We ask prime sailors and marine trade gurus to decide on the good and most progressive yachts of our instances. Guillaume Verdier nominates Olympus Picture
“The late Mike Birch’s Olympus Picture, designed and constructed by Walter Greene, sits on the root of all trendy multis,” says Verdier. “Mike and his boat started the legend of the Route du Rhum and made offshore racing so well-liked. Along with his 12m-long yellow trimaran he beat Michel Malinovsky on his 21m (69ft) monohull Kriter in 1978, by lower than two minutes – extraordinary contemplating they didn’t know one another’s place on the time.
“Greene’s design was a chilly moulded wooden-epoxy coated boat with small longitudinal stringers. On the time it was a really authentic method to construct boats, developed by the Gougeon brothers.”
“I keep in mind watching it on tv (most likely not reside since we had no tv at house then) after I was eight years outdated and had simply accomplished my first crusing camp within the Rade de Brest.”
On this yr’s Route du Rhum, 44 years later, the Verdier-designed 100ft Gitana 17 gained with a brand new document time of 6 days, 19 hours, 47 minutes.
Picture: Jack Garofalo/Paris Match/Getty
Olympus Picture stats score
High velocity: 20 knots
LOA: 12m/39ft 4in
Launched: 1978
Berths: 2
Value: $40,000
Adrenalin issue: 90%
Guillaume Verdier
Guillaume Verdier is without doubt one of the most proficient and profitable naval architects of the fashionable period. He has drawn most of the best IMOCA 60s, each collaborating with VPLP and dealing alone, together with the Ultime Gitana 17, Comanche, and plenty of others. As designer for Emirates Workforce New Zealand he additionally created the AC75 foiling monohull.
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