Benj's boatyard is easily identified. Marked, as it is, by two, daggerboard era, IMOCAs standing beside its main building.
The patio, outside reception, is adorned, not by a sculpture, or potted plants, but by an original Hugo Boss (as Benj's boat was known, when first raced, by Britain's Alex Thomson) foil. Its significance explained on an inscribed plaque.
Both appendages were replaced, for the 2024 Vendee Globe, with much longer, scimitar shaped items. Reflecting the evolution of design, since her 2015 launch. (Picture from our visit to Les Sables, earlier in the month)
The boat and Benjamin Dutreux are presently at sea. Competing in the Course des Caps race. Which left Boulogne on Sunday, in billows of sea fog. To race around the capes of the United Kingdom, clockwise.
Work at the yard continues, despite the proprietor's absence. Today's spectacle: a heavy displacement cruiser is hauled from the water. Using an hydraulic, jack up, cradle and a telehandler. Her owner (in beige hat and shorts) watching proceedings, fixedly.
Photo Credits
Course des Caps, off to a foggy start. Courtesy of Francois Van Malleghem
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