News

	A widely experienced crew 17/04/2013 : After 10 years of single and double-handed sailing, Jean-Pierre Dick is taking on a new challenge with his VIRBAC-PAPREC 70 multihull. He is now the leader of a “top-flight” team. They come from the Vendée Globe, America's Cup, the Jules Verne Trophy, and from sailing on one hull as well as three. They are called Roland, Vincent, Thierry (x2), Fred (x2) and Guillaume. “We have a very skilled and friendly crew! We take pleasure in sailing together and sharing our various seafaring experiences”, stressed the enthusiastic skipper during the first training sessions off ...

	Vendée Globe skippers at Elysée Palace reception On Monday, the President of the Republic, François Hollande, received the skippers of the Vendée Globe 2012-2013 at the Elysée Palace. The Head of the State stressed the exceptional nature of this race, the very strong connection France has with its maritime space and the vitality of French sailing.

	VIRBAC-PAPREC 70 launched 20/03/2013 : “A new page is turned and a new challenge begins”. It is with these words and looking towards the new MOD70 being lifted by the crane that Jean-Pierre Dick referred to the launch of VIRBAC-PAPREC 70. A few weeks after finishing the Vendée Globe, the skipper from Nice will now continue in its wake on three hulls. This season will be a learning one with a team as pleasant as they are talented.

	What the chairmen had to say about JP Dick's fourth place 05/02/2013 : Jean-Pierre Dick crossed the finish line Monday at 4:05pm (15h 05 min and 40 sec GMT). He took 4th place of the 2012-13 Vendée Globe and finished the race in 86 days, 03 hours and 40 seconds. Despite the loss of his keel, the skipper managed to finish the race. He journeyed 2643 miles without it. The chairmen of Virbac and Paprec shared the following congratulatory messages:

	“An incredible adventure” 04/02/2013 : It is an achievement for Virbac-Paprec 3's skipper to have completed this round-the-world singled-handed in fourth place, despite the loss of his keel*, and many members of the public came to cheer Jean-Pierre Dick along Les Sables d'Olonne channel. It was a moving finish that paid tribute to the tenacity of the skipper from Nice. As he crossed the line this Monday, 4 February 2013 at 16:05 after 86 days 03 hours and 03 minutes of racing, he wrote a fine page in the history of the Vendée Globe.

	Spanish stopover before Les Sables d'Olonne 30/01/2013 : 22h Jean-Pierre Dick is tenacious and is not giving up. Virbac-Paprec 3's skipper wants to finish the Vendée Globe by giving himself every chance of success. Sailing without a keel for one week, at 21:00 this evening he took the decision to anchor or moor in a shelter on the north Spanish coast. This will enable JP to avoid the strong gale which will sweep over the Bay of Biscay this Thursday night. The skipper from Nice will set off again on Saturday or Sunday from the cove of San Ciprián towards Les Sables d'Olonne for a crossing of the Bay of Biscay in a medium wind in an attempt to ...

	Virbac-Paprec 3 loses its keel 22/01/2013 : At 23.45hrs UTC, while sailing in the third position of the Vendée Globe, about 550 miles northwest of the Cape Verde islands, Jean-Pierre Dick called his team to inform them that his boat, Virbac-Paprec 3, had lost its whole keel at 23.hrs UTC. The skipper from Nice is ok and has stabilised the situation. The boat has full ballasts and Dick is sailing at 8 knots towards northwest. Jean-Pierre Dick told the race office by satellite phone: "I was sailing on starboard tack under mainsail with one reef and the solent (sail), in 20 knots of wind. I was inside when the wind increased suddenly...

	Virbac-Paprec 3 Operational for the North Atlantic 17/01/2013 : Yesterday at the end of the day (French time - UT+1), Jean-Pierre Dick completed two important repair jobs on board Virbac-Paprec 3. The skipper can now confidently tackle the sail up the North Atlantic and intends to grab any opportunity to gain on the leaders. The skipper from Nice spent his “last equator single-handed” this morning at 11:02 and is now sailing in the northern hemisphere, after one month and a half spent in the south.

	Ascent off Tierra del Fuego 04/01/2013 : Since 22 December 2012, the large gennaker was jammed at Virbac-Paprec 3's masthead. This created two major problems. The first was not being able to use other leading downwind sails. The second was that this huge downwind sail (290 m2), represented a constant risk, even rolled. It could have unrolled in the great south in a storm or sailing back up the Atlantic in a head wind. After 4 attempts, the fifth did the trick: “It had to work because there was no time left”. After 2 hours and 45 minutes at the top of the mast off Terra del Fuego, Jean-Pierre Dick succeeded in repairin...

	4th time round Cape Horn for JP! 03/01/2013 : This morning, Jean-Pierre Dick, passed the legendary Cape Horn at 5:40 am French time after 53 days16 hours and 38 minutes at sea , in third position in the Vendée Globe (i.e. 1day 10h and 20 min hours after François Gabart). This is the fourth time he has rounded the “difficult” cape and it is a powerful moment he never gets tired of. The Virbac-Paprec 3 skipper is now sailing in the south Atlantic. This is a relief after a month of sailing in the grey skies of the Great South.

	The double JP Dick effect 01/12/2012 : “This month of December has got off to a good start” said Jean-Pierre Dick playfully this morning to his team. On 1st December, the skipper of Virbac-Paprec 3 took the lead of the Vendée Globe in the 04:00 ranking and sailed the longest distance single-handed in 24 hours in the history of the IMOCA 60s with 502,53 miles and with an average of 20.9 knots*. JP already held the record double-handed with Loïck Peyron in the Barcelona World Race 2010. He has done it again only this time single-handed in the Vendée Globe.

	Brazilian mood on board Virbac-Paprec 3 22/11/2012 : 12 days into the race. This second week of racing has been intense for Jean-Pierre Dick: clearing the difficult doldrums and superb racing at close quarters. Yesterday, at 14:25, the skipper from Nice crossed the equator for the thirteenth time. This Thursday, Virbac-Paprec 3 is sailing off Fernando de Noronha, in 5th position, 66 miles from the leader, Armel Cléac'h. In a Brazilian mood, Jean-Pierre is preparing to tackle the St Helena anticyclone, before turning left towards the Great South.

	“Indescribable emotion” 10/11/2012 : In Les Sables d'Olonne this morning, after an emotional mixing with the crowd and deeply moving “goodbyes”, Jean-Pierre Dick cast off at 10:06 and headed along the well-known channel. It was an “indescribable feeling” for the skipper from Nice. At 13:02, the skipper of Virbac-Paprec 3 crossed the starting line for his third round-the-world single-handed. At 16:00, Virbac-Paprec 3 was sailing at 11.5 knots in second position 0.3 miles from the leader Bernard Stamm and was setting a course for the ocean under a grey sky and a surging sea.

	"Never twice without thrice" 08/11/2012 : Eager to cast off on board his Virbac-Paprec 3, Jean-Pierre Dick explains what this single-handed round-the-world represents for him. 10 years ago he decided to change his life for this race. 3 days before the start of the Vendée Globe, the skipper from Nice talks to us about his Vendée Globe.

	"A spiritual journey" 4 days from the start of the Vendée Globe, Jean-Pierre Dick reconsiders his motives and goals for his third time taking part in this single-handed round-the-world. Next Saturday, JP will be at the starting line of this Holy Grail of Ocean races on board Virbac-Paprec 3. Beyond the competition and adventure this race represents, the skipper-cum-vet is also here in search of “osmosis with nature”. Interview.