Dance of the multihulls

The Bassin Paul Vatine at its splendid best. Alongside the quays, the skippers are busy with their preparations for the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, providing a unique spectacle for the crowds thronging the port, eager to take a closer look at the impressive IMOCA Class 60-footers.

A rainbow of liveries

Each boat is decked out in its distinctive colors and visual identity. Artemis, Brit Air, Foncia, Mike Golding Yacht Racing and W Hotels have opted for the sober touch, with plenty of white and little in the way of flights of fancy.

If flights of fancy are what you’re after, then take a look at “1876”, whose red hull sports a shower of stars. Groupe Bel has an incrustation of the Vache qui Rit, the famous laughing cow, on its sail, while Aviva boasts an eye-catching predominantly yellow color scheme. BT, meanwhile, has gone for a riot of polka-dotted sails and hull alike.

Le Havre is the Yachting world’s showcase for another two days, giving everyone a chance of a close-up look at these oceangoing Formula 1s. Next, they’re bound for Costa Rica.

Steven Lambert