New de Kersauson tri launched

Codenamed K2000, this 111ft three hulled monster was dropped in the water on Sunday

After the spate of giant catamarans built last year for The Race, the first giant trimaran has now been launched for Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson, whose aim is to use it to break his own record for sailing non-stop around the world in the Jules Verne Trophy.

Sponsored by Cap Gemini, Ernst and Young and Schneider Electric, but known as K2000, until her official christening at the end of August, the trimaran was craned into the narrow channel off Chantier Multiplast to rapturous applause from the assembed crowd. "It's fine. She floats..." commented her wry-humoured skipper Olivier de Kersauson.

At 110ft long by 69ft wide, she is the largest racing trimaran in the world (with the exception of the Hawaii tri Rave (118ft by 78ft), which is not really in the same performance league - does anyone have any news of her?).

The boat has been designed by Marc van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot Prevost who are currently top designers on the ORMA 60ft trimaran circuit having designed boats such as Alain Gautier's Foncia, Groupama and more recently Jean le Cam's Bonduelle and Giovanni Soldini's Fila. They also designed De Kersauson's previous boat which has gone under more names than perhaps any boat afloat (she was launched as Poulain, later extended from 75ft to 90ft and renamed Charal, Lyonnaise des Eaux Dumex and ultimately Sport Elec). This is the boat in which de Kersauson set the existing Jules Verne Trophy record of 71 days 14 hours and 18 minutes.

Significantly K2000 is the first of the new generation of maxi multihulls to be a trimaran. Since before The Race van Peteghem and Lauriot Prevost (VPLP) were convinced of the advantages in choosing the three hulled option for a non-stop circumnavigation.

There is only one cockpit so all crew work is carried out in the main hull - on the big cats there is a cockpit in each hull. This saves the weight of duplicate controls, winches, wheels as well as making it a lot safer - there is no need to run across 'the river' running between the two cockpits. The unlimited length of the central hull increases the waterline (effectively it is a small boat but with a longer main hull), improving speed and allowing the use of big head sails for light air or downwind sailing. There is arguably more control, rigidity and stability offered by a trimaran design.

De Kersauson says he particularly likes the idea of having the mast mounted on a hull rather than on a cross beam as is the case with a catamaran. The cross beams, which are highly arched and enter the float from above, rise 1.80m above the water to reduce the opportunity to collide with waves.

Assisting the VPLP design team were structural engineers Hervé Devaux Structures (HDS) - who also worked on the Ollier cats (before High Modulus stepped in to re-appraise Club Med). The rudder and daggerboards were designed by aero-hydrodynamics specialist, Michel Kermarec.

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