Nicolas Lunven is a discreet sailor. Yet he has a record of achievements that is the envy of many. In particular, he has joined the exclusive circle of double winners of the Solitaire du Figaro. In 2009 and 2017, he won the race that trains the best talents in single-handed ocean racing. Regularly called upon for his sailing skills on international projects, he has taken part in The Ocean Race (ex-Volvo Ocean race) three times with MAPFRE, Turn The Tide on Plastic and Malizia. These exceptional experiences will help him in his Vendée Globe quest. At the age of 40, he is about to realize his dream: to race around the world single-handed, non-stop and unassisted aboard Holcim-PRB. The date is set for November 2024. Le Retour à la Base will be his first race aboard the IMOCA Holcim-PRB.
There are lots of objectives, all mixed together: qualifying for the Vendée Globe, getting to grips with the boat, having fun and, if possible, starting to find out a bit about how the boat works.
In the middle of winter, at the end of November or beginning of December, it's a case of leaving the trade winds behind, rather upwind or reaching, and then picking up the disturbed westerly flow of the lows in the North Atlantic, which lead back to Brittany.
Today Lorient La Base is a bit like the Mecca of ocean racing. My base and that of the Holcim-PRB project is Port-la-Forêt. I live there, and I arrived 15 years ago, when I was racing the Figaro. As well as being nice, it's a very suitable place to put your boats. It's not as busy as Lorient, but we manage to work very efficiently with a nice stretch of water to sail on.
2023
Rolex Fastnet Race - 5th (Initiatives-Cœur)
The Ocean Race - 3rd (Team Malizia)
2022
Défi Azimut - Warm Up The Ocean Race - 3rd
Vendée Arctique - 10th
Guyader Bermuda 1000 Race - 4th
2021
Transat Jacques Vabre - 5th (Initiatives-Coeur)
Défi Azimut - Lorient Agglomération - 6th (Initiatives-Coeur)
Rolex Fastnet Race - 5th (Initiatives-Coeur)
The Ocean Race Europe - 1st (VO65 Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team)
2015
Transat Jacques Vabre - Withdrawal
Record SNSM - 2nd
2014
Round Canary Island Race - 2nd
Transat AG2R - 5th
Volvo Ocean Race - One leg
2013
J80 World Championship - 7th
Spi Ouest France - 3rd in J80
Rolex Fastnet Race - 3rd in Class40
Solo Concarneau - 2nd
2012
Solo Concarneau - Winner
Rolex Sydney - Hobart - 2nd
La Solitaire - 3rd
French Single-handed Offshore Racing Championship - 3rd
French Single-handed Offshore Racing Championship - 3rd
Spi Ouest France in J80 - 3rd
2011
Solo Les Sables - Winner
La Solitaire - 4th
French Single-handed Offshore Racing Championship - 3rd
Rolex Sydney - Hobart - 5th
Transat Bénodet - Martinique - 5th
Tour de France à la Voile - 8th
2010
Solo Les Sables - Winner
Transat AG2R - 6th
Tour de France à la Voile - 9th
2009
Solo Quiberon - 3rd
Tour de France à la Voile - 4th
Tour de Bretagne - 4th
La Solitaire - Winner
2008
Transat AG2R - 5th
Tour de France à la Voile - 2nd
2007
Tour de Bretagne - Winner
La Solitaire - 14th / 1st Bizuth
Tour de France à la Voile - 4th
Name: HOLCIM - PRB
Architect: Guillaume Verdier
Building: 2022, Carrington, Southampton (GB)
Lenght: 18,28m
Beam: 5,5m
Draught: 4,5m
Weight: NC
Mast height: 29m
Mast type: Wing-mast
Foils: yes
Upwind: NC
Downwind: NC
As a global leader in innovative and sustainable construction solutions, Holcim enables the creation of greener cities, smarter infrastructures and improved living standards worldwide. Committed to becoming a "net zero" company, Holcim is a global leader in recycling to build more with less. In 2022, Holcim acquired PRB, the leading French company for technical building cladding solutions. With its "responsible and sustainable" product line, PRB is the first and only expert in technical building cladding solutions in France to offer a complete range of low-carbon footprint solutions for construction. PRB began its sailing sponsorship in 1992 with the second edition of the Vendée Globe.
