On Thursday, March 21, the IMOCA Holcim-PRB was relaunched after three months of work. Since the arrival of Retour à la Base on December 11, the entire technical team of Team Holcim-PRB has been working at Port-la-Forêt to prepare the 60-footer for the 2024 season, which will culminate in November with the start of the Vendée Globe. In the meantime, the skipper of the green and blue monohull, Nicolas Lunven, will tackle The Transat CIC, a solo race from Lorient to New York, on April 28.

After completing a round-the-world race during The Ocean Race, followed by two transatlantic crossings last winter, this refit was a crucial step for the monohull. Every part was meticulously dismantled, inspected, and overhauled. Alongside this work, several changes were made. The number of solar panels was increased, and two hydro-generators were added to the boat. These modifications will maximize the use of renewable energy and minimize reliance on fossil fuels during navigation.

A Start to the Year to Refine Weather Knowledge Before a Season Focused on Solo Sailing

While Holcim-PRB was in the shipyard, the skipper joined the routing team of the trimaran Banque Populaire during the Arkéa Ultim Challenge. This exciting and enriching experience is also part of Nicolas’s preparation for the Vendée Globe: “It was really interesting. It’s good preparation for the Vendée Globe because even though the boats are not the same, the course is identical. This allows us to accumulate even more knowledge, especially about weather conditions and the state of the sea in these areas, enabling us to better anticipate the different weather scenarios that the Vendée Globe may present.”

The relaunch of Holcim-PRB this afternoon feels like a reunion between Nicolas and the boat he will take around the world in a few months. Last year, at the helm, he completed a transatlantic crossing in convoy mode and another in a race and solo, Retour à la Base. The miles traveled have allowed him to settle in. Now, Nicolas is no longer in the discovery phase and wants to continue gaining experience against high-level competition. For this reason, he has chosen to participate in all the races of the season. The Transat CIC will certainly be one of the most demanding events before the Vendée Globe. “The Transat CIC is an iconic race. Historically, it’s the English Transat, won twice by Eric Tabarly. It has allowed France to discover sailing and offshore competition. It’s a demanding race in the North Atlantic, against the prevailing winds, with a fabulous finish in New York. Sailing to the United States is rare, and arriving in New York by sail, on an IMOCA after crossing the Atlantic, is a dream. I can’t wait to experience this adventure aboard Holcim-PRB!” the skipper confides enthusiastically.

After this first major event of the season, the skipper of Holcim-PRB will line up for the New York – Vendée before finishing his preparation with the Défi Azimut. Then, it will be the long-awaited rendezvous of a lifetime—the Vendée Globe, a dream he has had for years!

In the coming days, Nicolas Lunven and his team will conduct technical navigations to finalize the last adjustments on the boat before the convoy to Lorient La Base in a few weeks, where the IMOCA Holcim-PRB will remain docked until the departure of The Transat CIC, scheduled for April 28.