The IMOCA ( "Open 60" ) is a 60ft (18.288 m) development class monohull sailing yacht governed by the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA) . The class pinnacle event are single or two person ocean races, such as the Route du Rhum and the Vendée Globe and this has been intimately linked to design development within the class. The class is recognised by World Sailing .
19-562: Gitana 16 , her name when launched, is an IMOCA 60 monohull sailing yacht , designed by VPLP and Guillaume Verdier and constructed by Multiplast in France . She was later known as Malizia II . The yacht's hull has a tumblehome shape and is equipped with foils, which were upgraded in 2016 and again in 2020. The boat was commissioned for the Gitana Sailing Team founded by French banker Benjamin de Rothschild . Her first skipper
38-521: A race is limited by most race regulations. Two rudders and one keel are mandatory. The keel is allowed to be tilted up to 38 degrees to either side. The rudders are not allowed to have any appendages that provide lift. Certain rudder designs such as the inverted V-shape on Charal 2 are able to provide some lift. Additionally, two more appendages are allowed. Typically these are either hydrofoils or daggerboards . Both types of appendages are typically able to be (partially) retracted. The rake/angle of
57-466: Is 5,85 m . A maximum of four ballast tanks is allowed. Each of them has a limit in size. The hull of the IMOCAs have typically a very wide hull compared to yachts designed for coastal races. This is supposed to give more stability in wilder sea states. The mid 2000s boats had mostly a very streamlined hull optimized to create very few turbulences, thus reducing resistance. With the introduction of foils
76-411: Is the first SCOW-design hull and had a different approach to the foil configuration than other designs, the main difference being the ability to retract the foils. IMOCA 60 L’Occitane is the sistership to Oceans Lab and Initiatives-Cœur 4. Jack In The Box (name during development) L'Occitane en Provence (2019-2021) Bureau Vallée 3 (since 2021) This article about a type of ship or boat
95-500: The 2016–2017 Vendée Globe with French Skipper Sébastien Josse but did not finish the race, due to a foil shaft problem. In 2016, Pierre Casiraghi , Vice-President of the Yacht Club de Monaco, worked with his friend Boris Herrmann of Germany and others to create Team Malizia. The yacht was renamed and competed for the team under the name Malizia II, with the sail number MON 10, flagged by Seaexplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco for
114-468: The 2020-2021 Vendée Globe . In March 2020, Romain Attanasio of France bought the yacht, following a repair and refit, with the intention of competing in the 2024-2025 Vendée Globe . With skipper Boris Herrmann the boat competed in the 2020–2021 Vendée Globe finishing 5th after having to reduce its speed close to Les Sables due to a collision with a fishing vessel which caused extensive damage to
133-545: The 31st January 2020 after being assembled by Black Pepper Yachts based in Nantes, France. Pauger Composites in Hungary did the hull moulding. The boat was the last to be completed for the 2020 Vendée Globe but the hull moulds were then used for Initiative Coeur 4 and OceansLab . This is the first IMOCA 60 of the designer and the builders and incorporates a lot of thinking of the designer on Mini 6.5 and Class 40 yachts. It
152-548: The OSCAR system, a system to detect unknown floating objects. The data provided by the sensors allow the autopilot to steer the boat with the best wind angle and to avoid boat-breaking loads. Evolution of autopilot : Hydraulic control of the adjustment of the sails and the foils. For reasons of cost and maturity of technology, this track is still excluded from all the rules. However, on flying sailboats that are increasingly akin to aircraft in mechanical terms, it seems inevitable that
171-518: The Open 60s appeared was the 1986 BOC Challenge . The first boats were only limited by their length, up to 15 tons heavy and mostly constructed from aluminium. Major milstones in the history of the IMOCA 60s: (nautical miles) Other races with IMOCA 60 participation: IMOCA 60 L%27Occitane The IMOCA 60 Class yacht L'Occitane en Provence, FRA 2, was designed by Sam Manuard and launched on
190-510: The automated servo-controls already developed and generalized in aviation will be adapted to the world of foiling boats. T-Rudders : Elevators in the back of the boat have been discussed. The IMOCA general assembly has voted against the introduction, most recently in October 2023. Mast : Due to the increasing loads to the mast due to foiling, changes to the one design mast are under discussion. The first major sailing competition in which
209-407: The average speed significantly. The first IMOCAs had a fully open cockpit where winches and ship's wheel (s) were located. With progressing development the work area got more and more protected by a roof open to the back, sometimes also called cave. The ship's wheels were mostly replaced by different versions of tillers as autopilots took over more of the steering. In boats of the 2020 generation
SECTION 10
#1732776334965228-411: The early years of the class a self righting capability was introduced. Each boat must be able to self-right itself at any time. Every boat must prove this capability in a 90 degree or 180 degree test. Design restrictions include the hull length to be between 59 and 60 feet (18 m) and maximum draft of 4.5 metres (15 ft). The length including the bowsprit may not exceed 20.12 m. The max beam
247-408: The first fully enclosed cockpits appeared; these allow the skippers to stay dry most of the time. The mast of IMOCA, which is held in place by several stays is able to turn with the main sail, typically it has about 180 m . The area of the main sail can be adjusted by lowering it towards the boom, its bottom attachment. The main sail is fully battened. To improve the performance of the mainsail
266-414: The foils can be changed up to 5 degrees. Each boat is equipped with an autopilot that keeps the boat going constantly to allow the skipper to turn to other tasks. The autopilot uses sensors that allow it to take into account sudden variations in apparent wind, speed, load on the foils and sails. Automated obstacle avoidance, whether it is the other ships detected by radar, AIS , or obstacles detected by
285-436: The gap between boom and hull/cockpit might be closed. Charal 2 implemented this first. Forward of the mast, most boats have at least four forestays which can carry headsails. Three of these are usually attached to the deck and, as well as bracing the mast, can carry jibs. The fourth stay runs from the mast to the tip of the bowsprit and is used for gennaker or spinnaker sails. The number of headsails that can be taken into
304-603: The starboard foil and side. Herrmann helped with the rescue of Kevin Escoffier after his boat sank. In August 2019, the Malizia II took Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg across the North Atlantic Ocean from Plymouth to New York City without producing any carbon dioxide during the voyage; however, France 24 reported that several crew flew to New York to sail the yacht back to Europe. The trip
323-434: The stresses the hull is expected to sustain changed. For one on the points where the foils are attached, secondly the contact point between hull and waves moved further back. As a result older boats retrofitted with foils often needed also a strengthened hull. To increase performance in heavy seas scow-bows were introduced in the class. First introduced on L'Occitane these are supposed to reduce nose diving, which are lowering
342-406: Was Sébastien Josse who was later replaced by Boris Herrmann . The yacht does not use any fossil fuel for power. In 2019, solar panels with an output of 1.3kw were installed, and power is also generated by two hydro-electric generators at the stern that can be raised and lowered as needed. The yacht was commissioned for the Gitana Sailing Team, founded by Benjamin de Rothschild . She competed in
361-475: Was led by Boris Herrmann . Thunberg's crossing of the Atlantic started on 14 August 2019 and she arrived on 28 August. IMOCA 60 The class is of "open" design, this means the boat is measurement controlled and therefore designers have freedom within the rules. Several parts including the mast, boom and the canting keel ram and fin are one design for safety reasons. After several severe incidents in
#964035