Experience above all
Richomme has never been one for bold declarations. His ambition is reflected instead in meticulous preparation, constant progression and the strength of the team around him. After finishing second to Charlie Dalin in the 2024–25 Vendée Globe, the Paprec skipper is already focused on what comes next.
With less than three years to go until the next edition, a new IMOCA is under construction, his team has grown, and the project is built around a clear objective: to come back stronger.
"It's a much more mature team than last time. We're fortunate to be able to build this second Vendée Globe campaign on everything we learned from the first."
The word Richomme returns to time and again isn't victory—it's experience. His first campaign taught him as much about himself as it did about his boat. Above all, he remembers the excitement of developing and sailing his first IMOCA.
"We called her the 'smile machine' because she was simply such a joy to sail."
For Richomme, performance only really matters if the boat is first and foremost enjoyable to sail.
A new IMOCA to push the concept even further
His first IMOCA proved particularly effective in heavy weather, while its enclosed cockpit went on to set a benchmark that even inspired some rival teams. The new boat, once again designed in partnership with Antoine Koch's design office, isn't about starting from scratch but taking an already successful concept another step forward.
The latest generation of IMOCAs now spends longer and longer flying on their foils. The challenge is no longer simply to fly, but to make sustained foiling more stable, more predictable and easier to control.
"We're designing quite an aggressive evolution of our previous boat," Richomme explains.
Yet the biggest lesson from his last Vendée Globe wasn't a technical one.
Before the start, what concerned him most was the sheer length of the race: the weeks at sea, the accumulating fatigue and the mental challenge of staying sharp for nearly three months. In the end, that proved to be one of the biggest surprises.
"The length of the Vendée Globe worried me a little beforehand, but I actually handled it really well. The race is so extraordinary—the emotions, the attention it generates, everything that surrounds it. It's almost an epic adventure, something truly exceptional."
That experience has only strengthened his desire to return. And, he admits with a smile, there's "almost a sense of revenge" about coming back to chase the one place that escaped him.
Finishing second inevitably brings its own pressure.
"We're fully aware there's a greater chance of doing worse than doing better next time. We've only got one place left to gain—but there are still 39 skippers behind us."
It's a challenge he embraces willingly. His objective has long been clear: to line up in 2028 with an even stronger project.
A change of pace away from solo racing
While waiting for his new IMOCA to hit the water, Richomme has embraced a very different challenge. This season he has been racing on the fiercely competitive 52 Super Series circuit, recently claiming his first victory aboard Paprec.
It's a completely different environment: short races, split-second decisions and world-class crew work.
"It opens my eyes to different things."
The experience allows him to broaden his skills while avoiding becoming exclusively focused on solo offshore racing.
This year has also given him the opportunity to slow the pace slightly and spend more time with his family, rather than trying to maximise every possible day on the water. His two daughters, now five and eight years old, naturally want to see more of their father.
Family cruising holidays, time in the mountains and a few weeks away from the boatyard have all been on the agenda.
"I'm trying to introduce them to sailing as well," he says.
It's also a way of passing on what his own parents gave him: a love of sailing, whether cruising or racing.
In a few months, the rhythm will once again become that of a full Vendée Globe campaign, making these quieter moments all the more valuable.
Already looking ahead to 2028
Despite that, Richomme doesn't feel as though he's waiting. Every morning, he says, he "jumps out of bed" to work on the new boat.
Perhaps no sentence sums up his mindset better. The enthusiasm is exactly the same as it was at the beginning.
"My passion and my motivation are completely intact. I'm incredibly fortunate to have a partner like Paprec, and I'm hugely grateful to everyone around me. They give absolutely everything to put us in the best possible position."
The new IMOCA is due to be launched next March, when the real countdown will begin.
For Richomme, though, this campaign is already underway. The launch will simply make it official.
