Pressure is slowly mounting on the pontoons of Saint-Malo in the run-up to the start of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, a legendary solo transatlantic race, on 4th November. After arriving in the buccaneering town halfway through the week, Lalou Roucayrol and the Multi50 Arkema are now getting into the swing of things. Lalou Roucayrol and his team are making the most of these last few days to present Arkema’s know-how, and offer many skippers the “Kit à Partir “, a repair kit developed through collaboration between the Arkema Group, its adhesives specialist subsidiary Bostik, and Team Lalou Multi.
On the starting-blocks
The Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe is the major event of the season for ... 123 skippers! A record participation for the greatest solo transatlantic race!
With this, his fourth participation in the race in the wake of three podium places, it is as an experienced skipper that Lalou Roucayrol has been able to anticipate the pace of the very last preparations. These are busy days, punctuated by requests from the race organizer and from the general public, last-minute preparations to the boat, and get-togethers with partners or with the media. “We arrived in Saint-Malo on Wednesday evening 24th October” says Lalou. “We had a great ferry journey from Verdon-sur-Mer to Brittany, sailing at 25-30 knots under pilot … The boat was flying! We tested all the sails, and are very happy with the way our automatic pilot works. We are now in the swing of things, with various people approaching us to request information, which is to be expected and is part and parcel of the job! We managed to keep two days entirely free next week, so I’ll be able to keep away from the fuss and excitement in the harbor. I can also rely on my fabulous team who are taking care of the final preparations on the boat.”
« Kit à Partir »: an emergency repair kit for sailboats
Making the most of the presence of the greatest professional skippers and their teams in Saint-Malo, Team Arkema - Lalou Multi has devised a kit especially for the skippers taking part in the race, to help them cope with any needs for bonding or repair that may arise at sea.
Lalou Roucayrol tells us about the idea behind the kit: “This ‘Kit à partir’ comprises adhesives and sealants, selected on the basis of past experiences of Team Arkema - Lalou Multi members. These so-called structural grab adhesives are suitable for countless repairs, in both immersed and submerged conditions. We are also proposing the Elium® resin in the form of a recyclable composite sheet, which will help skippers fill or plug a hole in the hull, even below the water line. We are very happy to be able to share these products with the other Route du Rhum skippers, and look forward to their feedback when we all get to Guadeloupe.”
We are delighted to have put this kit together for the launch of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe. These adhesives, tried and tested in real conditions, are easy to use and are suitable for many circumstances; this also enables us to showcase the quality of Bostik and Arkema products for sailing.
The result of close collaboration between the Arkema Group’s R&D team and Team Lalou Multi’s construction team, these SAF® adhesives from Bostik and this Elium® recyclable resin have in particular allowed Lalou Multi to build the world’s first boat from recyclable composite, the Mini 6.50 Arkema 3, as well as to assemble by bonding some components of the Multi50 Arkema. They will also feature (quite naturally) on the construction program of the new latest generation 50 ft trimaran, Arkema 4, announced in the spring of 2018 by Arkema and Team Lalou Multi!
Click here to download the “Kit à Partir” explanatory leaflet (in French).