The 2007 IMOCA of Owen Clarke / Clay Oliver, five Vendée Globe campaigns under its belt
Design Owen Clarke Design + Clay Oliver (designer Team New Zealand), built in 2007 at Hakes Marine in Wellington (New Zealand) for Mike Golding under the name Ecover 3. Acquired by Fabrice Amédéo in January 2023 after the sinking of his previous IMOCA during the Route du Rhum 2022. Renamed Nexans-Art & Fenêtres in 2023, Nexans-Wewise in 2024, then FDJ United-Wewise in 2025.
Architecture and construction
60-foot keelboat, launched in August 2007. Originally designed without foils, the boat received foils during Arnaud Boissières' refit in 2017, then the 2023 Amédéo refit removed the foils and reinstalled two straight keels. Specifications:
- Length 18.28 m, beam 5.80 m, draft 4.50 m
- Displacement 8 t (8.3 t in original configuration)
- Rotating mast (28.5 m), two wheelbar steering systems
- Sail area: 300 m² upwind, 580 m² downwind
Seven names, five Vendée Globe campaigns
The boat has raced under seven successive liveries:
- 2007-2009: Ecover 3 (Mike Golding) — dismasted during the 2008–2009 Vendée Globe 900 nautical miles south of Cape Leeuwin
- 2009-2010: Mike Golding Yacht Racing
- 2010-2011: Président
- 2011-2013: Gamesa (Mike Golding) — 6th in the 2012–2013 Vendée Globe
- 2015-2017: Kilcullen Voyager (Enda O'Coineen) — dismasted during the 2016–2017 Vendée Globe southeast of New Zealand
- 2018-2021: La Mie Câline-Artisans Artipôle (Arnaud Boissières) — 15th in the 2020–2021 Vendée Globe
- 2022: Rêve de large-Région Guadeloupe (Rodolphe Sepho)
- 2023–: Nexans-Art & Fenêtres then Nexans-Wewise then FDJ United-Wewise (Fabrice Amédéo) — 32nd in the 2024–2025 Vendée Globe in 114 days
Ocean Calling platform since 2023
The Ocean Calling scientific program — launched by Amédéo in 2019 on his previous IMOCA — was transferred to this boat after its 2023 acquisition. CO2, salinity, temperature, microplastics and environmental DNA sensors; data delivered to Ifremer, CNRS, University of Bordeaux and IRD. During the 2024–2025 Vendée Globe, 53 microplastic samples were collected, including an unprecedented series in the Southern Ocean.
