Jean Le Cam is one of the most popular skippers among the public, as much for his skill as for his sporting performances. His incredible duel with Yann Eliès will also be remembered as much as his offbeat videos and his cult phrases. For his fourth participation, he just missed the legendary 80-day mark, as he finished in 80 days 04 hours 41 minutes and 54 seconds at an average speed of 14.10 knots over the 27,141 miles covered by Finistère Mer Vent, just behind Jean-Pierre Dick and Yann Eliès, the two other musketeers of the Finistère Mer Vent "his Vendée."
This is the third time the sailor has crossed the finish line of the Everest of the Seas, after a fine second place in 2004-2005 and a 5th position in 2012-2013 (withdrawal in 2008-2009). And yet, it was not a foregone conclusion, as he had not found sponsors... It was notably thanks to participative financing that he was able to line up at the start and show his experience.
While his Finistère Mer Vent, former Vendée Globe winner in the hands of Michel Desjoyeaux, is moored at the start pontoon, Jean sets himself a realistic and bluffing goal of precision : "I'm in the top 10-12 on paper, there'll probably be five in front, I can make it to the 6-7."
If he doesn't stand out at the start, Jean Le Cam doesn't give up. In fact, he's already battling it out with Yann Éliès on the third day of the race. The first few moments are difficult, you can't let yourself go, and what better way to do that than by a "feast" to cheer himself up? "Today I did the whole thing. Beef carrots, haribo candy, rillettes. And I even found the butter." he rejoices.
While Yann Éliès slips into a mouse hole and runs away, Jean is wrestling with Jean-Pierre Dick and Thomas Ruyant. Meanwhile, his record at the equator, which had held since 2004, is beaten by Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) after 9 days, 7 hours and 2 minutes at sea. The Briton thus improved on Jean le Cam's reference time by 1 day and 4 hours.
But what will also (especially?) mark the race of King John are his hilarious videos where humor and good words are mixed. On the fifteenth day of the race, it's the beginning of the now famous "click, click, click." . The video from Jean's recalcitrant camera goes around social networks and even the small screen. This maxim almost dethrones the slogan "yes we cam" so much it's used on the rest of the race. Internet users appreciate it.
Twenty days after the start of the race, the skipper of Finistère Mer Vent is on radio link-up in the Vendée Live. "A successful maneuver is a carefree maneuver." Elementary, my dear Watson! If "King John" crosses the Cape of Good Hope in 23 days 10 hours and 21 minutes, the Indian shows himself in different facets. One blow the weather is pleasant, another the sea is crossed with winds of up to 60 knots. Cape Leeuwin is swallowed in 34 days 07 hours 28 minutes.
On 12th December, off Tasmania, Jean le Cam is due to do a round back. He slowed down to let a strong low pass with winds of up to 60 knots. It was impossible to avoid it completely as it occupied the entire corridor between Tasmania and the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (AEZ). As such it has to be managed as well as possible. Jean remains very much to the South and is skirting the ice zone. The option was a good one as he's sticking with his fellow frontrunners, who have encountered more complicated conditions. Once the storm is behind and forgotten, the immensity of the Pacific appears in front of the bow of Finistère Mer Vent. "Firmin, please don't take that wave! He's all right, this Firmin, but sometimes he does a bit of what he wants. I'm having trouble with the little staff at the moment," jokes Jean about his autopilot.
At Christmas time, there is about a week left before John passes the Horn. "I was thinking about something: we're the only motor sport where 80% of the time the driver looks back. You look at the helm, you look at the waves. It's pretty amazing. At the same time, sometimes it's better not to look ahead."
Yann Éliès and Jean le Cam are inseparable after their incredible duel. The two sailors never leave each other and are constantly exchanging positions. Sometimes they even sail within sight and talk to each other on the VHF. Four days later, at 16h48, Jean Le Cam rounded Cape Horn for the sixth time: four times in the Vendée Globe (2004-2005, 2008-2009, 2012-2013 and 2016-2017 editions), once in the Barcelona World Race (in 2014-2015) and once in the Whitbread with Eric Tabarly (1981).
After two months of racing, Yann Éliès is just twelve miles ahead. The seas are offering clement conditions with around fifteen knots of wind. After two months, most of the skippers are fed up with their food. Not Jean! Monsieur Le Cam has made no concessions on this side. "Lyophal is a thing for lazy people who don't want to mattress. "The dishes are 200 pounds, the freeze-dried ones are 100 pounds. To save 30kg, you eat shit..." On January 16th, the heat and the Sargasso are on the program, as well as, as for a long time, the duel with Quéguiner-Leucémie Espoir : "With Yann, we've been on familiar terms since Tasmania, which is still more than half of the round the world voyage anyway! It's history within history," likes to say Jean Le Cam.
This story continues until the end of this round the world race as the two skippers race together to the Nouch Sud buoy, without managing to overtake Jean-Pierre Dick. The three men are only separated by three hours after more than 80 days at sea. A great performance! In this great adventure, Finistère Mer Vent thus finishes sixth. Without any doubt possible, Jean Le Cam has left his mark on the Vendée Globe. Slam, slam, slam!
