Zhik are announced as the Official Technical Clothing Parner of IMOCA Paprec Arkéa, hot on the heels of Paprec and Arkéa announcing the joint Vendée Globe campaign with skipper Yoann Richomme.
Yoann (38), an experienced skipper and naval architect, has already won the highly competitive Solitaire du Figaro twice, the 2018 Route du Rhum Class 40 and the 2021 Ocean Race Europe as skipper of the Mirpuri Foundation VO65. He now has his sights now firmly set on the Vendée Globe with a new boat in early design stages. Then comes a gruelling schedule starting in 2023 including the Rolex Fastnet Race, Défi Azimut, Transat Jacques Vabre, transat qualification and the 2024 Transat CIC New York-Vendée, ahead of the Vendée Globe race.
The IMOCA Paprec Arkéa campaign is built on the shared values of performance, innovation and detailed preparation with all its key partners, which aligns neatly with Zhik’s core values of challenging the status quo and creating breakthrough apparel solutions.
Yoann will be kitted out in Zhik’s newest OFS800 and OFS900 Offshore and Ocean ranges throughout his four year campaign, as well as trialling and giving feedback on development garments and fabrics.
“With the IMOCA 60s hitting speeds of 30 knots, Zhik is a natural partner for this project,” explains Yoann. “We plan to enhance our boat’s design for all sea states, however these are boats are wet. So it’s exciting for me to be working with Zhik, a brand which has invested so much time inventing better ways of keep sailors dry and warm in the extremes of ocean racing. It’s the perfect partnership!”
Zhik CEO Piet Poelmann adds, “We are thrilled to be partnering with IMOCA Paprec Arkéa. The Vendée Globe is an extraordinary, unique sporting adventure, that attracts huge global audiences, both online and on the ground, who follow the race with over 115.6m viewers. Yoann is an immensely talented skipper and highly popular in France, which is a large and growing market for Zhik too. We are looking forwards to working closely with Yoann and his team throughout the campaign.”
Click here to find out more about IMOCA Paprec Arkéa.
By Zhik
