The first IMOCA VPLP-Verdier
Launched in 2007, Safran is one of the very first IMOCA 60s resulting from the collaboration between VPLP Design (Marc Van Peteghem & Vincent Lauriot-Prévost) and Guillaume Verdier. The project began in late 2005 at the request of Marc Guillemot, who approached the design team shortly after his return from the 2004–2005 Vendée Globe. The industrial sponsor Safran confirmed its commitment in December 2005, and the boat was launched by CDK Technologies in Port-la-Forêt in April 2007.
An architecture that defined its generation
The design broke away from the codes of the previous generation of IMOCAs: hard chines pronounced, full bow shapes, and advanced structural optimization to reduce weight without sacrificing stiffness. At 7.5 tonnes ready to sail, Safran was significantly lighter than comparable boats of the same era, and this weight saving directly improved performance in strong downwind conditions.
The project required 4,600 hours of R&D: Guillaume Verdier was responsible for the hull, appendages, and structure; VPLP handled the rigging, deck layout, and project coordination. This division of roles became a standard in subsequent IMOCA projects.
Marc Guillemot and Safran’s racing record (2007–2014)
With Marc Guillemot at the helm, Safran became a benchmark in IMOCA racing:
- Transat Jacques-Vabre 2007: victory in double-handed racing with Charles Caudrelier-Bénac, just one year after launch
- Vendée Globe 2008–2009: 3rd place (84 days), behind Michel Desjoyeaux and Armel Le Cléac’h
- IMOCA World Champion 2009
- Transat Jacques-Vabre 2009: second victory in double-handed racing with Charles Caudrelier-Bénac
- Route du Rhum 2010: participation
- Transat Jacques-Vabre 2011: participation in double-handed racing with Pascal Bidégorry
- Transat B to B 2011: 2nd place
- Transat New York–Barcelona 2014: retirement due to injury (broken rib), Safran’s final race with Guillemot
The boat remained competitive more than a decade after its design and served as a validation platform for several architectural developments later adopted by Verdier in subsequent generations (Banque Populaire VIII, Macif, etc.).
Vendée Globe 2012: a dismasting that defined the race
On November 22, 2012, in the South Atlantic, Safran lost its titanium keel just days after the start. The boat returned to port almost immediately. Marc Guillemot spent several hours trapped in the upturned hull before being evacuated by helicopter from the cargo ship Hellespont Tatina. It was one of the most dramatic exits of the 2012–2013 Vendée Globe.
After this incident, the boat was recovered, repaired, and sailed again until the 2014 New York–Barcelona Transat. It then went on to have several more lives under different colors.
A project sponsored by an industrial group
Safran is a French high-technology industrial group operating in aeronautics, defense, and space. The 2005–2014 partnership with Marc Guillemot’s IMOCA was part of a broader strategy to build brand visibility through offshore racing, drawing technical parallels between high-performance sailing (composite materials, system reliability, onboard instrumentation) and the group’s core business.
