Sébastien Josse (Edmond de Rothschild)
Ãeuros 41 years, and for his 3 e participation, Sébastien Josse is one of the favorites. As comfortable on three hulls as on a monohull around the world, this jack-of-all-trades is not the type to rest on his laurels. He has participated in three major round-the-world events: the Vendée Globe, the Jules Verne Trophy and the Volvo Ocean Race. At the age of 18, Sébastien crossed the Atlantic with his father and then took a sabbatical year in the West Indies, where he sailed tirelessly single-handed, which triggered his desire to make a living from sailing.
2nd in the Solitaire du Figaro in 2001, he is considered as one of the most promising sailors of his generation. Bruno Peyron took him on board the maxi catamaran Orange for the Jules Verne Trophy. The crewed round-the-world record was brilliantly beaten in 64 days. At the age of 29, Josse tackled the 2004-2005 Vendée Globe and finished in 5th position. He then became skipper of a VOR70 for the Volvo Ocean Race and discovered another world of racing, that of the Anglo-Saxons. He returned to the Vendée Globe in 2008 with ambitions of victory, but abandoned off New Zealand. He bounced back by becoming skipper of the trimaran Gitana 11 and then the MOD70 Edmond de Rothschild. He will then aim for victory in the IMOCA60, before taking the helm of a brand new trimaran.
Vincent Riou (PRB)
The only former winner at the start of this 8 e Vendée Globe, the 44 year old sailor intends to repeat the feat. He has all the skills to do it, since he knows how to do everything: design, develop and optimize boats, be a great weather strategist, but also a fine technician and a hard-working and talented regatta organizer. Born in Loctudy âeuros, a small Breton village where he still lives, he gained his passion for the sea. He has mastered all the different types of boats: from dinghies to multihulls, including the Figaro series and the IMOCA series, and likes to fight to be the best. In 2000, he was the preparer of the winning boat, that of Michel Desjoyeaux.
four years later, PRB entrusted him with the helm on the advice of Desjoyeaux, and it was as a relentless winner that Vincent achieved an unprecedented performance: winning the Vendée Globe even though he was not in the lead at Cape Horn, ahead of Jean Le Cam. In 2008, Jean capsized at Cape Horn and it was none other than Vincent Riou who came to his rescue. The race jury awarded him third place ex aequo at the end of this epic rescue. To complete the story, the two men will sail together in the 2013 Transat Jacques Vabre, which they will win. Vincent will be the only former winner in this eighth Vendée Globe and he could well see himself joining Desjoyeaux in the pinnacle of double winners.
Armel le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire VIII)
Not even 40 years old (39 to be exact), Armel le Cléac'h has an exceptional track record: two second places in the last two Vendée Globe races, two victories in the Solitaire du Figaro, two others in the Transat AG2R and still a second place in the Route du Rhum and a victory in The Transat. For his 3rd e participation, the ambition is clearly stated: to win! In 2008-2009, for his first participation, Armel was on the podium right next to Michel Desjoyeaux. In 2013, he only needed three hours, seventeen minutes and a touch of success to achieve this. Three hours over 78 days!
The fine observers of the Figaro circuit have known for a long time that "The Jackal" âeuros his official nickname for his ability to twist his opponent and never give him the slightest bit of leeway âeuros is a great one. Armel will once again meet up with his childhood and teenage rivals in this Vendée Globe, as he was raised in the same sea spray as Jérémie Beyou and Yann Eliès, in northern Brittany. We can count on them to be fierce adversaries on the water. Meticulous, precise, ultra-fast and often very inspired in his strategy, Armel Le Cléac'h assumes his status as the favorite in the Vendée Globe, but he knows that he will need a bit of extra success to win.
Jean-Pierre Dick (St Michel-Virbac)
At 51 years old, the solo race around the world does not scare him since he will take part in his 4th e Vendée Globe. Jean-Pierre Dick is also the absolute master of double-handed sailing, having won the two greatest offshore races for tandems: the Transat Jacques Vabre, which he has won three times, and the Barcelona World Race (double-handed round the world race), which he has won twice. Sailor of the Year in 2011, he is not a professional sailor as he is a veterinarian by training.
He learned to become an ocean racer methodically and by surrounding himself with the best to progress, with humility. His history with the Vendée Globe is particular in that in his first participation he completed the race by managing his boat with solar energy alone. And his fourth place in 2012-2013 was acquired on the edge of danger, after a very long journey without a keel (2643 miles exactly, an incredible world record!) while the podium was promised without this damage. He is back in 2016 with one objective in mind: to conquer the podium, or even win.
Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss)
At the age of 42, Alex Thomson would like to be the first foreign skipper to win the Vendée Globe. The man who is known for his culotte videos in a suit and tie (jumping from the top of his mast...) aboard his IMOCA Hugo Boss hopes to win the Vendée Globe thanks to his sporting performance. The one who climbed on the podium during the last edition âeuros aboard a boat of old generation âeuros will be this time aboard a boat with foils of the latest generation.
Passionate about speed, in 1999 he was the youngest sailor to win a round-the-world race: the Clipper Round The World Race, won at the age of 25. His two successive retirements in the Vendée Globe in 2004 and 2008 are now only bad memories. The English skipper is capable of pushing his limits and those of his boat, as when he broke the record for crossing the Atlantic in a monohull or finished on the podium of the Barcelona World Race and, more recently, of the New York/Vendée. Experienced and persistent, he is one of the favorites in the race.
Jeremie Beyou (Maître Coq)
Three-time winner of the Solitaire du Figaro (2005, 2011 and 2014), the 40-year-old skipper will be taking part in the 3rd edition of the race e time in the Vendée Globe. After two retirements, he has the will to win and is one of the favorites for the 2016 edition. As good in multihulls as in monohulls, he notably won the Transat Jacques Vabre with Jean-Pierre Dick, finished 2nd in the last Route du Rhum in IMOCA and won the Transat New York-Vendée (Les Sables-d'Olonne) on June 8, 2016.
In 2005, he won his first victory in the classic race, to the dismay of Michel Desjoyeaux. Very comfortable in heavy weather, and not bad in light weather, Jeremie Beyou is a jack-of-all-trades, weather expert and excellent technician. His IMOCA Maître Coq is the ex-Banque Populaire with which Armel le Cléac'h finished 2nd in the world e in 2013. Since then, the boat has been modernized and equipped with foils.
Yann Eliès (Queguiner Leucémie Espoir)
Yann Eliès is at ease on anything that floats and has sailing in his DNA, since in the Eliès family we are sailors from father to son and his father Patrick is known for his grand slam on the Solitaire du Figaro. At 42 years old, he has an outstanding record of achievements. He has won almost everything, including three Solitaire (like Poupon, Le Cam, Desjoyeaux and Beyou) and no less than ten legs of the prestigious classic, a record he shares with Jean Le Cam. He has also strung together the Jules Verne Trophies like pearls and has almost become accustomed to beating the absolute round-the-world record with the Peyrons. His return to the Vendée Globe is an event: everyone remembers his terrible accident in 2008 in the Deep South.
It was none other than Marc Guillemot (Safran) who came to rescue him. It is aboard this same VPLP-Verdier design that Yann will be at the start of the 2016 Vendée Globe. A beautiful story, but Yann Eliès should not be counted on to play on the emotional fibre. He chose this machine because he thinks it is still very competitive against the latest generation of IMOCA 60' boats. His goal for his 2 e participation? Complete the round-the-world race, but in front of it!
