Fabrice Amedeo's IMOCA 60 launched on Friday will be called "Nexans-Wewise
Fabrice Amedeo's Owen Clarke (OC) IMOCA Open 60 was launched on Friday morning in Lorient with its new keel, designed and built over the winter. Also, a new partner has joined the project: Wewise, a company dedicated to renewable energies and photovoltaic. This is invaluable support for the skipper, who intends to complete the next Vendée Globe without using renewable energy only, no fossil fuels, and who also has a strong programme of oceanographic measurements and collaboration with the scientific community.
It's a great day for Fabrice Amedeo and his team. The boat, which will be lining up at the start of the Vendée Globe on 10th November, was launched at dawn in Lorient following an optimisation and reliability refit in co-operation with the OC office which included a new keel and bulb designed by OC. It's an opportunity for the skipper to look ahead to his third Vendée Globe, but also to unveil the new colours of the project: a "Nexans - Wewise" boat for a round-the-world voyage dedicated to preserving the oceans and the energy transition.
This boat is equipped with 15m2 of solar panels that will permanently recharge the batteries during its circumnavigation. The system was tested this autumn during the Transat Jacques Vabre between Le Havre and La Martinique, then during the return transatlantic race. The aim is to sail around the world powered using renewable energy only, by the wind, recharging the batteries without using fossil fuels - a challenge that highlights the importance of the energy transition and sobriety. The entire system - batteries, solar panels and onboard systems - was checked and made reliable during the winter refit. The double crossing of the Atlantic between France and New York in the spring (the Transat CIC on the outward leg and the New York - Vendée on the return leg) will provide further proof of the boat's ability to rely solely on solar energy, albeit with hydro-generators as a secondary source of power.
More information regarding Owen Clarke's participation in the IMOCA class since it was founded can be found here.
