The Sodebo team purchase Geronimo maxi trimaran

The Sodebo team have recommited to their multihull programme and purchased the maxi trimaran Geronimo and will modify it to compete in the 2014 Route du Rhum. After another run at the round the world record for Thomas Coville in the present Sodebo trimaran it will go on sale. Interesting times indeed in French multihull racing. There must have been some number crunching going on as to which boat when modified has the better speed potential.

The following is a rough bing translate of this article (in French)

http://www.sodebo.fr/voile/actualites/article/sodebo-lance-nouveau-defi-avec-geronimo

14/02/2013

Sodebo launches a new challenge with Geronimo

WITH THE ACQUISITION OF THE FAMOUS 'GERONIMO' OF OLIVIER DE KERSAUSON, SODEBO WROTE A NEW PAGE OF ITS HISTORY IN SAILING.

Once again, SODEBO confirms its commitment to the extreme sailing. Undertaking chose sponsoring sailing 15 years ago to accompany its development, confirms its communication strategy. With this acquisition, SODEBO signed a new story of men and transmission.

SODEBO loves new challenges and "after six years with the 105 feet (31 meters), we wanted to acquire a more versatile than our current trimaran vessel typed records alone. Geronimo must allow us, after work, attend races multi-format with as the first objective, the Route du Rhum 2014, " explains Patricia Brochard, co-Chair of SODEBO, which States that Thomas Coville, designated skipper of SODEBO, will try to establish as expected by the fall of 2013, a new absolute record around the world solo and multihull on Sodebo 105 foot maxi which will then put on sale.

Designed by the architects Van Peteghem and Lauriot Prévost, Geronimo has proven its reliability. This Ocean and performance of 111 feet almost 34 meters long trimaran traveled about 100,000 miles with Olivier de Kersauson without ever knowing of major problems. It is also the platform from which the VPLP architects were able to develop the ultimate Groupama 3 and Bank Populaire v.

"Geronimo gave us lots of emotions and pleasure, full of beautiful records, including the Transpac and the Australia which are always, ' tells Olivier de Kersauson. "This is the first large trimaran, designed in an era dominated by catamarans, and took many risks with it. He we well made it. He even made us pass the Horn in hellish conditions where no other boat happened! Geronimo is often found in rough conditions (broken arm in the waste of the tsunami in the Indian past the Horn in full baston), it has not been spoiled in weather and had to pay quite a lot of broken pots, but this boat has the soul and it has always allowed us to go home with pride.''

Olivier de Kersauson knows well the current skipper of SODEBO have embarked it in 1997 as a simple crew: "Thomas is going to do what I would do if I could still, we are online on the objectives and the means to achieve this. It gives me pleasure that this ship exists and is still evolving in its hands. Thomas has a team that develops, reflects, navigates lot and everywhere, they are people whom I esteem. With our experience and our partner Cap Gemini and Schneider, we had optimized this boat to the best of our means and the tech available, without savings or compromised. It can still evolve, remain a reference. This really makes us pleasure Sodebo and Thomas give a future to all that has been," says Olivier de Kersauson. "

Thomas Coville and his team who are trying to build the team's design team, have already chosen architects (VPLP), the (Multiplast) and Hervé Devaux Structure. They know all the platform to have designed and built with Olivier de Kersauson who, says Thomas "was one of the first to believe in the trimarans for extreme adventures. This gentleman has marked my life,'' continues it by explaining how Kersauson was the trigger of his life at sea. "I did my first around the world with him on Sport Elec in 1997, a victorious Jules Verne. At the time, from around the world in a multihull, it was a real adventure. I have a clear story with him with his paternalistic side that impressed me at first, then amused. When it crosses, one must be careful because it does not leave you indifferent. It follows today. The story is pretty. "

SODEBO welcomes this transmission between the two sailors ' whose personality, spirit, and the courses have similarities with our history," adds Patricia Brochard. "Whether in Sodebo, Thomas Coville or Olivier de Kersauson, found this pioneering spirit reflected by a real boldness through committed choice. What are these risks assumed catch that lead us further. "

Along with this acquisition, the vendéen company confirms develop its reflection to initiate a new program of races off the coast that goes beyond solitaire and the only record attempts."For months, we are working on a new circuit that we planned to finalize and to concretely in the year 2013,'' says the co-Chair of SODEBO pursuing consultations with Thomas Coville and his team."