Vendée Globe

Winner of the last edition of the Vendée Globe in 2004-2005, Vincent Riou has a new prototype, which is very similar to the one sailed by his predecessor on PRB, Michel Desjoyeaux. Having arrived in Les Sables d’Olonne on Thursday morning, the Breton yachtsman looks back at the single-handed round the world voyage.

Firstly, what leads a winner to try his hand again? 
«The pleasure first of all, because I really enjoyed myself a lot in 2004 and besides the competition is even greater this time around with the number of top class sailors lining up for the start on 9th November. With PRB, I have the means to sail in excellent conditions.» 

What do you remember most about the Vendée Globe: the start, finish or the way around? 
«There are a lot of things etched in my mind, but above all, surprisingly I can recall the day before the finish! Suddenly you come across some fishermen, you see planes in the sky, you can see boats on the horizon… You can feel you´re getting close to land and this marks the end of the voyage, the end of the loneliness, the start of plunging into the crowds and the pressure… But in the end, there are a lot of great memories and very few bad ones from the circumnavigation.» 

Isn´t life on board a bit dull? 
«Partly. Apart from the excitement of the race, a large part of the three months spent at sea are spent with you surrounded by blue, usually in wavy patterns, sometimes with clouds, sometimes with sunshine. It´s the sea after all! But really, it´s never the same: it´s always moving. there are colours, lights, shades, and in any case, when you set sail on the Vendée Globe, it´s not for any romantic contemplation, but for the race. And racing takes up a lot of your time! » 

What is the most complicated element in this race? 
«The changes, which can happen so very quickly. For months the pressure is on. you are surrounded by people, who have looked after you, while putting the pressure on. Suddenly you find yourself all alone out on the water! There are two or three special days after the start… You get into the race and you´re away. Then, once again after three months at sea all alone living at your own pace, you find yourself back in the modern world. It is these drastic changes that can be difficult to deal with.» 

There are also changes in the weather, as you set sail in the autumn, go around the south in the summer and return in the spring, without talking about the temperature changes between the frosty conditions in Europe, the tropical heat, the cold of the southern seas? 
«After the start, it takes a while to get used to things, but the changes in the weather are gradual and slow, less violent than for a traveller taking the plane to go from Paris to Rio! The voyage south is a gentle one with very little time change to worry about, and you soon get used to the cold of the Indian and the change in time zones: we don´t go that quickly! The days get shorter, then longer, then shorter again. The climb back up the Atlantic is at the same rhythm. The shock is not as great as the finish in Les Sables… Moreover, these changes in the weather are natural.»

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