By completing the Transat B to B, François Gabart and Louis Burton have both qualified for the next Vendée Globe. Leading the young generation, they hope to show what they can do on their first attempt at the non-stop solo round the world race. While François Gabart is certain of lining up for the start on Saturday 10th November 2012, Louis Burton is still looking for the funding to complete his budget.
At the Transat B to B prize ceremony on Thursday 22nd December in Lorient, Guillaume Henry, the General Director of the SAEM Vendée, officially confirmed François Gabart and Louis Burton’s qualification for the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe, insisting on “the change of generations with the arrival of these young sailors, who are rising stars, representing the future of the Vendée Globe.” The solo race between the island of St. Barts and Lorient, the Transat B to B, was a real test for the two youngest members of the IMOCA class, who had already showed what they could do during the Transat Jacques Vabre, the double-handed race between Le Havre and Puerto Limon (Costa Rica).
François Gabart confirms his talent
On board his brand new MACIF, launched last August, François Gabart, aged 28, confirmed all the good things people had been saying about him by finishing fourth in the Transat Jacques Vabre alongside Sébastien Col. Immediately after that, he went on to win the Transat B to B, his first solo race at the helm of a 60-foot IMOCA monohull, ahead of Armel Le Cléac’h and Vincent Riou. With less than a year to go to the Vendée Globe, François Gabart now looks like a serious contender.
Louis Burton shows what he can do
A newcomer to the IMOCA class, Louis Burton, aged 26, was a revelation at the end of 2011. Seventh in the Transat Jacques Vabre with his brother Nelson, the young skipper once again showed his skills by managing to complete the Transat B to B, just after seeing the birth of his first child. Now qualified for the Vendée Globe aboard Bureau Vallée, Jérémie Beyou’s former Delta Dore, Louis Burton still needs to find a joint partner to complete his budget to be able to line up at the start of his first round the world race on Saturday 10th November 2012.
