The sixth “Vendée” saw the pinnacle of human achievement, bringing together dreams, emotions, courage, self-sacrifice and determination in an event, which took on epic proportions. This 2008-2009 race will be remembered for the spectacular rescue of Jean Le Cam at Cape Horn and of Yann Eliès right in the middle of the Indian Ocean. If we are looking for amazing feats, we need look no further than Michel Desjoyeaux, who at the end of a breathtaking race and indeed after returning to the start to begin again, went on to win his second Vendée Globe, and in so doing smashed the race record by completing the race in 84 days.

A lot of people forecast before the start that it would be like that: this edition of the Vendée Globe was to be exceptional. Thirty skippers including thirteen from outside of France and many of the greatest names of ocean racing were present. Among them, two previous winners: Vincent Riou and Michel Desjoyeaux. Never before had a single-handed ocean race brought together such an exceptional line-up. From the very first few hours of racing, the race lived up to expectations and the competitors taking part encountered the real stuff head on, as bad weather hit the Bay of Biscay. The fleet took a battering and there was a long list of damage: Alex Thomson, Kito de Pavant and Yannick Bestaven were forced to retire on the second day of the race, while Marc Thiercelin lost his mast the next day. A selection process was underway from the start of this Vendée Globe. On top of that five other skippers had to return to port to carry out repairs. Among them, Michel Desjoyeaux, who set off again with a handicap of 41 hours. It was then that his amazing climb back up through the fleet was to begin…

Loïck Peyron proved that he was rightly considered to be one of the favourites by becoming the first to cross the Equator. Behind him in that feared zone of the Doldrums, Sébastien Josse, Jean-Pierre Dick, Armel Le Cléac’h, Vincent Riou and Yann Eliès were the other frontrunners. The leading pack moved into the South Atlantic, where the St. Helena high was to shake up the positions. Seb Josse took the lead, but the gaps between the competitors were very small and as they entered the Roaring Forties they were sailing within sight of each other. The skippers and their boats would not get a moment’s rest with strong winds and boat-breaking seas. In the Southern Ocean, the conditions were once again difficult. Peyron and Josse extended their lead slightly and the latter entered the Indian Ocean in the lead. Michel Desjoyeaux was then back in sixth place having made it back to a mere 100 miles from the leader.

The month of December was horrible. The solo sailors still at sea found themselves facing some hellish conditions in the Indian Ocean. One skipper was to retire after another: Loïck Peyron and Mike Golding’s boats were both dismasted. Bernard Stamm run aground on rock in the Kerguelens, Dominique Wavre suffered from keel problems... On 18th December, a drama started to unfold. Yann Eliès, at that point up with the frontrunners, broke his femur 800 miles south of Australia. Marc Guillemot changed course while awaiting the Australian rescue team, who managed to evacuate the skipper of Generali, after 48 hours of suffering. The sailor was rescued, but his boat was lost. The episode led to a wave of unprecedented media coverage and emotions ran high. At the same time as this was going on, Michel Desjoyeaux took the lead in the race, a position he would keep right up to the finish. In the Pacific, which far from deserved its name, he led the way, while Seb Josse was also forced to throw in the towel, after his BT was battered by a huge breaker. 16 skippers were still in the race, but only Roland Jourdain and Jean Le Cam were clinging on to the leader. On 31st December, Jean-Pierre Dick hit a growler (a block of submerged ice that had broken off from an iceberg) and he too was out of the race. After 56 days of sailing, Desjoyeaux rounded Cape Horn, followed by Roland Jourdain a few hours later. The duel between the two men was at its climax, when another drama was about to unfold. Jean Le Cam, in third place capsized 200 miles from the Horn. Vincent Riou was the first to reach the area and found the upturned hull of VM Matériaux. He managed to rescue Jean, but damaged his own boat in the process. In spite of emergency repairs, his boat was dismasted the following night. Riou would in the end be awarded equal third place.

The leaders began their climb back up towards les Sables-d’Olonne, but the St. Helena high was blocking their path once again. Desjoyeaux held out and warded off the attacks from Roland Jourdain, who hit a whale, but continued to race. On the 81st day of racing, another blow: Jourdain lost the keel bulb from his boat bringing his race to an end. Michel Desjoyeaux sped away to victory and crossed the line after 84 days, 03 hours, 09 minutes and 08 seconds of racing. He covered 28,303 miles at an average speed of 14 knots. Vincent Riou’s record was beaten by more than three days.

Armel Le Cléac’h, always up there with the frontrunners, ended in a great second place. Marc Guillemot took the remaining spot on the podium. The Austrian sailor, Norbert Sedlacek brought up the rear after 126 days of sailing. Out of the 30 skippers that had set off, there were only eleven that managed to complete the race, including the two women taking part, Samantha Davies and Dee Caffari. During four thrilling months, enthusiastic crowds gathered along the coast of Vendée even in the dark of night to await the return of each of the sailors, from the first to last. They would go away with some unforgettable emotional memories. Around the world on all five continents, hundreds of millions of internet users, TV viewers, listeners and readers experienced the excitement of these remarkable feats, the pain of the incidents and moments of ill fortune experienced by those attempting to conquer the impossible. The Vendée Globe had never before so fully deserved the nickname of the Everest of the Seas.

Rankings of the 2008-2009 Race
1 – Michel Desjoyeaux (Fra, Foncia), 84 d 03h 09’
2 – Armel Le Cléac’h (Fra, Brit Air), 89d, 09h 35’
3 – Marc Guillemot (Fra, Safran), 95d 03h 19’
Vincent Riou (Fra, PRB), Redress given
4 – Samantha Davies (GB, Roxy), 95d 04h 39’
5 – Brian Thompson (GB, Bahrain Team Pindar), 98d 20h 29’
6 – Dee Caffari (GB, Aviva), 99d 01h 10’
7- Arnaud Boissières (Fra, Akena Vérandas), 105d 02h 33’
8 – Steve White (GB, Toe in the Water), 109d 00h 36’
9 – Rich Wilson (USA, Great American III), 121d 00h 41’
10 – Raphael Dinelli (Fra, Fondation Océan Vital), 125d 02h 32’
11 – Norbert Sedlacek (Aut, Nauticsport-Kapsch), 126d 05h 31’

Retired
Roland Jourdain (Fra, Veolia environnement), loss of keel bulb
Jean Le Cam (Fra, VM Matériaux), capsized
Jonny Malbon (GB, Artemis), mainsail problem
Jean-Pierre Dick (Fra, Paprec-Virbac 2), collided with a growler
Derek Hatfield (Can, Algimouss Spirit of Canada), capsized
Sébastien Josse (Fra, BT), boat damaged by a breaker
Yann Eliès (Fra, Generali), physical accident
Mike Golding (GB, Ecover), dismasted
Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Fra, Maisonneuve), various elements damaged
Loïck Peyron (Fra, Gitana Eighty), dismasted
Bernard Stamm (Sui, Cheminées Poujoulat), boat ran aground in the Kerguelens
Dominique Wavre (Sui, Temenos II), keel problems
Unai Basurko (Esp, Pakea Bizkaia), rudder problems
Jérémie Beyou (Fra, Delta Dore), mast problems
Alex Thomson (GB, Hugo Boss), various elements damaged
Yannick Bestaven (Fra, Aquarelle.com), dismasted
Marc Thiercelin (Fra, DCNS), dismasted
Kito de Pavant (Fra, Groupe Bel), dismasted