Winner of the Solitaire du Figaro (2016 and 2019) and also the Route du Rhum (2018 and 2022) in Class40. His solo and crewed experience (The Ocean Race 2021 and 2023) is a major asset for future IMOCA races.
As a sailor and naval engineer (naval architecture studies in Southampton-UK), Yoann knows the challenges of the high seas. Racing boats have become veritable ocean racers, but this increased speed exposes skippers to the elements more intensely. That's why the innovative cockpit of IMOCA Paprec Arkéa is so important.
Resilience and determination are at the heart of its course. Her "remontada" in the Route du Rhum 2022 despite a 4-hour penalty is a testament to her tenacity and perseverance, earning the respect of the public. Second place (just 4 minutes behind 1st place) in the Rolex Fastnet Race, after leading the IMOCA fleet for much of the race, also underlines his commitment and determination. Yoann embodies inspiring values and contributes to the success of the Paprec Arkéa project.
Lorient La Base is both my home and my workplace. I live in the Lorient region and we have our hangar on the La Base site, where we host the project and house the boat when it's under construction. It's really our home, for the team and for me.
We're lucky to have a race coming to us, which will enable us to be efficient and to showcase La Base and the developments that have been made there in recent years to promote ocean racing and performance in Lorient.
Imagine a restless night in a hammock suspended from the top of a skyscraper in the middle of a storm! (Laughs) On a more serious note, solo sailing means total immersion in the action, a dance with fatigue, stress and quick decisions. At such speeds, it's a symphony of adrenalin and endurance, intense sailing that keeps you on your toes at all times. It's sailing in its raw state, an experience of solitude and power, the ultimate challenge.
Crossing the North Atlantic in December, with downwind conditions. This is something we don't often encounter, since we mainly do outbound transatlantics, where we go looking for the trade winds in the South, which make the crossing pleasant. On this return transatlantic, we'll be climbing north of Bermuda and heading back down towards the Azores, in search of winter lows to get back to Europe as quickly as possible. This could resemble a Vendée Globe scenario, where we'll be caught out by strong storms with cold, heavy winds. We could also quickly find ourselves in latitudes close to those of Newfoundland. It's going to be a pretty tough ride !
To respect my body and give it the time it needs to rest and regenerate, without slouching on the sofa. This means keeping physically active, getting a good night's sleep, seeing an osteopath, all the while combining relaxation and disconnection, as well as taking part in fun activities that will keep me in shape. In general, I'll be doing a bit of cycling, wing foiling...
2023
Rolex Fastnet Race - 2nd
Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race - 6th
2017
Transat Jacques Vabre - 9th
2022
Route du Rhum - Winner
2020
The Ocean Race Europe - Winner in VOR65
2019
La Solitaire du Figaro - Winner
2018
Route du Rhum- Destination Guadeloupe - Winner
Dhream Cup - Winner
2016
Championnat de France de Course au Large - 2nd
La Solitaire du Figaro - Winner
2014
Transat AG2R - 2nd
Championnat de France de Course au Large - 2nd
2013
Solitaire du Figaro - Bompard - 4th
2011
Transat Jacques Vabre - 2nd
Architect: Antoine Koch et Finot-Conq
Building: 2022, Multiplast
Launching: 02/22/2023
Lenght: 18,28m
Beam: 5,50m
Draught: 4,50m
Weight: NC
Mast height:29m
Mast type: Mast wing
Foils: yes
Upwind: NC
Downwind:NC
Paprec
French leader in recycling, Paprec is now a key player in global waste management in ten countries (methanization, composting, incineration, management of non-hazardous waste storage facilities). In 25 years, it has grown from 45 to 12,500 employees. The group collects, recycles and recovers 16 million tonnes of waste.
PAPREC, A MAJOR PLAYER IN COMPETITIVE SAILING
With six major victories on the IMOCA circuit in 17 years and five Vendée Globe participations, including four alongside Jean-Pierre Dick, the Paprec Group is one of the major players in sailing sponsorship. It is continuing its adventure on the professional circuit in partnership with Arkea, whose skipper is Yoann Richomme.
At the same time, the group is taking part in the TP52 Superseries regattas, fielding a top-level amateur crew, successfully managed by Stéphane Névé, the group's skipper.
A major player on the ocean racing circuits, Paprec has been the main partner of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec since 2022. It is the eponymous partner of the Transat Paprec, linking Concarneau to the island of Saint-Barthélemy. A major first in this ocean race: mixed pairs.
Arkea
Crédit Mutuel Arkéa is a cooperative group comprising the Crédit Mutuel federations of Bretagne and Sud-Ouest and their member local mutuals, as well as some forty specialized subsidiaries (Fortuneo, Monext, Arkéa Banque Entreprises et Institutionnels, Arkéa Investment Services, Suravenir...). It has over 11,000 employees, 2,600 directors, more than 5.1 million members and customers in bancassurance, and total assets of 189.1 billion euros.
The first banking group to adopt a Raison d'être in 2019, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa became a company with a mission in 2022 and is committed through its "Transitions 2024" strategic plan to practicing finance at the service of territories and their players in order to position itself as the agile and innovative financial partner for the transitions of the future.
To support its sports and cultural sponsorship activities in the group's historic regions of Brittany and the South-West, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa has set up a dedicated subsidiary called Arkéa. Humility and perseverance, team spirit, boldness and ambition are all qualities that Arkéa promotes through its sponsorship activities, in line with the cooperative and collaborative values upheld by Crédit Mutuel Arkéa in its day-to-day activity in favour of financing the real economy, territories and their players.
