© Jean-Marie Liot/PRB

PRB

When Vincent Riou commissioned this boat, he had one overriding caveat: no compromises on speed. He had enormous experience sailing IMOCAs, and he wanted an extreme machine. Optimized from keel to truck, PRB was laid up in the same mould as Safran, her hard-chined hull having almost vertical sides. However her rigging was radically different with a rotating wing-mast supported by outriggers.

© Benoît Stichelbaut/PRB

PRB was designed with solo racing and circumnavigating in mind, in particular her deck layout. She was built in three different yards and assembled by CDK Technologies, resulting in one of the lightest IMOCAs ever built. Twice champion of the Transat Jacques Vabre (2013, 2015), PRB was optimized relentlessly throughout her career. In 2018 Juan Kouyoumdjian had her fitted with foils and raced her to fourth place in the Route du Rhum.

© Yann Riou/polaRYSE

In 2019 she was briefly named Arkéa Paprec and, under the command of Sébastien Simon, claimed victory in the Bermudes 1000 Race before reverting to PRB for the second half of the season when she made second place in the Transat Jacques Vabre with Kevin Escoffier at the helm. Serious damage suffered in the 2020 Vendée Globe brought her career to an abrupt end, sinking in a very short space of time. Fortunately her skipper Kevin Escoffier was recovered safely.

Launched

2010

Category

Imoca

Architect

VPLP Design /
Verdier

Builder

CDK Technologies

Materials

carbon

Length

18,28 m

Beam

5,50 m

Draft

4,50 m

Air Draft

29,00 m

Propulsion

sail

Sail Area

300 m² / 600 m²

Achievements

2013: 1st in the Transat Jacques Vabre (PRB, Vincent Riou & Jean Le Cam)

2015: 1st in the Transat Jacques Vabre (PRB, Vincent Riou & Sébastien Col)

2015: 2nd in The Transat (PRB, Vincent Riou)

2019: 1st in the Bermudes 1000 Race (Arkéa Paprec, Sébastien Simon)

2019: 2nd in the Transat Jacques Vabre (PRB, Kevin Escoffier & Nicolas Lunven)