Dick on track for Vendee Globe

French skipper to have new Open 60 built

No sooner had Jean-Pierre Dick set foot on terra firma after his first Vendée Globe participation than he stated "I’ll be back!".So it comes as no surprise to see the French skipper setting about preparing for another solo non-stop around the world attempt. Virbac and Paprec are standing him in good stead once again on his Open 60 programme for the next four years. This has already started with the Transat Jacques Vabre 2005 he sailed with Loïck Peyron and will be followed this year by the Route du Rhum 2006. In the meantime there is the construction of a new Open 60 aimed at winning the Vendée Globe 2008-09.

So back to business for another Vendée Globe then? "Yes and no," says Dick. "Yes because I am entering again. No because this time I shall not be going about it in the same way as I did the last time I raced non-stop round the world single-handed. Last year, I managed to realise a great dream in simply making it across the finishing line in what is a unique event. I was frustrated to finish sixth and to have had the number of incidents I did. That really did change the tone of the event for me. Today I am ready to take part in this fabulous adventure once again, but in a different way. This time I am setting my objectives in terms of performance and result much higher !"

And the outline of your programme? "This gives us a four-year programme with key dates. It is more ambitious than the one which led me to enter my first Vendée Globe. My existing team is already in the starting gate, chomping at the bit. We will be more open to the exterior and will be favouring a shared effort with others who have the same approach. Loïck Peyron has joined the team which will be a great help in my continued apprenticeship in ocean racing. He will also be contributing to the design of the new boat, no doubt the best illustration of our collaboration."

The new campaign will run out of Le Défi’s base within Lorient's submarine silos. "It is an incredible tool which will enable us to work in a well organised way," says Dick. "Putting the boats in and out of the water will be much easier. We’ll save a lot of time. The idea is to get a large-scale yacht racing team up and running. Call it a stable if you like, even if things are just at the ideas stage right now and not yet a reality. But the idea is to be ready to get another project up and running, to pool technical and human resources for two boats and two skippers."

And the new boat? "I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to go about building a new boat. I’ve more experience now and feel up to making more informed decisions. In the Vendée Globe, the key point is to strike the right balance between the sailor and the machine. The aim is that they are one and the same, and that both focus on what is specific about this race. We are in the fine-tuning stages of the project and I think we are now able to produce a design with one or two exciting innovative features. She should be a real development of the current machine. Launching a new boat is an exciting thing to do. This is precisely the sort of project which suits me as the Vendée Globe is also a technological adventure.

And the program? "We’ve got four years ahead of us but no time to lose. We are negotiating with the architects and our choices will be made this summer. We’ve already held our brainstorming sessions. The decision as to which yard to go with for the construction will be made in the autumn. As for the racing/sailing programme? I’ll be racing the Calais - Round Britain Race very shortly and I’ll also be doing the SNSM record with Loïck Peyron mid-July. We’ll be following on with our qualifying passage for the Transat Jacques Vabre. We’ll be kept busy in 2006 with the Route du Rhum and in monitoring the construction of the new boat."

Eric Marée, Chief Executive Officer, Virbac SA gave his support to Jean-Pierre Dick's program: "We are backing this project for exactly the same reasons as we backed Dick three years ago. There are three reasons why: the quality of the project has been confirmed ; the impact in terms of awareness externally and in-house has turned out to be extremely positive ; and last but not least, Jean-Pierre’s personality. No need for rambling speeches on that score. Jean-Pierre is a great yachtsman. Now in fact I would even go as far as saying that there are two new reasons to justify our support for this project. We get the distinct impression that Jean-Pierre stands a strong chance of winning races and we’d like to be with him when that happens. Secondly, Paprec, the other major partner, has confirmed their backing.  This makes for a more balanced project. We have been joined by a company with which we have plenty of things in common including common values. We are keen to be able to pursue the adventure. Fine things lie ahead."

Team Virbac-Paprec
Skipper: Jean-Pierre DICK
Project leader : Luc TALBOURDET
Shore team manager: Luc BARTISSOL
Shore team : Elise BAKHOUM, Xavier CROSET, Jean-Yves GAU
Project assistant : Laetitia BRIÈRE
Thinking tank : Loïck PEYRON, Nicolas ABIVEN, Laurent DELAGE, Philippe MICHEL