The two brains behind the French team are no strangers to the sailing scene: Loick was the first to cross the finish line at the Barcelona World Race in 2011. He has also won the Orma Championship, which is contested on large trimarans, several times. Brother Bruno also has some multihull experience: He was the first person to sail around the world in under 80 days. He later set his own record, completing the circumnavigation in just 50 days on the Monstercat Orange II.
The high boat speeds place special demands on functional clothing: splash water must be reliably kept out without restricting the freedom of movement required on a large cat. Marinepool believes it is ideally positioned for this: "We will meet with the team after the event in Cascais to establish the key points for the development of the new collection. Our experience from the Extreme Sailing Series will stand us in good stead. The Cup has become much more athletic thanks to the new boats, so the demands on the clothing are increasing. Our designers then get to work to create the ideal outfits. These will then be available to everyone," reports Robert Stark, CEO and founder of Marinepool.
The 34th America's Cup begins on 6 August in Cascais, Portugal, with the races of the so-called World Series. It is held on 45-foot cats with wing masts. The actual Cup is then sailed on 72-foot twin-hulls.
The contact was made on the fringes of the 2010 Louis Vuiton Trophy in Dubai. Marinepool had already supported the event. "We met the Peyrons there and it was a good fit, which is how the collaboration came about," says Stark.
