VITALIA / Ex-ORANGE II 110 miles on board the majestic vessel, Vitalia

There are certain multihulls that we hold dear to our hearts. They have allowed us to become intoxicated by the ocean, to savour the taste of adventure, to win races, or sometimes even to survive. That said, only a few exceptional models manage to rewrite maritime history before disappearing from public view. Orange II is one example of this type of machine which overcame enormous difficulties on the racecourse with masterful ease and has outlasted her short-lived fame. Her potential, and design and build quality are such that she remains the only catamaran to still be competitive when put up against the latest-generation of trimarans. Now she has been majestically reborn under the name of Vitalia, the fastest cruising boat in the world!

The Jules Verne Trophy (or the fantastic ride of Orange II’s 14 crew)

Bruno Peyron’s objective in Vannes, France on December 22nd 2003 was to launch a performance multihull which would not be surpassed for the next five years, and to win the Jules Verne Trophy (Round the World record, fully crewed, via the Great Capes). The maxi cat is 3.50 meters longer than her predecessor,Orange I and weighs an extra 10 tonnes, but has a mast 6m higher and carries an extra 200m² of sail upwind (and 600 downwind!). She flies a hull in 13 knots of true wind, and the target speed upwind climbed to 21 knots. Gilles Ollier concentrated all his 25 years’ naval architecture in multihulls into this boat! After 35 Atlantic crossings and a promotional trip around the world for the ultimate race which he came up with (The Race), Bruno, from La Baule in Brittany, two-times holder of the Jules Verne record, was hungry for more! His new record-hunting catamaran made two attempts in 2004, having to return after 24 hours (due to a defective crashbox), and then off Cape Verde again (for a broken propshaft) the second time. In 2005, Cheyenne’s Atlantic record (she was 38.10m with her extensions) was within ha...