Café Joyeux
Straight-daggerboard (non-foiling) IMOCA designed by VPLP and Guillaume Verdier, built by CDK Technologies and launched on 16 August 2011. As Macif, she carried François Gabart to victory in the 2012-13 Vendée Globe and the 2014 Route du Rhum; as SMA she won the 2018 Route du Rhum with Paul Meilhat. Renamed Banque Populaire X, she took Clarisse Crémer to 12th place in the 2020-21 Vendée Globe, then became Monnoyeur – Duo for a Job (Benjamin Ferré, 16th in the 2024-25 Vendée Globe) and, in 2025, Café Joyeux for Nico d'Estais.
Identity card
Hover a term for its definition
- LaunchedThe moment a new boat touches the water for the first time.See in the glossary
- 2011
- ShipyardThe company that builds the boat, or carries out major work on it.See in the glossary
- CDK Technologies
- Designer(s)The designer of the boat: hull shape, appendages, structure, sail plan.See in the glossary
- Guillaume Verdier,VPLP Design
- DesignThe drawing a boat is built from; sister-ships share the same design.See in the glossary
- VPLP Design IMOCA 2011
- GenerationBuild period: boats of the same generation often share the same technical choices.See in the glossary
- Before 2012
- Hull typeHow many hulls the boat has: monohull, catamaran or trimaran.See in the glossary
- MonohullA boat with a single hull, kept upright by the weight of its keel.See in the glossary
- StatusWhere the boat stands today: active, retired from racing, lost, in a museum or converted.See in the glossary
- ActiveStill sailing.See in the glossary
- SponsorsA company or institution that funds a boat, a team or a skipper in exchange for visibility.See in the glossary
- Café Joyeux · Title sponsorThe company that gives its name to the boat or team.See in the glossary · since 2025Macif · Title sponsorThe company that gives its name to the boat or team.See in the glossary · 16 August 2011 – 2014Groupe SMA · Title sponsorThe company that gives its name to the boat or team.See in the glossary · 2015 – 2018Banque Populaire · Title sponsorThe company that gives its name to the boat or team.See in the glossary · 22 January 2019 – 2021Monnoyeur · Title sponsorThe company that gives its name to the boat or team.See in the glossary · 2022 – 2025
- OwnersThe person or organisation that owns the boat, which does not necessarily race it.See in the glossary
- Mer Agitée · since 2015
- Operating teamThe organisation running one or more racing boats: technical crew, logistics, partners.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- SuppliersA company that supplies part of the boat's equipment: sails, mast, electronics, foils, keel, energy.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- Sail numberThe identifier printed on the mainsail: a country code followed by a number.See in the glossary
- FRA 30
- FlagThe country the boat is registered in.See in the glossary
- France
- Keel typeThe weighted fin under a monohull's hull, which stops it drifting sideways and keeps it upright.See in the glossary
- CantingA keel that swings sideways, to windward, to better counter heeling.See in the glossary
- FoilsAn underwater wing that lifts the boat so it drags less in the water and goes faster.See in the glossary
- Straight daggerboardsA retractable vertical fin that stops the boat drifting sideways, without lifting it.See in the glossary
- Hull materialWhat the hull is made of: carbon, glass fibre, composite, aluminium, wood or steel.See in the glossary
- CarbonA very stiff and light composite material, the standard of racing boats.See in the glossary
- Hull lengthLength of the hull alone, without the bowsprit or protruding appendages.See in the glossary
- 18.28m
- Max beamMaximum width of the boat; for a multihull, from one float to the other.See in the glossary
- 5.7m
- DraftHow deep the boat sits: from the waterline to the lowest point of the keel.See in the glossary
- 4.5m
- Air draftHeight of the boat above the water: from the waterline to the top of the mast.See in the glossary
- 29m
- DisplacementThe mass of the boat ready to sail, equal to the mass of water it displaces.See in the glossary
- Not provided
- Upwind sail areaSail area carried when the boat sails towards the wind: mainsail and headsail.See in the glossary
- 300m²
- Downwind sail areaSail area carried with the wind on the beam or from behind, with the big headsails.See in the glossary
- Not provided
Names and sail numbers
What the boat was called and the numbers it sailed under.
Life timeline
Names, skippers, shipyards and races, in one place.
Name
- Podium
- Finished
- Retired
- Yard work
Detailed timeline
Unknown date
Build · until 2011
CDK Technologies
2011
SkipperThe sailor in command of the boat, responsible for it in the race.See in the glossary · 2011 – 2014
François GabartLaunched as
Macif
Launch · 16 August 2011
Macif launched
2013
Dismasting · November 2013
Dismasted in the 2013 Transat Jacques Vabre
Leading the IMOCA fleet with François Gabart and Michel Desjoyeaux, Macif lost her mast off Brazil, three days from the Itajaí finish.
2015
Renamed
SMA
SkipperThe sailor in command of the boat, responsible for it in the race.See in the glossary · 2015 – 2018
Paul Meilhat
2019
SkipperThe sailor in command of the boat, responsible for it in the race.See in the glossary · 2019 – 2021
Clarisse CrémerRenamed
Banque Populaire X
2021
Renamed
Benjamin envoie le pépin
SkipperThe sailor in command of the boat, responsible for it in the race.See in the glossary · 2021 – 2025
Benjamin Ferré
2022
Renamed
Monnoyeur - Duo for a Job
2025
Renamed
Café Joyeux
SkipperThe sailor in command of the boat, responsible for it in the race.See in the glossary · since 2025
Nico d'Estais
Page reliability
9 sources · updated 1 Oct 2026