Gilles Ruffet / Route du Rhum

Why Cotonella ?

Although there are other boats on the second-hand market, Cotonella is unquestionably the fastest (let’s be the first to book its!).
Skippered by Franco Mansoli, the present owner, this trimaran won the OSTAR, the mythical English Transatlantic race from Plymouth (GB) to Newport (USA), in 2005 (race won by Eric Tabarly in 1964 aboard Pen Duick 2). Cotonella also won the last Route du Rhum, in Class 3, skippered by Pierre Antoine. Under the name ‘Imagine - Institut des Maladies Génétiques’, it sailed from Saint-Malo to Pointe à Pitre in less than 22 days and 13 hours, at an average speed of 6.55 knots.

I therefore hope to do better, and mean to win once again at Pointe à Pitre.

Cotonella represents the best performance / price ratio; by being on the start line aboard this boat we will certainly be the favourite in the class. In this class we’ll also find no less than two A’Capella (designer Walter Greene), the boat of Charlie Capelle of course, and the one of Jean-Paul Froc, Friends & Lovers, skipped by Pierre Antoine in Route du Rhum 1998, the same skipper who wined Route du Rhum 2006 in Class 3, on board Cotonella. We also find Etienne Giroire on board Up my Sleeves, an other design by Walter Greene, Reini Gelder on board his Lock Crowther design, Ave Gitana – Lighy for the World, and finally Krysalid 42, which should be skippered by Jacques Vincent (a trimaran designed by Bat’Karé, Hugues Farsy and Robin Dorval, two designer who don’t work together anymore).

And probably others.

Together, we could win this race.

Cotonella in a few figures

Length: 12, 18 metres
Beam: 11, 80 metres
Draft: 1, 50m / 3, 50 m
Builder: Velscaf sas, Italy.
Year of construction: 2003
Material:The hull and the floats are in glassfibre/epoxy
The arms, the rudder and the daggerboard are in carbon.
The wing mast (18.5m high, 40cm chord) is in carbon.
Displacement: 2,8 tonnes
Engine: Lombardini 25 CV.
Windward sail area: 130 m²
Mainsail area: 75 m²
Genoa aera : 55 m² on enrouleur.
Staysail area: 25 m²
Gennaker: 92 m² on furler.