........."Bagnoles De L'Orne..it is under this name that Didier Levillain set off solo, on June 4th, for the EUROPE 1/New Man STAR Transatlantic Race. It his intention to afterwards enter the QUEBEc-St.MALO Race , June 30th.

The boat: The very latest OUTREMER 45,....
after the ROUTE du RHUM Race, a new challenge for Didier....
 

The boat: the very latest Outremer 45’; after the Rhum, a new challenge for Didier.

Ten hours! In the last Route du Rhum, after a difficult time crossing the Atlantic on an 11.10-m monohull, Didier Levillain was unable to join the ranks, just ten miserable hours late for the deadline!

The tail-ender on his Feeling 10.90, this pure amateur was ready to set off again for the English Transat, but on a faster boat this time, without being disloyal to his resolution to race on a "standard" boat. The owner of a Cité d’Aleth, Didier was already familiar with multihulls. His experience on the Rhum incited him to seek this type of boat to be competitive this time around. "When my routers gave me forecasts, by the time I reached the area the conditions had completely changed. I missed out on all the good options." This is how we can sum up his problems on the Rhum...

Although the Transat is run mostly upwind, the choice of a catamaran seemed obvious for Québec/St-Malo, where downwind sailing is predominant. It seems that this time success should be there, since, at the time we are writing this article, Didier Levillain ranked first in his class (see box).

Bagnoles de l’Orne is No.1 in the new Outremer 45’ series. Although the boat is perfectly standard, a few slight modifications were made for the race. Only the saloon has any amenities, the hulls are empty and devoid of any paint. There is a closet for oilskins at the entrance to the saloon, no davit or windlass, and the rear benchseat in the cockpit is shortened for better access to the winches.

The cockpit is that of a cruising boat, with no special changes to meet the demands of a single-handed race. A helm station is located on either side of the cockpit with motor controls to port. There is very broad visibility. Considering the headroom, however, you have to lower hour head to enter the saloon. All the sheets and centerboard controls, as well as the runners return to a battery of clamcleats and a Lewmar winch 48 ST for the genoa jib and 44 ST for the centerboards. The mast is traditional, fixed, aluminum, with the halyard returns at the mast foot. The use of a gennaker headsail and a self-tacking 7/8 solent require the presence of two sets of runners. The full-batten mainsail with a large roach is mounted on trolleys.

Compared to the rest of the Outremer range, the 45’ differs for its increased volume and load capacity, so it can accommodate five or six people pleasantly for a long journey. The shape of the roof is that of the 50 Light, but the shape of the hulls was designed with very thin, tulip-shaped leading edges. Sailing with other models revealed the improvement in this new design. The 45’ displaces far less water and there is less shower at the stem. The shape of the centerboards has also been revised and those on the 45’ are thinner.

The chart table is next to the saloon and the galley is across from it, along the side of the cockpit. Very well ventilated with several opening hatches, the saloon is well lit and functional. It is very easy to climb down into the hulls.

With the boat empty, powerfully rigged with a mast over 18 meters high, the 45’ takes off instantly. The mainsail roach is larger than the standard sail, for an increase of 7 m2 over the standard 73 m2 Twisting is somewhat delicate, but the power is there. With the 33-m2 self-tacking solent, for a total upwind area of 113 m2, the Outremer display impressive upwind heading, and the speedometer exceeded 11 knots at 45° with 17 knots true wind. The weather conditions and incomplete adjustment of the mast prevented us from raising the gennaker. But with the mainsail/solent configuration, reaching, we exceeded 14 knots at 110° Just barely changing the adjustments, the tacking was clear. As with most boats, gaining speed required bearing away and opening the adjustments.

At the helm, the boat responds quickly, while remaining flexible, so steering is not particularly tiring. It should be noted, for aficionados, that the Outremer 45’ can be delivered with a tiller rather than a wheel.

There can be no doubt that the term "fast cruising" is made for the Outremer 45’.

With this unit, which should be as much a delight for those wishing to sail round the world as for those who prefer summer cruises, the Outremer shipyard, recently awarded a prize in the United States for their 55’, have designed an elegant, attractive and efficient boat, while also respecting the safety standards necessary for sailing on the high seas for a very competitive price.

It was at 6:58 GMT last June 27 that Didier Levillain on Bagnoles de l’Orne cross the finish line for the English Transat, after some very anxiety-ridden hours spent slaloming on the sandbanks of Nantucket between trawlers and pots at more than 12 knots, with less than 100 yards visibility.

Yet Bagnoles de l’Orne, the first multihull in class III and the only catamaran engaged in this Transat, was not a favorite at the start. Catamarans suffer indeed from a bad reputation for their ability to sail upwind, and there were many knowing smiles when it was learned of her participation.

But Didier, after his experience in the last Route du Rhum, wanted to be a part of this legendary Transat race on a standard cruising boat, without losing too much contact with the leaders.

Bagnoles de l’Orne is the very first Outremer 45’, the new design straight off Gérard Danson’s drawing board this year.

Didier Levillain wished to be able to put his boat up for rental between the races in which he will be taking part in coming years (including Québec/St-Malo in late July!). His aim was for Bagnoles de l’Orne to remain a true standard cruising catamaran, with no less than three double and one triple cabins, and two fine bathrooms! The slimming operation did not go very far for the Europe 1/New Man Star race, since Didier preferred a wide range of prepared meals and other canned foods over the freeze-dried meals most racers chose. In Plymouth, his boat’s cozy interior stood out notably from the rest of the contenders.

The new boat from Outremer did not benefit from a long adjustment period, less than 40 days between her launch and the start of the Transat were barely enough for Didier to qualify, have the boat convoyed from La Grande Motte (on the Mediterranean) to Plymouth and install the regulation safety equipment. During the convoy to Plymouth, Didier encountered nothing but upwind conditions, a good introduction for the coming race!

The search for offwind winds having led her to the Azores, the catamaran on arrival logged more than 3,700 nautical miles, more than 900 miles more than her opponents who stuck to the direct route. But this strategy was not successful, since Didier was never able to sail other than close-hauled, except perhaps for a few hours on the last day, when he was finally able to hoist the gennaker! Never had the North Atlantic been so much swept by West winds and Didier lost count of the number of depressions he went through.

Despite all this, Bagnoles de l’Orne accomplished a near feat, had it not been for her torn jib the previous week that forced her to sail under mainsail alone for three days, she would likely have finished in the wake of the first class 2s.

Revenche in Québec.

On the way back, Didier signed up for the Classic Québec-St-Malo full-crew race, during which he hopes to be able to sail downwind at last! This time, he’ll be in the smallest boat participating, but most certainly intends to play the spoilsport in the big league!

SPECIFICATIONS

Designer: Gérard Danson
Shipyard: Atelier Outremer
Materials: OCS System (polyester hulls, sandwich roof and deck, honeycomb)
Hull length: 13.70 m
Waterline length: 13.65 m
Overall beam: 7.20 m
Draft low centerboards: 2.25 m
Draft high centerboards: 0.60 m
Clearance: 20.20 m
Light displacement: 6.1 t
Max. load displacement: 8.5 t
Mainsail: 73 m2 (3 reefs)
Furler genoa: 33 m2

CONFORT :
Berths: 4/10
Fresh water: 2 x 220 l.
Diesel fuel: 2 x 120 l.
Motors: 2 x 28 CV.
Propellers: folding
Cruising motor speed: 2 600 rpm
Cruising speed: 8 knots at 2 600 rpm
12V batteries: 2 + 3

Atelier Outremer – 726, av Robert Fages – 34280 La Grande Motte (France) – 
Tel.: +33(0)4 67 56 02 63 - Fax: +33(0)4 67 56 15 47

Some Figures : in cm.

Berth in fore cabin: 120 x 200 cm
Berth in aft cabin: 140 (or 160) x 200 cm
Table seating capacity: 6/8
Galley: 130 x 150 cm
Cockpit area: 8.5 m2
Headroom
Entrance to net, door: 160 cm
Middle of saloon: 206 cm
Galley: 200 cm
Chart table: 182 cm
Galleries: 205 cm
Fore cabin: 195 cm
Aft cabin: 200 cm
Toilet/Shower: 192 cm
Height under the net (half-load displacement): 81 cm

Comparisons