Nexans boards with skipper Fabrice Amedeo

Nexans and Fabrice Amedeo, a focus on oceanographic research

Aboard his monohull, the skipper installed oceanographic sensors that collect valuable analysed data and then make it available to the international scientific community to help it gain a better understanding of the impacts of global warming and pollution on the oceans. Taking part in the Vendée Globe for the third time, Fabrice Amedeo wishes to expand his eco-citizen approach by travelling the oceans without fossil fuels, aboard a boat powered and driven by wind, water and the sun.

First scientific results of the samples collected in the Atlantic

During the last ‘Vendée Globe’, a singlehanded round the world yacht race, French skipper Fabrice Amedeo collected 53 samples using the microplastics sensor fitted aboard his Nexans – Art & Fenêtres sailboat.

This study, led by three French institutes: Ifremer, the University of Bordeaux and the IRD (a public research institution), reveals that the surface water of the Atlantic Ocean is twice as polluted by cellulose fibres as it is by microplastics. This study, based on measurements taken from an offshore race boat, also shows that the North Atlantic is more affected by plastic pollution than the South Atlantic and questions the dynamics of the subtropical gyre (area with a high concentration of microplastics) since the pollution levels measured there are lower than expected.

Nexans aeronautics-grade cables on board

Involved in an ambitious project by IMOCA Nexans – Art & Fenêtres, Fabrice Amedeo and his team are working to complete the installation of the new C-foils before the launch. This work involves refurbishing all of the vessel's operating systems. For electronics, Nexans has developed all the monohull’s wiring, making it lighter and more efficient.

Before taking to the sea again and re-experiencing the excitement of departure and the thrill of the race, a few weeks ago, they were working in the shade on a painstaking but essential task. The Nexans - Art & Fenêtres teams mobilised to structurally strengthen the vessel and also to equip it with more efficient electronics and autopilots before the launch planned for mid-April 2022.

Fabrice Amedeo's IMOCA was launched on April 18, 2022 in Lorient. This is the culmination of four months of hard work by the team, and a return to their roots, to the ocean. The sea outings will now follow one another before a first appointment: the Bermuda 1000 Race, the first race of a season that promises to be rich in promise.