Vendée Globe

Nationality: Residence: Marseille (13) Birth date: born in 1960 Vendée Globe achievements: 4st entry in the Vendée Globe Boat: DCNS Web Site: http://www.lesfilieresdutalent.com/ Situation:

Sponsor

One more time on the roundabout

He did promise he would never try his hand again and that the 2004 Vendée Globe would be his last, as it was time to hand over to someone else. However, only idiots never change their mind. In the end, his love of ocean racing was too strong and so Marc Thiercelin will be setting out on his fifth single-handed round the world voyage. Starting out in Olympic sailing, he discovered the joys of ocean racing in 1991 with the Mini Transat. Since then, the yachtsman has continued to dream of open spaces and by taking part in major ocean races has found something to allow him to fulfil these ambitions.

During the last Vendée Globe his hopes were dashed due to a series of incidents: too short a preparation, after only managing to find a budget very late on, the yachtsman from La Rochelle admits he never really got into the swing of the race. This time around, he has a new boat and a strong partner… This is part of a great project, as Marc will afterwards be helping a young sailor to find his footing for the 2010 Route du Rhum. A truly wonderful handover.

Press Contact : Maguelonne TURCAT
+33 (0)6 09 95 58 91 / magturcat@orange.fr

• 2nd in the 1996/1997 Vendée Globe
• 2nd in the 1997 Transat Jacques Vabre
• 2nd in 1998/1999 Around Alone 1998/1999 (solo round the world voyage with stopovers)
• 4th in the 2000/2001 Vendée Globe
• 4 single-handed round the world races, including 3 Vendée Globe races
• 20 transatlantic races
• 7 Figaro single-handed events
• 5 Tour de France Sailing Races
• almost 300,000 miles covered in races (equivalent to 12 Vendée Globe races)

Marc has a Finot-Conq design from the latest generation. He has taken advantage of lessons learnt from the sisterships built before his. On the other hand, his boat was only launched very recently and it is going to take all the yachtsman’s experience to make up for the lack of sailing in order to enable the project to reveal its full potential.

Boat - Designer: Finot-Conq - Boatyard: Multiplast (hull and assembly), Marros boatyard (deck) - Launch date: May 2008 - Length: 18.28m (60’) - Beam: 5.85m (19’2’’) - Draught: 4.50m (14’9’’) - Displacement (weight) : 8500kg - Number of daggerboards : 2 - Mast height: 28m (91’10’’) - Keel blade: steel - Upwind sail surface : 350m2 - Downwind sail surface : 620m2

© François Chevalier

• 02/12/08 : Video daily report : 22nd day of the race
• 01/12/08 : French radio update
• 11/11/08 : DCNS has been dismasted