This Transat CIC arrives early. It shakes up habits with its timing, format, northern route… but it also arouses a lot of impatience from the skipper of the IMOCA Fives Group – Lantana Environnement. The Normand Louis Duc does not hide his haste to find the sea, the novelties of his boat and to try to establish the best strategies in the heart of the depressions of the North Atlantic. The Transat CIC kicks off this Sunday at 13:30 off Lorient.
Louis Duc will start this Sunday on his third consecutive «The Transat». In 2008, in Class40, he was the youngest in the race and he ended up in a very nice 4th place. In 2016, still in 40 feet, he climbed on the second step of the podium, ahead of his mentor Halvard Mabire. A great moment. This time, he lines up in an IMOCA on this northern course that fascinates him, happy to fight again with his “drifting comrades*”…
Louis Duc, skipper Imoca Fives Group – Lantana Environnement : "We did a very thorough optimization and maintenance project this winter. It allowed to discover new things to improve and make more reliable. This is very positive! And me, it’s going pretty well... I can’t wait to go back to sailing, I can’t wait to discover the new sails and the improvements made to the boat. It’s always very interesting to discover new elements of performance on board. I look forward to working on all of this."
It’s gonna be a good time
Louis Duc, skipper Imoca Fives Group – Lantana Environnement : "The first challenge is to take the start: I would then be officially qualified for the Vendée Globe. But of course I don’t intend to stop there. The goal is to sail this beautiful IMOCA Fives Group – Lantana Environnement at the foot of the Statue of Liberty: it will be a great time! And then we’re going to find our little group of dinghies to fight.…"
What fascinates me is the strategic complexity
Louis Duc, skipper Imoca Fives Group – Lantana Environnement : "What I like about this race is its course. I do not know if it is more difficult than the other deckchairs, because all races are difficult, but what is interesting is its strategic complexity. We go against low pressure systems, so it happens very quickly: every 12 to 24 hours there are changes. It is necessary, permanently, to put its strategy, its choices of veil in question. And this is exciting!"
Short and intense
Louis Duc, skipper Imoca Fives Group – Lantana Environnement : "It’s a race and a format that I like: it’s quite short but very intense. The objective is of course to bring the boat back in good condition in France in June, but we also know very well that it is a competition... There will be sea, it will hit and constrain the equipment… We will cross our fingers so that everything goes well!"
A depression to begin with
Louis Duc, skipper Imoca Fives Group – Lantana Environnement : "The weather of the first days is still uncertain with a low pressure center that walks... Depending on its evolution, the wind regimes will be different, but they will be low, whatever happens! This start of the race will be intense because there will very quickly be a transition to negotiate, with choices to make from the first hours."
* The IMOCA at a drift
More than a third of The Transat CIC’s fleet will consist of IMOCA dinghies (20 foilers for 13). These boats of the old generation (compared to the recent foilers) have all been optimized by their skippers and their teams and they are engaged in an exciting race in the race!
The IMOCA Fives Group – Lantana Environnement was purchased as a wreck by Louis and his associates in 2019. The boat was assessed and then fully repaired: everything that could be recovered, repaired and recycled was, in order to give a second life to this 2006 IMOCA. Today, it is one of the most successful boats of its generation.
Fives Group – Lantana Environnement team Programme
- April 28th 2024: Start of The Transat CIC
- September 12th-14th 2024: Défi Azimut - Lorient Agglomération
- November 10th 2024: start of Vendée Globe
A respectuous and circular sporting event
The Fives IMOCA is an "upcycled" boat. Thanks to Louis, it lives a 2nd life!
Louis and his team gave a new life to a very damaged IMOCA because of a fire. This refurbishment undertaking was a real technical challenge... that succeeded in only 10 months!
Louis and his team continue to apply this upcycling principle and optimization research with a constant effort on sobriety throughout this Vendée Globe program.
Louis is also very keen on respecting everyone's work and giving a chance.
The Fives Group, a major partner in this Vendée Globe program, has been seduced by such commitment and values, as it shares the same values and responsibilities.
Fives, your partner for a more virtuous industry
For over 200 years, the Group has designed the breakthrough solutions and technologies that make industry what it is. From the first railways to the Eiffel Tower, through the spatial conquest, Fives always spearheaded the industry of the future. Pioneering decarbonization, the Group is an unconditional partner of the industry's energy transition. Through digitization, the promotion of a circular economy and the development of new processes and new energy sources, Fives puts its technological leadership to its customers' service.
www.fivesgroup.com