The yard that built the first four boats to finish the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre
Transat Jacques Vabre 2019, the first four Class 40s to finish all came out of the sheds atJPS Production, in La Trinité-sur-Mer. Nicolas Groleau runs this yard, which he co-founded in 1996 withJean-Pierre Souviron — hence the JPS acronym. Alongside construction, he also races in IRC on his own Mach 45s.
JPS Production: from Open 7.50 to Mach 40.6
The first boat rolled out of the sheds in 1998: an Open 7.50. From2010, JPS launched production of theMach 40 designed by Sam Manuard, the first in a series that would go up to the Mach 40.6. Since 2011, the yard has focused primarily on Class 40s — Edenred, IBSA, Solano, Redman, and in 2024 theMach 40.6 Bleu Blanc #205. JPS also builds theClass 40 Crédit Mutuel #158 launched in 2019 — the first Class 40 with a scow hull.
The Mach 45, his racing boat
His personal mount: aMach 45 designed by Sam Manuard, a 45-foot canting keel and daggerboard monohull for IRC offshore racing. The first example launched on8 September 2007 in La Trinité-sur-Mer. He has raced it successively under the namesCartouche, Bretagne Telecom, then BT Blue.
Palmarès
- Rolex Fastnet Race 2013 — 1st IRC Canting Keel on Cartouche (Mach 45)
- Rolex Fastnet Race 2015 — 1st IRC Canting Keel on Bretagne Telecom (Mach 45)
- Armen Race 2018 — 1st IRC 1 on BT Blue
- Rolex Fastnet Race 2019 — 2nd IRC Zero on Bretagne Telecom
Official JPS Production website: jps-production.com.
