Marc Lombard passes away
As La Rochelle prepares for the opening of the Grand Pavois, the Charente port has learned the sad news of the death of one of its great names in yachting. Naval architect Marc Lombard died of an illness on September 18, 2023, at the age of 64. He leaves behind a renowned agency, a large number of yacht models built and a fine record of success in ocean racing, but above all the image of a discreet and well-liked person, far removed from the ego of some architects.
Renowned sponsors
Passionate about the sea, Marc Lombard has sailed from an early age, and as he confessed to us in an in-depth interview on his career path the idea of designing boats was already there: "I've been drawing boats in my school notebooks for quite a few years."
After a detour to the Hervé shipyard in La Rochelle, he joined the British School of Naval Architecture in Southampton, where he graduated in 1981. At the same time, he worked as a boat convoyer, and met Mike Birch, who took him to the shipyard of Walter Greene, architect of the famous yellow trimaran on which the skipper won the 1st Route du Rhum. An internship with Walter Greene, alongside the likes of Halvard Mabire and Jean-François de Prémorel, completed Marc Lombard's training, and he set up his own firm in 1982.
Striking racing units
In the 1980s, Marc Lombard took part in the wave of large racing multihulls, for which he designed some famous boats, such as the Ker Cadelac trimaran, a 70-foot foiling boat. He was then approached by Philippe Jeantot for the 60-foot Crédit Agricole 2, destined for the 1st Vendée Globe. This would be the first in a series of IMOCA boats, the most famous of which is probably Catherine Chabaud's Penguin, which completed 7 circumnavigations!
Offbeat pleasure boats
His meeting with Philippe Jeantot also marked his entry into the yachting world, at Privilège Marine. Marc Lombard is also associated with the birth of RM Yachts in 1992, then under the name YES, an experience that was to prove invaluable to the company in an interview with Bateaux.com, underlining the technical challenges involved .
The list of boats built by Marc Lombard's firm is long. The Figaro Bénéteau 2, of which 98 were built, helped train many of the great names in ocean racing, and also opened the doors of the Bénéteau group to the naval architect, who collaborated on many of the group's models, while retaining the possibility of exploring niches by cultivating his difference with shipyards such as Black Pepper Yachts and its Code, JFA and Neel Trimarans.
Preparing to retire at the end of 2022, he sold his company to his employees in the form of a cooperative society. Once again, he was able to demonstrate his difference and the generosity recognized in the sector.
Fair winds to Marc Lombard for this final delivery, as his boats continue to leave a long and beautiful wake.
