The only two women taking part in the race are about to achieve excellent results, finishing in the top 6 from 30 starters. Samantha Davies (Roxy) should be the third competitor to cross the finishing line after a well executed race which she has given immense pleasure to many as she has shared it from aboard a legendary boat while her compatriot, Dee Caffari (Aviva) will become the first woman to sail around the world alone in both directions.
Before them, five other women left their mark on the Vendée Globe...
Catherine Chabaud, the pioneer
Born on 29th November 1962, Catherine is a professional journalist and a keen sailor. She shares with Isabelle Autissier the honours of being the first two women to take part in the non-stop solo round the world race. It was in 1996. Her boat renamed Whirlpool, was the former Red Cigar, which had been sailed by VDH and she had an excellent assistant to prepare the boat, Lionel Lemonchois. At the end of a particularly tiring circumnavigation, only six sailors were ranked. Chabaud, in sixth place completed the voyage in 140 days and 04 hours. She was the first woman to rank as a finisher in the Vendée Globe.
Four years later, she set out again on a brand new boat still called Whirlpool, but was forced to retire a few days before the finish with a broken mast.
Isabelle Autissier deserved better…
Born on 18th October 1956, Isabelle, an agricultural scientist had an exemplary sailing career. In 1987, she finished third in the Mini Transat, in 1989, 12th in the Figaro event. In 1991, she took part in the Boc Challenge, the round the world voyage with stopovers, on board van den Heede’s former 36.15 Met. In spite of his boat dismasting, she completed the voyage in 139 days and 4 hours. Three years later, she smashed the record for the voyage between New York – San Francisco via Cape Horn on board her new boat, the first 60-foot boat to be fitted with a canting keel. In the following year, she set out as the favourite in the Boc Challenge, but broke her mast in the Indian Ocean, carried out repairs in the Kerguelens before being forced to abandon her boat in a storm to the south of Australia. Isabelle set out on the Vendée Globe in 1996 with her new boat, PRB. She was in the lead with Auguin and Parlier, when her steering broke forcing her to put in for a pit stop in Cape Town. She set off again to complete the round the world voyage… And became the second to reach les Sables d’Olonne after working her way back up the fleet, but would not be ranked.
Dame Ellen, a great achievement
Born on 8th July 1976 in Whatstandwell in Derbyshire, Ellen was just 24, when she set out on the 2000-2001 Vendée Globe on her elegant Kingfisher. In spite of her age, she had a lot of experience in the Atlantic, firstly on a Mini then in 1998 in the Route du Rhum, which she raced aboard a fifty-foot boat. Ellen hung out on the south coast of Brittany with the Port-la Foret team. She was known for her dogged determination and courage. After she won the solo transatlantic race, her talent was finally recognised five months before the start of the Vendée Globe. Ellen continued to amaze everyone, even worrying Professor Desjoyeaux and finished second in Les Sables with a time of 94d and 4h: the best female performace to date. In 2005, Ellen made a dame by the Queen set a new solo round the world record on the giant trimaran B&Q/Castorama… since beaten by Francis Joyon. Who knows we may even see her in the next Vendée?
Anne and Karen on their old boats
Anne Liardet, born on 16th April 1961, and Karen Leibovici, born 5th May 1971, were both at the start in 2004 on old boats. Anne on Roxy, the former Fleury Michon X, which had been in all the Vendée races and Karen on Benefic, VDH’s old red cigar, which Catherine Chabaud had sailed in 1996. Anne finished eleventh to be the first woman back after 119 days and 09 hours, or two days less than the Italian Simone Bianchetti, who sailed the boat four years earlier, but two days more than Philippe Poupon took in 1993, in spite of being deprived of his main mast during the final week of the race. Anne wanted to try again in 2008, but had to give up as she could not find a sponsor. On 13th March 2005, Karen became the fourth woman finisher to be ranked in the history of the Vendée Globe after an adventure lasting 126 days. Suffering from recurrent back pains after a car accident, the sailor from La Rochelle hung on in there to finish the round the world race in thirteenth place out of the twenty taking part, two of which were not ranked and five of which were forced to retire.
Patrice Carpentier
