The 2012-2013 race started on 10 November 2012 with 20 competitors at the start line. The winner of the race was MACIF skippered by François Gabart who finished on Sunday 27th January, 14:18:40 TU, in a time of 78 days, 2 hours, 16 minutes and 40 seconds.
A number of the yachts feature Gurit materials and engineering in their construction, including third place Hugo Boss (Alex Thompson; Arrival Wednesday 30th January 2013, 07:25:43 TU).
Gurit materials used included SE 84LV, a low temperature cure epoxy prepreg system. SE 84LV’s high compressive strength means it is widely used in large, heavily loaded components such as yacht hulls and spars and has been previously selected for use by various Americas Cup syndicates and boats racing in previous Vendée Globe events. Alongside the materials supplied, Gurit’s engineering team provided services to a number of the teams looking at the best way to optimise their yachts performance by using composite materials in their construction.
The Vendée is a single handed round the world yacht race that first began in 1992. The race sails around the world from west to east via the three major capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn. The 2012-13 race saw the 24-hour singlehanded distance record repeatedly reset by several competitors.
The race is not over for all of the competitors as some still have a considerable distance to go and will cross the finish line in the coming weeks. More information on the race and all the competitors can be found at www.vendeeglobe.org/en
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