Sunday, November 16, 2014
Route du Rhum destination Guadeloupe:
5 podiums for CDK Technologies
Whatever the distance, it is always coloured by success. Indeed, boasting a presence in three of the five classes competing in the Route du Rhum 2014 (Ultime, 50' and IMOCA), the boats built at CDK Technologies always lead the fleet. A little less than two years on from monopolising the top two spots in the Vendée Globe, thanks to François Gabart (Macif) and Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire), the Breton shipyard is now represented on the solo transatlantic podiums by no fewer than five of the craft that were built in its yards in Lorient and Port-la-Forêt.
In the Ultime class, Yann Guichard secured second place aboard the massive trimaran SPINDRIFT, launched in 2008 under the name of Banque Populaire V. A technical and physical feat, this 40-metre giant was originally designed for a twelve-person crew. In her wake, the former MOD 70s Edmond de Rothschild, Oman Sail and Paprec Recyclage, they too bearing the CDK mark, slipped into 3rd, 5th and 7th places. At the helm of these three boats, Sébastien Josse, Sidney Gavignet and Yann Eliès crossed the Atlantic at record speeds without suffering the slightest structural damage. An astounding performance then in this Route du Rhum 2014, which saw a great many skippers affected by material breakage.
In the Multi50 category, Erwan Le Roux secured a masterful victory on FenêtreA-Cardinal, the former Crêpes Whaou! 3, which was built at CDK Technologies back in 2009 and initially helmed by Franck-Yves Escoffier.
Finally, in IMOCA, François Gabart proved that his talent as a skipper and his racing mastery is reflected as much by the Vendée Globe marathon as the Route du Rhum sprint. He secured victory in his very first participation, at the helm of Macif, his 60-foot monohull built by CDK in Port-la-Forêt. Launched in August 2011, Macif has already covered the equivalent of two round the worlds over the past three years. For this latest race, the monohull was kitted out with a new mast manufactured by CDK in its brand new 50m autoclave.
Behind François Gabart, Maître Coq skippered by Jérémie Beyou bagged a fine second place; a result mirrored by the one achieved in the last Vendée Globe, whilst the boat went by the name of Banque Populaire VI with Armel Le Cléac’h at the helm.
In Lorient and Port-la-Forêt, Brittany, the team from CDK Technologies have felt a deep sense of pride and intense emotion having followed the performances of these skippers. These five podium places, including two victories, serve as a fantastic conclusion to 2014 for the boatyard created some thirty years ago by the late Hubert Desjoyeaux. Today, this same yard is a European leader in the construction and assembly of race boats and it has won a tender for the construction of two 60-foot IMOCA monohulls (18.28m), which are set to compete in the Vendée Globe 2016. The company was also selected, in the autumn of 2013, to build François Gabart’s future boat, a 100-foot trimaran and in September 2014 it was entrusted with the construction of a new mast for the giant trimaran Spindrift2.
Find all the latest news at http://www.cdk-technologies.com/
About CDK Technologies...
The history of the CDK Technologies shipyard began in 1984. Based in Port la Forêt, just outside Concarneau, north-west Brittany, the shipyard expanded to Lorient in 2006 where, via its subsidiary Keroman Technologies, it is able to benefit from a larger hangar (1,700m2) that can be used to house more imposing craft (Banque Populaire V). Specialised in the construction of race boats, CDK Technologies has further bolstered its excellent reputation through the construction of industrial parts for the wider benefit of the large group.
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