, performance specialists, research and development, electronics, IT, skippers, boat captains, preparation staff, hydraulics, electronics, etc.
CONSTRUCTION – 20 people
Technicians, composite technicians, methods, management support, boat builder, etc.
MARITIME MOBILITY – 4 people
Specialist engineers, management
THE LAB – 5 people
Engineers specialising in Materials, Energy, Piloting, LCA and Data analysis
TRANSVERSE FUNCTIONS – 12 people
Commitments, administration and finance, communication, marketing, development, partnership management, logistics, etc.
The projects which built us
IMOCA APIVIA
Thanks to the experience and skills acquired on the Vendée Globe 2012 and the technological expertise developed on the M100 trimaran, MerConcept has been selected by APIVIA Mutuelle to enable Charlie Dalin to take the start of the Vendée Globe 2020 with a winning project.
From the design to the construction of his 60-foot single-hull hydrofoil boat, via its technical and sporting preparation, Charlie has been able to take advantage of the experience shared by François Gabart and the professionalism of the whole team to head to the start line on the most complete new generation IMOCA and achieve his performance objectives.
Construction department involvement
A complete and ambitious project was then developed over 4 years from 2018. Boosted by the experience and skills acquired in the Vendée Globe 2012 which was won by François Gabart, 9 MerConcept joined the sailing project’s technical team to help Charlie Dalin and support him in certain fundamental choices around the boat’s design, such as the hydrofoils, the cockpit, the configuration of the rigging and structural systems and other elements.
The boat was then designed by Charlie Dalin, the architect Guillaume Verdier and the MerConcept design office working closely together. The whole IMOCA structure (hull and deck) was constructed and assembled by the CDK yard in Lorient, supported by the project’s technical team. Charlie was able to take advantages of the experience shared by François Gabart and the professionalism of the whole MerConcept team to take advantage of the most advanced new generation IMOCA and achieve his performance objectives.
Ocean racing projects
2 years later, following several sailings, races won and bi-annual construction phases, the boat had developed significantly and appeared highly reliable. This work, combined with the tireless drive of the technical team and Charlie Dalin’s sailing talents, bore fruit: winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2019 with Yann Eliès, second in the Vendée Arctique Les Sables in 2020, the first to cross the finish line of the Vendée Globe 2020-21 (2nd in the general classification after the compensation points were calculated).
Then, in a duo with Paul Meilhat, more recently Charlie won the Rolex Fastnet Race and the 48h Azimut challenge at the start of the 2021 season. They also successfully took part together in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2021, finishing on the second step of the podium.
Finally, Charlie Dalin ended the 2022 season with a second place, in a time of 11 d, 19 h, 28 m and 11s on the 12th edition of the Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe, the queen of Transatlantic solo races, which has been connecting Saint-Malo in Brittany with Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe for 44 years.
Summary of MerConcept activities
- Design in collaboration with Guillaume Verdier and Charlie Dalin
- Assembly phase, supporting the CDK teams
- Composite part production
- Design and integration of on board systems
- Technical assistance and performance optimisation
- Operation of the boat
- Sports project management
TRIMARAN MACIF
Managed by MerConcept, which was entrusted with its project management, the M100 trimaran was launched in 2015. Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race and The Bridge and holder of the Round the world solo record in 2017, this Ultim has had a whole host of successes, while reducing its fossil fuel consumption thanks to its solar panels and wind turbine.
M100 went back into the yard following this record of 42 days 16 hours and 40 minutes to be optimised to remain at the highest level and to meet the new challenge of ocean racing: to be able to fly across the ocean.
Its structural systems were significantly modified (new hydrofoil geometry, sail plan on the drift, lifting rudder, etc.) in order to increase performance with a view to the Route du Rhum 2018 and the races on the ULTIM class schedule.