Profile

Yoann Richomme, a talented and experienced skipper, is steering the new IMOCA Paprec Arkéa. At 40 years old, the naval architect has a long list of victories on various solo and crewed offshore racing circuits. Twice winner of the Solitaire du Figaro in 2016 and 2019 and twice winner of the Route du Rhum in 2018 and 2022 in Class40, Yoann is known for his meticulous preparation, his extraordinary endurance and his tactical lucidity.

Achievements

2024

  • New York Vendée - Les Sables d'Olonne

    7th
  • The Transat CIC

    1st

2023

  • Retour à la Base

    1st
  • Transat Jacques Vabre - 2nd

    2nd
  • Rolex Fastnet Race - 2nd

    2nd
  • Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race - 6th

    6th

2022

  • Route du Rhum - Class40

    1st
  • Normandie Channel Race - Class40

    2nd
  • Dhream Cup - Class40

    4th

2020

  • 40 Malouine Lamott - Class40

    2nd

2021

  • The Ocean Race Europe - 1st (VOR65)

    1st

2019

  • Solitaire du Figaro - 1st

    1st
  • Transat Jacques Vabre

    15e

2018

  • Route du Rhum - 1st (Class40)

    1st
  • Dhream Cup - Class40

    1st

2017

  • Transat Jacques Vabre

    9th

2016

  • French Elite Ocean Racing Championship

    2nd
  • Solitaire du Figaro

    1st

2014

  • Transat AG2R

    2nd

2013

  • French Elite Ocean Racing Championship

    2nd
  • Transat Jacques Vabre - Class40

    7th
  • Solitaire du Figaro

    4th

2011

  • Normandie Channel Race - Class40

    3rd
  • Transat Jacques Vabre - Class40

    2nd

PAPREC ARKÉA

  • Architect : Antoine Koch et Finot-Conq
  • Construction : 2022, Multiplast
  • Launch date : 22 Février 2023
  • Lenght : 18,28 m
  • Beam : 5,5 m
  • Draught : 4,5 m
  • Mast height : 29 m

Paprec

The group was founded and has been run since its foundation by the Petithuguenin family. As France's leading recycling company, Paprec is now a major player in the production of green energy and waste treatment. In 25 years, it has grown from 45 to 16,000 employees in more than 300 sites in ten countries.

Arkéa

Crédit Mutuel Arkéa is a cooperative bank-insurance group, made up of the Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne and Sud-Ouest federations, as well as around forty specialised subsidiaries (Fortuneo, Suravenir, etc.). Not listed on the stock exchange, Arkéa is owned by its members, who are both customers and shareholders, and operates democratically on a ‘one person, one vote’ basis. Headquartered in Brest, Arkéa has a strong presence in Brittany and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, with more than 350 sales outlets. Arkéa offers a wide range of banking, insurance, real estate and connected services and employs more than 11,000 people. Arkéa is a committed partner in social and environmental change, supporting the real economy and the projects of its members.

Commitment

Habitat et Humanisme

Habitat et Humanisme fights social exclusion through housing, helping people to become self-sufficient and recreating links between residents. Arkéa already supports this cause, which is why the Paprec Arkéa team wanted to support them too. Builders of links, Habitat et Humanisme works passionately for inclusive housing and a more caring society.

Commitment

Humanité et Biodiversité

Paprec supports Humanité et Biodiversité and the Team wanted to join them in this commitment. Through its solidarity actions, this association promotes the preservation of biodiversity in society.  In 2023, for example, they ran workshops highlighting the importance of wetlands, a health webinar and a wildlife café debate, in addition to getting involved in various environmental causes.

News & media

It was pretty unexpected because the run in between the ridge and the ITCZ has been quite short and so I was not even looking at beating because I thought it would be less than 500 miles but apparently it was enough and it is my main pleasure to beat Nico Lunven in life (jokes). It is good, I really pushed hard, I wanted to catch the guys in front because I am really afraid of a breakaway near Brazil and so I thought I could cover some miles on that day and it worked out. It is not paying off too much right now as I am stuck in a light spot and have been here for three hours doing three or four knots. And so the thing is maybe if there was a hundred or so miles of breeze it could have been a good number of miles more.
If we do get into a warm front in front of a cold front on a flat sea I think the crewed record is doable because I don’t think it matters too much if you are solo or crewed for a few miles it does, we can get a lot closer to the crewed record. But you have to have the right conditions so let us see if that happens. I feel most of these boats have these kind of speeds now.