Round two

The 2020 Vendée Globe brought with it the first iteration of foiling Imoca 60s. Some worked better than others, but there were none of the disasters many of the gloomsters had predicted. That said, nor did the first flying boats get around the world as fast in practice as in the computer, a mixture of real world conditions, big southern seas, long foils and the need to get the boat and skipper to the finish saw to that. The learning curve was huge. Second time round designers know a lot more about what distinguishes success from failure when you’re trying to fly around the world at very low altitude

Two weeks after the launch of Charal 2, the first new-generation Imoca, Jérémie Beyou and his team are busy getting to know their boat and doing endless technical checks. But already at the end of each outing there are big smiles onboard.