Maitre Jacques with Loic Fequet at the helm departs on solo qualifier for the Route du Rhum

From the following Facebook entry on the Maitre Jacques Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Trimaran.Maitre.Jacques/posts/783068088391677

and the rough bing translate below:

Top departure for the qualif' Route du Rhum!
.. .the record SNSM to follow Sunday a week after the water of his trimaran Maître Jacques, Loïc Féquet enjoys a beautiful weather to set off, window this Monday, on its 1000 miles (1852 km) qualifying for the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe! To completion of the qualifying course, the skipper will directly sail on St Nazaire to take the start of the Record SNSM, this Sunday, June 22.

7 months that Loïc has navigated aboard his trimaran (since last November, following its damage to float on the Transat Jacques Vabre). This afternoon, he will finally return to the sea.
About 4 p.m. Monday, Loïc will cap to the West, towards a shadow off the Brittany coast, to browse its 1000 qualifying miles for the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe. 4 days of re-immersion in his costume of runner off the coast, 4 days of altimeter, 4 days of sensations and pleasures it will share contributors to Maître Jacques.

Loïc Féquet, skipper master Jacques: "there is a beautiful weather window: 15-20 knots for 4 days." This will be perfect for a grip. I will resume my brands, quietly reclaim me the boat. The weather will be lenient, I send news every day. » Already a point at 20 knots two outputs at sea will have been enough to stall everything aboard the Multi 50 master Jacques. Returned to the water Saturday, June 6 after a long site devoted to the replacement of its floats, the red and white trimaran is already ready for a big loop of 1000 miles off the coast. Rigging is set, the construction was thorough and the boat is ready to sail. As soon as the second drive, Loïc and his team already had spikes to 20 knots!

Loïc Féquet, skipper master Jacques: "rigging been rewrapped as it should be, there has been no cracking and the boat behaves really well. '' Thanks to the new floats and the complete overhaul of the system of bar, he won in agility, it responds much faster in transfers. And at the first exit, it was at 19.8 knots, the 2nd day at 20! "The Record SNSM to follow after his qualifying course Loïc will route towards Saint Nazaire, to take the start of the Record SNSM next Sunday. This crew test that pays tribute to the work and commitment of the rescuers at sea will also be an opportunity for the Team master Jacques to "shoot" a little more on the boat.

Chrono to beat this will be the 3rd Team master Jacques in this atypical event participation.
The 360-mile course (666 km) consisting of two back and forth between the resident of Saint-Nazaire port and a course located off the coast of Sainte-Marine in Finistère (North of the Glénan) is a very technical and intense exercise. Crews are at 100% all the time and boats show their full potential, if conditions permit.

During his first participation in 2011, the Team master Jacques had won the second fastest in its category with an average speed of over 20 knots. In 2013, the weather was less favourable, the average had dropped to 13 knots, but each time, Loïc and his team had pushed their boat up with spikes to 27-28 knots!

Multi50 official Route du Rhum Record SNSM Photos Pierrick Contin and Maître Jacques

Photos Pierrick Contin et Maître Jacques See More

Multi50 Officiel
Route du Rhum
Record SNSM

2013 Record SNSM, good turnout by multihulls for event 21st - 25th of June in Saint Nazaire

The Record SNSM is somewhat of a multihull institution.  The record is held by BPV which completed the course several years ago with an average of 30 knots.  It's unlikely to be challenged this year by the current G-Class multihulls which are set up with more modest rigs for singlehanding.

read more at the Record SNSM website:

http://www.recordsnsm.com/

G-Class

Maxi Banque Populaire VII - Bertrand Pacé
Sodebo - Thomas Coville

Multi 50

Aquaera - Bertrand Quentin
Maître Jacques - Loïc Fequet
Nootka - Gilles Buekenhout
Rayon Vert - Alain Delhumeau

Multi 2000

Acapella-MTD - Charlie Capelle
Corsair Marine  
Pterodactyl - Xavier Callede
Restabern - Jean-Christophe Lair

Multi50 update, Maitre Jacques team deliver their Multi50 in preperation for the upcoming Record SNSM

Update from the Maitre Jacques FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/Trimaran.Maitre.Jacques?hc_location=timeline

Here is the rough bing translate:

For the record SNSM Loïc Féquet and Loïc Escoffier left Saint-Malo on Wednesday: Cape Saint Nazaire and the Record SNSM 2013. The weather conditions announced for this event should not, however, allow to get record chronos... Regardless, the challenge is that more interesting: how to do more with less! The Team master Jacques will also take advantage of each moment past seas to always work again and for the Transat Jacques Vabre.

Four days of the launch of the Record SNSM, the two Loïc Fequet and Escoffier, future duo "Master Jacques," from the Transat Jacques Vabre 2013 takes advantage the conveying of Saint-Malo in Saint-Nazaire to refine their preparation and validate the last work done aboard the Multi 50 red and white.

Speed, speed
To program these two days and two nights of drive: work on polar boat speed (graphical representation of the speed of the boat based on its look, the strength of the wind and the State of the sea, its sail combinations and their settings). These data are valuable benchmarks for the sailors in constant search for optimization of their speed.

Faster with less wind?
For the record, the two Loïc meet two of the crew of the Team master Jacques faithful: Pierre Hingant and Arnaud Le Gal; Franck-Yves Escoffier will complement this fine team of sailors.

On paper, the weather conditions expected on this Record SNSM 2013 should not allow the Team master Jacques to do better than in 2011 (more than 20 knots with peaks at 26.5 knots), Loïc and his team have worked for two years but their boat has won yet in potential and ease... Their performance will be to monitor closely.

The of this record SNSM 2013 will kick off Sunday at 17 h, the record to beat is that of Lionel Lemonchois in 2011 in 17 h 01'35 ".

Loïc Féquet, skipper master Jacques: "with a westerly breeze, will be hard to do better than two years ago (in 2011, the conditions were ideal: a steady Southwest breeze that allowed crews to navigate to the"reaching"outward and return, Editor's note)." It will leave in 15-20 knots from the West Sunday afternoon; It will ease then, but it will always be wind.
Our goal is still to work for the Transat Jacques Vabre. Keep a pace of more than 24 hours: we have succeeded on the ArMen Race (won by Maître Jacques last may, Editor's note) must be confirmed here. » Record to beat Multi 50 (course of 360 miles two AR between St Nazaire and Ste. Marine): Prince de Bretagne / Lionel Lemonchois - 17 h 01'35 "(2011)

Crew master Jacques on the Armen Race: Loïc Féquet, Loïc Escoffier, Pierre Hingant, Arnaud Le Gal and Franck-Yves Escoffier.

 

read more here