News On 7 November in Les Sables d'Olonne, Hublot will be present on the starting line for the Vendée Globe 2004. With the vessel of Genevan yachtsman Dominique Wavre.
Hublot is hoisting its sails and returning to its origins by sponsoring the magnificent 60-foot yacht sailed by Dominique Wavre in the greatest adventure in solo ocean racing, the Vendée Globe 2004 - around the World (26,800 nautical miles) with no stops nor assistance.
The preparation for such a solo voyage closely resembles the creation of a precision watch. Everything has to be thought out, calculated and meticulously planned with infinite precision to achieve the lightness and strength to face any challenge:
- Sail handling (more than 1,100m²), the size of three 10-room city apartments,
- More than 2 kilometres of cordage,
- Preparing meals for three months (everything is freeze-dried, like in a spacecraft, to save weight on board),
- Manufacturing the one and only bunk, 140 cm long and curved so that it is not comfortable enough for sleeping too long (between 10 and 45 minutes when everything is going well),
- Planning a specific high-tech IT equipment required for such a voyage,
- A 47-horsepower engine that is only used to recharge the self-steering and provide electricity for the on-board computer,
- Organising a water maker (60 additional litres of fresh water must be carried on board in case of a breakdown, otherwise the sails man would have to collect fresh rain water),
- Climbing a 30-metre mast alone in rough seas, the height of an 8-storey building.
These are just some of the tiny details that go into the phenomenal preparation for this legendary ocean race - the Vendée Globe. So Hublot is proud to be associated with this man's exploit, alone at sea and master of his boat and life for around three months, with no stops and no assistance.
Hublot is also proud to lend its image to a project that combines fundamental values with high-level sport and extreme adventure, by funding a scientific and medical research project, coordinated by Ferdinando Battistella, working at the Legnano Hospital and Director of the Biotechnology Centre, near Milan.
Throughout the Vendée Globe, Dominique Wavre will wear around his torso a 6-centimetre wide latex belt linked to a computerised telemetry system, a prototype not yet on the market, to carry out biomedical tests to help manage physical and mental performance and to assess the functioning of anti-physiological forces in real time.
These tests will be used to make the necessary modifications and improve performance levels by avoiding the emergence of pathologies, such as stress management without resorting to medicines, body temperature management by creating ultra-high-tech clothing for extreme temperature conditions, as well as studying the potential of high-endurance sail materials, etc.
For the past year Hublot has also been sponsoring a yacht, the Grand Soleil 44R "Hublot Diva", the crew of which is composed not only of sailors, but also of doctors and researchers who take part in all the biggest regattas in the Mediterranean (Copa del Rey in Palma de Mallorca, the IMS world championship in Capri, etc), transforming this extraordinary yacht into a veritable floating scientific research laboratory.
Next rendez-vous: 7 November 2004 for the start in Les Sables d’Olonne (France).
October 26, 2004
