In the Vendée Globe, there's a hero or heroine for everyone

Behind each boat and each sailor in the Vendée Globe, there is a community. At the top of the list are the family circle, friends, technical teams, sponsors and all those who work closely with the skippers. But there are also countless strangers who have taken a liking to the personality and become fervent supporters. Seven of them have told us how they discovered their ‘ favourite ’, and have lived this sporting and human adventure alongside them, where emotions shine through behind the words and images. 

‘I took two days off work when she entered the Pacific’

 Gaëlle, 34, marketing manager in Lyon, Clarisse Crémer fan

When the phone rings, Gaëlle picks it up in a whisper. "Excuse me, I'm in a meeting. But as it's for Clarisse, I'll call you back in 5 minutes.” From 10 November 2024, this marketing manager in the Lyon area has been following the progress of Clarisse Crémer, who set off this winter on her second Vendée Globe. Why her? "I came across one of her videos in 2020, just before the start of her first Vendée Globe. I found her funny, engaging and courageous. I didn't know anything about sailing, but what she said about her desire to surpass herself, and above all the way she said it, with that kind of drive mixed with a form of fear, really touched me. And what followed, her pregnancy, the many obstacles in her way, all of that made me want to support her even more, because she is the perfect representative of the women of our generation.”

So for this Vendée Globe 2024, Gaëlle hasn't let her favourite sailor out of her sight. Even if "the first few days were tough, when she lost her foresail in the Bay of Biscay, I gritted my teeth with her. Even waking up at night to check the tracker." The hardest moment? "When she had problems entering the Pacific. You're going to think I'm crazy, but I took two days off work, I was too frustrated for her and I didn't have the energy to work.” And what does she take away from this Vendée Globe, concluded in 11th place by the skipper of L'Occitane en Provence? "She proved that she's a fighter, and above all that she knows how to sail at a very high level. It's absurd because we don't know each other at all, but it makes me proud for her!" 

“Boris Herrmann is kind of like my own personal Federer”

Jakob, 43, strategy consultant in Hamburg, Boris Herrmann fan

It was through an interview in a major German media , a few days before the start of his second Vendée Globe, that Jakob discovered Boris Herrmann's career. "I found him to be a sportsman with a rare elegance and a great deal of intelligence, while at the same time being very humble and never one to give lessons. And he's German, so obviously there's a chauvinistic side to supporting him.”

An assiduous following on social networks, a group on Telegram with a small community of German supporters, and even a trip to the finish in the storm for the skipper of Malizia: ‘he's a bit like my own personal Federer’. "What I like about Boris's performance in this Vendée Globe is that he always seems happy to be doing what he's doing and to be where he is, despite the difficulties that sometimes seem unfair. This sort of consistency, even in the face of difficulty, is something I find rare and precious in this day and age, when we complain about very little". 

“For me, it's more intense than an Olympique Marseille football match”

 Farid, 54, estate agent in Marseille, Yoann Richomme fan

Farid discovered sailing on TikTok. "I came across a video of Yoann Richomme in his seat with waves crashing everywhere. The guy was both relaxed and concentrated like a surgeon. I was hooked and watched all the videos on his account until 2am." The father of four, who is usually more of a football fan, started following the Vendée Globe with the passion of an ultra.

"I've learnt to read the weather files, just to understand Yoann's strategic choices a little. Yes, I only call him by his first name after having the impression of sailing around the world with him." The man from Marseilles has even managed to convert his younger son of 15 years. "Every evening, we'd go over the gaps. It became our routine. The day he rounded Cape Horn just ahead of Charlie Dalin, we were like crazy. For me, it was even more intense than an OM match, which means a lot!" 

‘I cried when she dismasted’

Patricia, 62, pensioner from Cambridge, Pip Hare fan

When she talks about ‘her Pip’, Patricia's eyes sparkle. "She's a fighter. She's 50 years old, works on her boat by herself, makes videos that are often very simple but very moving, and never complains. A warrior." A former philosophy teacher, Patricia discovered the Briton during a lecture given by the yachtswoman at the end of her first Vendée Globe, in 2021. The pensioner came away "completely amazed, because she's not at all the usual profile of sportsmen and women that we usually showcase in the media, rather young, male, full of money and not really very clever. I found her very impressive."

Since then, Patricia has followed her like a groupie, not missing a single one of her publications and regularly commenting on her social media. So when the adventure came to an end a little too soon for the Medallia sailor, who suffered a dismasting as she approached Australia, Patricia "cried, I was genuinely sad for her, it was heartbreaking’. I'd just like to say thank you to her for doing what she does and, above all, ask her to keep on doing it," adds Patricia, hoping to see her at the start in 2028. 

“It’s the only competition where you’re cheering for someone to survive”

Léo, 16, high school student in Brussels, Damien Seguin fan

Léo, 16, is usually keen on e-sports. But this winter, the high-school student from Brussels has been living his life to the rhythm of the Vendée Globe. "It's more intense than any game. The stress is real. When your skipper is in the middle of a storm, you freak out for him, for his life, not for points." Since 2020, his skipper has been Damien Seguin. Why? "Because he looks like me, or rather I look like him," says the young man, recounting the accident that left him with an amputated arm. “What's more, this year I had a choice, because there was also Jingkun Xu,” laughs the high-school student, who finds it "great to have athletes with disabilities who are watched as much as the others, because let's face it, nobody watches the Paralympics as much as the Olympics. At least here, everyone's in the same boat!

And his was Apicil's red boat, even if “it wasn't the best race" of his favorite skipper. "In the end, I was disappointed for him at one point, but I think it was even more of a human adventure to follow him, to see him in trouble, how he lived it and what he got out of it. It made me want even more to tell him that there were a lot of us behind him, that he wasn't doing it for nothing." 

“She's me at 20, but who would have dared”

 Claire, 52, public employee in Tours, Violette Dorange fan

Claire discovered Violette Dorange's name “completely by chance”, in a magazine she had read in her doctor's waiting room. She was immediately struck by her determination and maturity. A former synchronized swimming enthusiast, Claire gave up competition at the age of 16, following an injury that kept her out of the pool. But “I've always kept the spirit of challenge, and I really felt it in Violette,” says the mother. “I have two children around her age, so I think I became attached to her both because she reminded me of my daughter, and of the young woman I once was.”

So every morning, during the 90 days of the Vendée Globe for the Devenir sailor, Claire opened the official rankings before even checking her e-mail. It was out of the question to miss a single message from onboard, and even less to miss the arrival of the event's youngest competitor. "She hasn't won anything, officially. But she accomplished everything."

“I like to see people push themselves to the limit”

 Julien, 38, IT executive, Charlie Dalin fan

Julien discovered ocean racing in 2020, during the lockdown. "I'm not a sportsman. But the stories of people alone in the face of the elements fascinate me. I'm naturally anxious, and I need models of calm and determination. Charlie Dalin embodies that for me."

Julien has since developed a passion for ocean racing and other skippers, but Charlie Dalin remains his “heart's choice”. "The guy is alone, he has a simple objective: to win. He's under constant physical and mental stress, but he remains lucid. I like to see people push themselves to the limit, it's almost philosophical. He was imperial, and I was happy for him as if he were a friend. By following them, you almost feel you know them."