GROUPE SOFAP-HELVIM

[aukepalmhof]

The problems with race yachts and her history, she are mostly for every race renamed by the sponsor of the yacht. Also not an expert on yachts it is difficult to follow the career of a yacht. All additional info welcome.

Built as an “Open Class mono hull” yawl rigged yacht by CDK, Port la Forét, France for the Frenchman Jean-Luc van den Heeden for the single handed round the world race Vendée Globe, starting and finishing in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
Designed by Philippe Harlé and Alain Mortain.
June 1991 launched.
Displacement 8,500 kg. dim. 18.28 x 3.80m., sail area 170 sq. meters.
Delivered under the name GROUPE SOFAP-HELVIM.

She participated in the Vendée Globe Challenge race of 1992/93, under skipper Jean-Luc van den Heeden, she left Les Sables d’Olonne, France on 22 November 1992 and returned on 19 March 1993.
She finished second overall in 116 days, 15 hour and 01minutes.

1994/95 She took part in the BOC Challenge single handed yacht race from Charleston, Carolina to Cape Town, Sydney, Punta del Este back to Charleston
Under skipper Jean-Luc van den Heede and the name VENDEE ENTERPRISES.
Finished third overall in 129 days.

1996/97 She took part again in the Vendée Globe race under skipper Catherine Chabaud and renamed in WHIRLPOOL-EUROPE 2
She finished sixth overall in 140 days, 04 hour and 38 minutes.

1998 Took part in the Route du Rhum the race from France to Guadeloupe, she finished as 2nd, under which name and skipper I could not find.

2000/01 Again used in the Vendée Globe race under skipper Joé Seeten and the name CHOCOLATE DU MONDE.
She finished tent overall in 115 days, 16 hours and 46 minutes.

2004/05 Again a participant in the Vendée Globe race under skipper Karen Leibovici and the name BENEFIC.
She finished thirteenth overall in 126 days, 8 hours and 02 minutes.

It is also given that Dame Ellen McArthur sailed her, but could not find when and under which name.

2010 She is for sale under the name CIGARE ROUGE asking price 140,000 Euro.

Abandoned in La Rochelle
Since 2005, the yacht continued to interest skippers to take part in races, but no budget was secured and the yacht remained alongside the quay.

Faced with unpaid debts, the badly-paying owner was forced to accept a forced auction. Jean-Marie Patier, an amateur with a Route du Rhum project, became the new owner.

French Southern and Antarctic Territories 1992 2f20 sg296, scott 167. (Stanley Gibbons gives the name GROUPE SAFAP-HELVIM)

Source: Various web-sites. Watercraft Philately.

[FrenchShips]

In 98 Route du Rhum as Algimouss Skipper VDH (Jean-Luc Van den Heede, but in France known as VDH)
Jean-Louis
http://www.philateliemarine.fr/