Joyon IS "that one French guy". His sponsor, IDEC, helped him build this custom monster tri after the accidental demolition of his previous boat. His last one was an old ORMA trimaran (I believe) that he converted to single handed sailing. This is his first real big money boat.
I have always wondered if that was really an "accident". [/quote]
It was an accident. He felt asleep after the finish line of the transatlantic record and on his way home, La trinite. Brittany tip is a very dangerous area: strong tides and currents, rocks everywhere.
His old Tri was not an ORMA. It was the previous Olivier de Kersauzon boat. 90 feet long. All preparation was made by himself and no crew to help him for his records attempts. The guy is amazing. He has a long story of fixing sailing machines and racing without sponsors.
What is the best with this one is that all the energy on board is provided by solar/wind. No engine. He is proving that records and races can be done on sailboat without an engine running for energy.
