Marc Thiercelin/Pro-Form Website - Übersicht Profisegler Marc Thiercelin French lebt in La Rochelle 44, born on the 29th October 1960 Married, two children Boat : Pro-Form 3rd time he is taking part in the Vendée Globe Leitmotto: Watch out for Marc! Having already clocked up two Vendée Globes and one Around Alone, Marc Thiercelin figures among the most experienced single-handed round the world yachtsmen. Single-handedly at the age of 44, he has covered 240,000 miles (470 000 km ) of all the world’s oceans. Originally from Northern Brittany, he moved gradually towards ocean racing and has never looked back. Unusually, he does not have the face of an ocean adventurer and does not try to adopt the look of a long-distance voyager. No, Marc Thiercelin, a natural born sailor, is really down to earth, which sets him in good stead for his trips out to sea. It was in 1991 that he got his first taste of single-handed sailing during the Mini-Transat, an event contended on little 6.50 m boats and the perfect training ground for ocean racers. The die was cast, the sailing artist began to sketch out a new future for himself as a champion sailor. The call of the southern seas After participating five times in the Figaro single-handed event, a great school for solo racers, Marc began to dream of the southern seas. Determined to take part in the 96-97 Vendée Globe, he shifted heaven and earth to experience the great adventure at sea. « Captain Mark », a nickname from the nautical snakes and ladders game he developed to finance his project, had to struggle hard. He was bent on finishing… and coming in well placed if possible. « I tackled this first round the world trip like a novice, he said at the time. I’m trying to find my way in the dark to get to know how best to handle my boat. It’s down to me to do it». Marc did not need to look for long: not only did he complete this round the world trip, but he finished second in a highly eventful race, racked by violent weather in the deep south. Marc returned a Cape Horner, he was smitten. He set about the construction of a Finot-Conq, which was to become an old faithful. This monohull is rather like her skipper. She is simple, basic… almost minimalist. With this boat, he was to finish third in Around Alone and fourth in the last Vendée Globe. Marc thought about giving up on races that were reserved for the top single-handed sailors. He even swore there was no going back! He planned to set up a French project to organise a race for crews around the oceans with stopovers. He went back to the single-handed Figaro circuit, where he showed everyone that you could not teach an old sea dog new tricks about weather patterns. That was until the Globe virus got hold of him again. He chose this time to use an old Lombard design, Catherine Chabaud’s ex-Whirlpool, that he remodelled with his three time round the world skills. So here is Marc once again, and with all the experience he has and his perseverance, he is surely someone that must be taken seriously. He never gives up and he has truly made single-handed sailing his business! Segelerfolge: 2004 - The Transat : 6th aboard Pro-Form AG2R Transatlantic race, Lorient-St Barth on a Figaro and double-handed with Eric Drouglazet : 7th 2003 - Solitaire du Figaro: 7th 2001-02 - Tour de France a la Voile aboard «Cinéma» Kenzo 2000-01 - Vendée Globe : 4th 1999 - Transat Jacques Vabre : 5th with Barnard Mallaret (on Somewhere) 1998-99 - Around Alone (single-handed around the world with stopovers) : 2nd (on Somewhere) 1997 - Transat Jacques Vabre : 2nd with Dominique Wavre (on Somewhere) 1996-97 - Vendée Globe : 2nd on Crédit Immobilier de France 1992-97 - On a Figaro 23 Grand Prix 5 Figaro single-handed events (92-93-94-95-97) 1st in two legs of the Solitaire du Figaro in 1994 and 1997 2 AG2R Transatlantic races 92 and 96 1st in the Cross-Channel race 93 Member of the French champion crew 94 3rd Porquerolles Mediterranean 94 4th in the Figaro in 1994 (50 boats) 5th in the Figaro in 1995 (55 boats) 1991 - A year in Mini-Transat 6.50 Victory in the Transgascogne race Mini-Fastnet Mini-Transat (Douarnenez - Fort de France) 1990 - Victory in the Nioulargue. 1st Transatlantic race 1988-1990 - Professional Skipper aboard Cirrus, a 15-metre racing monohull. He used it above all for a Children’s Sailing School and to sail between Brittany and England. Web Site http://www.captainmarck.com Pro-Form Sail N° : 17 Presentation: Back in top form! The boat was designed in 1998 by Marc Lombard for Catherine Chabaud and her sponsor, Whirlpool. She was then sold in 2001 and adopted Tiscali’s colours with the late Italian skipper Simone Bianchetti. At her launch, she was the first major alternative to all the Finot-Conq designs, which achieved world champion status in single-handed round the world racing. She inspired others, as can be seen with the construction of her sister ship Sill (Roland Jourdain-now Alex Thomson´s Hugo Boss) and the birth of Kingfisher (Ellen Mac Arthur- now Skandia, Nick Moloney). Less beamy, and fitted with a roof, which juts out from a rounded deck, to help her right herself if she capsizes, she is also fitted with a swing keel and two daggerboards to allow her to achieve the best performance upwind. Her adaptability and power were the first two qualities to please Marc Thiercelin, who really wanted to embark on a fourth trip around the world at the helm of a boat capable of coping with all the different weather conditions. This did not stop her new skipper adding his own personal "simplistic" touch! After a lot of work on the old Whirlpool, the following elements remain: the hull and deck structure /compartments, the keel with its tungsten base, the rudders and daggerboards. The interior of the boat has been completely changed: gone is the galley, the sink, the bunks, the chart table, and instead there is minimalism in grey, white, black and red! After drastic measures to reduce the weight, the whole of the boat has found an interesting balance for a racing boat in her eighth year thanks to the changes carried out by an experienced skipper. This particular monohull and sailor pairing are in top form and on the road to gold! Technical Specifications Architect: Marc Lombard Boatyard: Mag France Materials: Carbon / Kevlar / Honeycomb / Epoxy sandwich Launch: August 1998 Mileage: 70,000 Previous names and skippers: Whirlpool with Catherine Chabaud, Tiscali with the late Simone Bianchetti. LOA: 18.28 m Beam: 5.56 m Draught: 4.50 m Tonnage: 8.6 t Upwind sail area: 300 m2 Downwind sail area: 600 m2 Keel: swing, can be angled up to 40° Appendages: 2 rudders, 2 retractable carbon dagger board Rigging: 28 m carbon fibre/epoxy/PBO mast and double spreaders Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE