The IMOCA, is a 60ft development class monohull sailing yacht administered 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.
Michel Desjoyeaux is a French sailor, known for competing successfully in several long-distance single-handed races. He won the Vendée Globe race in 2000-01 and 2008–09, making him the only person to win that race more than once. In 2014-15, he was watch captain, on leg 1 on Mapfre in the Volvo Ocean Race.
Boris Herrmann is a German yachtsman.
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.
François Gabart is a French professional offshore yacht racer who won the 2012-13 Vendée Globe in 78 days 2 hours 16 minutes, setting a new race record. In 2017 he set the speed record for sailing around the globe in 42 days 16 hours 40 minutes and 35 seconds finishing on 17 December. He was sailing singlehanded in the 30 metre Trimaran Macif.
The 2020–2021 Vendée Globe was a non-stop round the world yacht race for IMOCA 60 class yachts crewed by only one person. It was the ninth edition of the race, which started and finished in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France. The race began on 8 November 2020, with the first finishers completing the course on 27 January 2021 with the 25th and final yacht to complete the race arrived on 5 March 2021.
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. He is a member of the yacht club SN Baie St. Malo
Jérémie Beyou is a French professional Offshore sailor born on 27 June 1976 in Landivisiau (Finistère). He is a member of C N Lorient Sailing Club.
Charlie Dalin is a French offshore sailor. He placed second in the quadrennial Vendée Globe race around the world that took place in 2020–2021, with a time of 80 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes and 47 seconds. He covered 28,268 nautical miles at a race average of 14.67 knots. He has a Naval Architecture degree from the University of Southampton.
Yannick Bestaven is a French offshore sailor. He won the Transat 6.50 in 2001, was twice winner of the Transat Jacques-Vabre, and won the Vendee Globe in 2020-21.
Foncia 2 is a IMOCA 60 Class offshore racing monohull sailing yacht launched 2010.
Roland Jourdain, often nicknamed "Bilou" is a French professional yachtsman, born on 28 April 1964 in Quimper. He is notably two-time winner of the Route du Rhum.
Jean-Pierre Dick is a French professional yachtsman.
Richard Tolkien is a British corporate finance adviser, director and trustee and experienced adventure sailor who grew up in Devon. He was educated at King Edward VI School, Totnes, and Exeter College, Oxford (1974–1977), where he won the Webb Medley prize and graduated with a first in PPE. He joined HM Treasury that year and worked for the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the private office from 1979 to 1982.
Paul Meilhat is a French sailor and navigator. He was a high level 49er dinghy sailor with Olympic aspirations before moving into offshore sailing. From 2015 to the end of 2018 he was skipper of the IMOCA 60 - SMA and he competed in the Vendee Globe.
Zbigniew Gutkowski is a Polish professional offshore sailor born on 24 June 1973 in Gdansk.
The IMOCA 60 Class yacht Super Bigou designed by Pierre Rolland and launched in the year 2000. What makes the boat rare is that it was constructed by Bernard Stamm the boats original skipper and owner rather than an established yard.
The IMOCA 60 Class yacht LinkedOut, FRA 79 was designed by Guillaume Verdier and launched on 9 July 2019 after being built Persico Marine based in Italy
The IMOCA 60 Class yacht Arkéa Paprec, FRA 4 was designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and launched on 19 July 2019 after being built CDK Technologies in Port La Forêtin, France
The IMOCA 60 Class yacht Corum L'Epargne, FRA 9 was designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and launched on 5 May 2020 after being built CDK Technologies based in Lorient, France.
