Pixel sur Mer and Damien Seguin join forces to enhance safety aboard Arkéa - Handicap International

Pixel sur Mer and Damien Seguin join forces to enhance safety aboard Arkéa - Handicap International © Pixel sur Mer

Sailing an ORMA trimaran single-handed requires the ability to anticipate and respond quickly to critical situations, particularly when the skipper cannot keep a constant watch.

With just a few weeks to go before the start of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2026, Pixel sur Mer and Damien Seguin are announcing a technology partnership focused on safety aboard the trimaran Arkéa - Handicap International.

For this edition, Damien Seguin will race aboard the former Fujicolor II, an ORMA trimaran launched in 1990. Measuring over 18 metres in length and 15.70 metres in beam, this iconic multihull has undergone an extensive refit, reliability and modernisation programme ahead of its return to competition.

Targeted work on capsize risk

At the heart of the partnership is the integration of a dedicated safety solution developed by Pixel sur Mer. It centralises all safety-related information on board and triggers appropriate actions when the situation requires.

Using onboard data, the system analyses the trimaran's heel and attitude in particular. Several levels of response can be configured according to sailing conditions: audible alarm, autopilot intervention and, in the most critical situations, automatic sail release.

Thresholds, scenarios and actions are fully configurable according to the boat's point of sail, its behaviour and the required level of safety.é.

"Starting a solo Route du Rhum on an ORMA trimaran without a reliable anti-capsize system was simply out of the question for me. Alone on board, I have to manage navigation, performance and sleep: I can't keep a sheet in my hand at all times. Exocet Safety becomes, in a way, a first-class crew member dedicated to safety, one that can act while I'm focused on something else." - Damien Seguin

A technology integrated into Damien Seguin's project

Installed on board several weeks before the race, Exocet Safety has been configured specifically in close collaboration between Damien Seguin and the Pixel sur Mer teams.

System architecture, alert thresholds, autopilot responses, sail release: each scenario is set up according to the trimaran's characteristics and the demands of solo sailing. Sea trials then validate these settings in real conditions and fine-tune them to match the skipper's expectations as closely as possible.

This collaboration builds on an existing relationship between Damien Seguin and Pixel sur Mer: throughout his IMOCA campaigns and Vendée Globe races, the skipper already relied on Exocet by Pixel sur Mer solutions for autopiloting and performance.

"Our role goes well beyond installing technology on board. With Damien and his team, we first worked to understand the boat's behaviour, its reactions and the most critical situations it can face at sea. From there, we defined the safety scenarios, set the thresholds and associated actions, then validated the whole system at sea. It is this combination of embedded systems expertise, in-depth knowledge of the boat and the skipper's feedback that delivers a configuration truly suited to solo sailing on this type of multihull." - Pixel sur Mer

The coming weeks will be devoted to further validating the settings in real conditions and refining the safety scenarios with Damien Seguin and his team up to the start of the Route du Rhum. For Pixel sur Mer, this project demonstrates Exocet Safety's ability to integrate with demanding boats and to be configured precisely according to their behaviour, architecture and sailing programme.

Pixel sur Mer will support Damien Seguin through the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, which starts from Saint-Malo on 1 November, and until the end of 2026.6.

More information at www.pixelsurmer.com