At 32 years old, François Gabart is the youngest winner of the Vendée Globe. Sponsored by MACIF, he boards the maxi-trimaran competing in the ‘Ultime’ class. Measuring 30 m in length and 21 m in width, the MACIF weighs 14.5 tons and has a mast height of 35 m. This sailboat features high-tech equipment. During the 2015 edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre, François was assisted by Pascal Bidegorry. After 12 days of racing, they finished 1st.
An extraordinary boat
The construction of the MACIF required 100,000 hours of work. It includes innovations already present in its composite material structure, which promotes lightness and strength. Intel allowed the designers of this sailboat to conduct 150 digital simulations at its computing centers located in Great Britain. The sailboat also features ‘a cabin’ on the aft deck, inspired by an airplane cockpit. This cabin, along with the cockpit, is protected by a ‘hood’ completely covered with solar panels.
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High-tech equipment
The technological equipment is essential: weather information processing, routing optimization, communication with the shore team… The MACIF includes 3 autopilot devices. It also integrates various navigation devices to know the heading, dynamic movements, wind, weather… (for more information, visit indiz.fr).
On the computing and electronic equipment side, there are 2 Intel NUC mini-computers equipped with Core i5 processors. In the cabin, there are 2 touch screens, a headset, GPS devices, an AIS system, an autopilot… The back of the boat includes 2 satellite antennas. For electricity production, the MACIF carries a generator, a wind turbine, and solar panels.
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Other cutting-edge equipment
Beyond the fixed equipment, the sailor also has portable equipment at his disposal: a laptop, 2 watches including a smartwatch that sends data regarding the sailor’s health status… Other equipment is under development, such as microphones and headphones that allow recording sounds inside the boat.
The MACIF takes off
With the technological equipment of the MACIF, François Gabart dreams of participating in solo races with this sailboat. During the last America’s Cup, the catamarans equipped with next-generation foils were practically flying over the water. Due to time constraints, only one foil was installed on the MACIF. But despite this, François and Pascal still managed to finish at the top.