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
Juillet 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race
Septembre 2023 24H Ultim
Octobre 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre
Janvier 2024 Arkea Ultim Challenge
Tom Laperche
Record
RECORD
- 2017 Septième de la Transat Jacques Vabre – Class 40
- 2020 Troisième de la Solitaire du Figaro
- 2021 Second de la Transat Jacques-Vabre – Ultim
- 2021 Troisième de la Solitaire du Figaro
- 2021 Champion de France élite course au large
- 2022 Vainqueur de la Solitaire du Figaro – Champion de France
- 2022 Champion de France élite course au large
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 Champion de France de Course au Large en solitaire – Figaro MACIF
- 2012/2013 Vainqueur du Vendée Globe – IMOCA MACIF
- 2014 Vainqueur de la Route du Rhum – IMOCA MACIF
- 2015 Vainqueur de la Transat Jacques Vabre – Trimaran MACIF
- 2016 Vainqueur The Transat bakerly – Trimaran MACIF
- 2017 Record du tour du monde en solitaire en 42j 16h 40min 35s
- 2018 Second de la Route du Rhum – Trimaran MACIF 2021 Second de la Transat Jacques Vabre – Trimaran SVR-LAZARTIGUE PALMARES
- 2022 Record de la Méditerranée en équipage en 13h 55min 37s – Trimaran SVR-LAZARTIGUE
- 2022 Second de la Route du Rhum – Trimaran SVR-LAZARTIGUE
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
Juillet 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race
Septembre 2023 Défi Azimut
Octobre 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre
Novembre 2023 Retour à la base
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 de la Solitaire du Figaro – Champion de France de Course au Large en solitaire
- 2015 Seconde de la Solitaire du Figaro
- 2016 Seconde de la Solitaire du Figaro – Champion de France de Course au Large en solitaire
- 2017 & 2018 3e de la Solitaire du Figaro
- 2019 Vainqueur de la Transat Jacques Vabre – Imoca Apivia
- 2020 Seconde de la Vendée-Arctique – Imoca Apivia
- 2020-2021 Second du Vendée Globe – Imoca Apivia
- 2021 Vainqueur de la Rolex Fastnet & Seconde de la Transat Jacques Vabre – Imoca Apivia
- 2022 – Vainqueur de la Vendée-Arctique & Vainqueur de la Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race & Vainqueur du Défi Azimut – Imoca Apivia
- 2022 – Second de la 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 MACIF SANTE PREVOYANCE
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.
CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT INVOLVEMENT
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.
Projet course au large
By 2026 and with the IMOCA MACIF Santé Prévoyance, 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 Santé Prévoyance 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 Santé Prévoyance
“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, Président of Apivia Macif Mutuelle
Regarder la vidéo du Défi Azimut réalisée par François Dourlen
TRIMARAN SVR-LAZARTIGUE
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.
Construction department involvement
The SVR-LAZARTIGUE trimaran is the result of team work. While its central parts (central hull and floats) were manufactured at Multiplast and CDK Technologies, our teams carried out all the assembly operations, a first for an ocean racing team. This process was made possible by the increase and above all the diversity in the skills we have in-house. From high technology when drawing up the initial plans and integrating the finest detail to the meticulous finishing of the smallest parts and each square centimetre of the beach, each task required unique know-how. Sometimes passed on from the oldest members of the team, sometimes learned and expanded on while sailing, this know-how is now the richness of MerConcept.
Ocean racing project
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.
Summary of MerConcept’s activities
- Design in collaboration with Vincent Lauriot-Prévost and François Gabart
- Assembly in MerConcept’s premises
- Composite part production
- Design and integration of on board systems
- Technical assistance and performance optimisation
- Operation of the boat
- Sports project management