The first scow IMOCA designed by Sam Manuard
First IMOCA designed by Sam Manuard, L'Occitane en Provence (FRA 2) is the first IMOCA 60 with a scow hull. Hull molding by Pauger Composites in Hungary, assembly and finishing by Black Pepper Yachts in Nantes. Launched on January 31, 2020 for Armel Tripon's Vendée Globe campaign.
Hull design: applying scow principles to a 60-footer
Manuard transposes principles proven on his Mini 6.50 and Class40 Mach40 to the 60-footer:
- Wide, rounded bow (scow), forward beam, flush deck.
- Retractable foils housed at the gunwale level (not at the waterline), optimized for average speed rather than peak performance.
- 29 m rotating wing mast, sail area 270 m² upwind / 535 m² downwind.
- Canting keel, two lifting rudders, four ballast tanks.
- Displacement 7.8 t.
At the time, Manuard summarized the design brief in one word: « easy and consistent » — a boat more usable single-handed than optimized for top-end speed.
Boat achievements
Under Armel Tripon (2020–2021):
- Vendée Globe 2020–2021 — 11th in 84 d 17 h 07 min 50 s, after climbing from 24th to 11th between the descending and returning equators. Two notable damage incidents early in the race (broken J3 crane, return to La Coruña; then composite repair on a foil well offshore).
Sold to Louis Burton in February 2021, renamed Bureau Vallée 3 (sail number unchanged):
- Transat Jacques Vabre 2021 — retired (mast failure), with Davy Beaudart.
- Route du Rhum 2022 — retired.
- Rolex Fastnet Race 2023 — 9th.
- Transat CIC 2024 — 9th; New York Vendée 2024 — 10th.
- Vendée Globe 2024–2025 — retired due to rigging failure.
- Transat Café L'Or 2025 — 7th.
Legacy
The hull molds were reused by Black Pepper to build Initiatives-Cœur 4 (launched in 2022, Samantha Davies), with adaptations for foils and structure required by the 2025 IMOCA rule set.
