Maxi Banque Populaire V then Spindrift 2 then Sails of Change

Banque Populaire V was built for Pascal Bidégorry at JMV Industries in Cherbourg and at the new CDK Technologies yard in Lorient, a special shed being built for the occasion. VPLP’s remit was to design the largest racing multihull ever built (40 metres long) which a crew could sail anywhere in the world, without compromising on speed and power.

Banque Populaire wanted to build a multihull sailing boat which could beat all the major records. And they achieved their goal, because Maxi Banque Populaire V broke the Transatlantic Sailing Record (less than four days), the 24 Hour Distance Record (more than 900 nautical miles), the Transmediterranean Sailing Record and, with skipper Loïck Peyron, won the Jules Verne Trophy in 2012.

Sold in 2013 to Yann Guichard and Dona Bertarelli, Banque Populaire V was renamed Spindrift 2. The following year Yann Guichard sailed her single-handed in the Route du Rhum! Securing second place behind Loïck Peyron was an immense achievement. Since then, she has made three unsuccessful attempts at the Jules Verne Trophy and, in April 2021, after a refit and shortening, she went back in the water under a new name, Sails of Change.