Vendée Globe

It has been a year since the fleet of solo sailors set out from Les Sables d’Olonne at the start of a legendary Vendée Globe. A year on and many of those that did battle in the 2008 event will be grabbing some fresh air again between Le Havre and Puerto Limon in Costa Rica during the Transat Jacques Vabre.

A final outing, an opportunity to gain revenge, a springboard for the future, this transatlantic race, while bringing together again some of the top names from the last Vendée Globe will not necessarily mean the same thing to them all. For some, it is an opportunity to complete a story before looking towards the future, for others a chance to get their own back after fate was unkind to them last winter, hoping for better days to come. And then for a few, it will also provide them with a springboard to allow them to fulfil their ambitions in the future…

Signing off in style
Michel Desjoyeaux and Dee Caffari both provided us with some wonderful pages in the annals of the last Vendée Globe. The former by becoming the first competitor to win this exceptional race twice, after charging around the planet like some hero in a John Ford western. The latter, with her humour and determination, became the first woman to sail around the world alone in both directions. As Brits love to do things differently from others, Dee began by sailing the "wrong" way around the world, which did not make it any easier to compete with those more used to the IMOCA circuit. For both of them, the Transat Jacques Vabre is an opportunity to close the chapter in style.

A new beginning
For others this race will mark the beginning of a new chapter: Arnaud Boissières is setting off with the same partners but on Vincent Riou's former boat, hoping to further his ambitions, after his magnificent seventh place in the last Vendée Globe. Sam Davies has never hidden her intention to be there again at the start in 2012 at the helm of a new boat, while others are continuing to the next edition of the race, like Armel Le Cléac’h and Alex Thomson. This race is also the occasion to see the arrival of a Spanish contingent, which wishes to show that they have their place in the international 60-foot IMOCA circuit, and maybe even at the forefront…

New hopes
For those who suffered damage in the last Vendée Globe, this transatlantic race is also an opportunity to show that that is now behind them. Kito de Pavant and Marc Guillemot will want to show what their Verdier designed boats are capable of. Others will wish simply to put the past well and truly behind them, like Mike Golding, Alex Thomson, Sébastien Josse, Roland Jourdain and Marc Thiercelin. Several of them were up at the front in the race before they were forced to throw in the towel. So it is now time to be positive and they are telling themselves that history cannot repeat itself and that maybe this time justice will mean they will find their way to the podium.

A balance of passion and reason
We must not forget that this is a two-handed race and the event has brought together pairs for this transatlantic race. For some of them, the unlikely pairing means they can bring together their various skills. While for others it is a question of sticking with your trusted partner: some have known each other for so long that they are not about to change their habits now. Sometimes, the aim is to pass on their knowledge and experience. The main thing is that they must work as a pair in the race… The results and the atmosphere on board are good indicators, even if we know full well that these sailors have what it takes to put up with living together in a confined space.

In the end, there will be sixteen former Vendée Globe competitors in this Transat Jacques Vabre. Fifteen of them will be fighting against each other aboard IMOCA boats, while one will be off elsewhere. Jean Le Cam will be joining Yves Le Blévec aboard his Multi 50. But we have all known for a while that the sailor from Port la Forêt enjoys a bumpy ride doing things differently.
 

Infos précédentes :