Vendée Globe 2028. Sébastien Simon and Dubreuil launch the construction of a new boat designed by architect Guillaume Verdier

3rd in the last Vendée Globe,  skipper Sébastien Simon will line up for the Vendée Globe 2028 at the helm of a new boat. The skipper and his sponsor, the Dubreuil group from Vendée, have chosen the architect Guillaume Verdier. Launch date: August 2026.

Sébastien Simon, 3rd of the 2024 Vendée Globe, and his sponsor, the Dubreuil Group from Vendée, had a choice between buying a high-performance, latest-generation Imoca or building a new one. After a few weeks’ consideration, it was the second option that was chosen.
The new Imoca will be designed by Guillaume Verdier. “We’ve built up a relationship of trust with Guillaume Verdier and his teams since we acquired the boat in 2023 (the former 11th Hour 2),” explains the skipper. It gives us an excellent point of comparison for designing a new boat. Starting from a base we know and which has proved its worth, our aim is to go even further in terms of performance“.

 

 

Built in England

She will be built at the Carrington Boats yard in Southampton, England, and will be launched in August 2026 in Les Sables-d’Olonne, ahead of her first major event: the Route du Rhum 2026.

“We had initially favored French shipyards, but there were already six boats under construction,” continues Sébastien Simon. For our part, we had the opportunity to sell our boat quickly, and we wanted to be able to do the Route du Rhum. So we needed a shipyard that was available quickly and had experience in building IMOCAs, which are very special boats. Carrington has built some magnificent boats with impeccable finishes, such as the former Hugo Boss and Holcim-PRB. Their expertise in prototype racing boats proved to be the ideal choice“.

The new Imoca is scheduled to arrive at the Groupe Dubreuil Sailing Team yard in Les Sables d’Olonne in May 2026, and to be launched in August. The former Imoca Groupe Dubreuil has just been sold to Canadian skipper Scott Shawyer, who plans to take part in The Ocean Race Europe in August and September 2025.

Schedule and program

From April 2025: design, construction

May 2026: delivery of the platform (hull, bulkheads, deck) to the Groupe Dubreuil Sailing Team yard in Les Sables d’Olonne.

May – August 2026: installation of electronics, hydraulics and fittings

June 2026: Delivery of the mast

August 2026: launch of Dubreuil’s new IMOCA

November 2026: Route du Rhum

November 2027: Transat Café l’Or

November 2028: Vendée Globe

Source: @Ouest France