 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Guillaume Verdier Design Office, VPLP Design, Guillaume Verdier  |
| Year | 9 June 2015 |
| Builder(s) | CDK Technologies |
| Previous Name | Bureau Vallée 2 (2017-2021) Medalia 2(2021 Onwards) |
| Launch Name | Banque Populaire 8 (New - 2017) |
| Racing | |
| Class association | IMOCA 60 |
The IMOCA 60 class yacht Banque Populaire VIII was launched on 9 June 2015. [1] It was designed by Guillaume Verdier and VPLP and constructed by CDK Technologies in France. [2]
The boat was commissioned by Banque Populaire Sailing Team for the 2016–2017 Vendée Globe.
In 2017 the boat was purchased by Louis Burton and based in St Malo with the intention of competing in the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe
In May 2021 the boat was purchased by Pip Hare and based in Poole with the intention of competing in the 2024-2025 Vendée Globe. [3] [4]
| Pos | Year | Race | Class | Boat Name | Skipper | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round the World Races | |||||||
| ABD | 2024-2025 Vendée Globe | IMOCA 60 | Medallia 2 |  Pip Hare (GBR) | Dismasted approximately 700 miles of the coast of Australia | ||
| 3 / 33 | 2020 | 2020–2021 Vendée Globe | IMOCA 60 | Bureau Vallée 2 |  Louis Burton (FRA) | ||
| 1 / 29 | 2016 | 2016–2017 Vendée Globe | IMOCA 60 | Banque Populaire VIII | Armel Le Cléac'h (FRA) | ||
| Transatlantic Races | |||||||
| 9 | 2024 | Transat New York Vendée | IMOCA 60 | Medallia 2 | Pip Hare (GBR) | Qualified for 2024-2025 Vendée Globe | |
| 11 | 2024 | Transat Jacques Vabre | IMOCA 60 | Medallia 2 | Pip Hare (GBR) | ||
| 12 | 2023 | Retour à la Base (Transat B to B) | IMOCA 60 | Medallia 2 | Pip Hare (GBR) | ||
| 12 | 2022 | Route du Rhum | IMOCA 60 | Medallia 2 | Pip Hare (GBR) | ||
| 13 | 2022 | Vendée Arctique | IMOCA 60 | Medallia 2 | Pip Hare (GBR) | ||
| 17 | 2022 | 1000 Race | IMOCA 60 | Medallia 2 | Pip Hare (GBR) | ||
| 10 | 2019 | Transat Jacques Vabre | IMOCA 60 | Bureau Vallée 2 | Louis Burton (FRA) Erwan Tabarly (FRA) | ||
| 2 | 2015 | Transat Jacques Vabre | IMOCA 60 | Banque Populaire VIII | Armel Le Cléac'h (FRA) Davy Beaudart (FRA) | ||
| DNF | 2018 | Route du Rhum | IMOCA 60 | Bureau Vallée 2 | Louis Burton (FRA) | ||
| Other Races | |||||||
| 26 | 2023 | Fastnet Race | Medallia 2 | Pip Hare (GBR) | |||
| 2022 | Round Britain and Ireland Race | Medallia 2 | Pip Hare (GBR) | ||||
| 2019 | Fastnet Race | Bureau Vallée 2 | Louis Burton (FRA) | ||||
The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop, unassisted round the world yacht race. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. It is named after the Département of Vendée, in France, where the race starts and ends. The Vendée Globe is considered an extreme quest of individual endurance and the ultimate test in ocean racing.
The first around the world sailing record for circumnavigation of the world can be attributed to the surviving crew of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, including the last captain Juan Sebastián Elcano who completed their journey in 1522.
VPLP design is a French-based naval architectural firm founded by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost, responsible for designing some of the world's most innovative racing boats. Their designs presently hold many of the World Speed Sailing records.
Brian Thompson is a British yachtsman. He was the first Briton to twice break the speed record for sailing around the world, and the first to sail non-stop around the world four times. He is highly successful offshore racer on all types of high-performance yachts, from 21-foot Mini Transat racers to 140-foot Maxi Trimarans.
Armel Le Cléac’h is a French professional navigator and sea captain. He was the IMOCA world champion in 2008 and French champion in single-handed yacht race in 2003. He notably won the Solitaire du Figaro twice, the Transat AG2R in 2004 and 2010 and the Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race in 2016. He finished second in both the 2008–09 and 2012–13 editions of the Vendée Globe. In the Vendée Globe 2016–17, he finished first with a new record time of 74d, 3h 35m, 46s. His performance earned him the 2018 Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year.
Guillaume Verdier is a French naval architect noted for his designs of high performance sailboats.
Pip Hare, earlier known as Pip Hildesley, is a British yachtswoman, journalist and sailing coach. She was an entrant in the 2020 and 2024 Vendée Globe round-the-world yacht races.
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Kevin Escoffier is a French professional sailor born on 4 April 1980 in Saint-Malo, France and a resident of Lorient. He is an offshore sailor who has won the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race as a bowman onboard DongFeng and competed in the 2020–2021 Vendée Globe aboard PRB. In 2022-23, he initially skippered Holcim-PRB in The Ocean Race, before leaving the team amid a sexual misconduct probe. He is a member of the yacht club SN Baie St. Malo.
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