It is written on the VDH cover at 73 years old. For me, this sailor is ageless. A bit like a character who is part of a landscape. Jean-Luc Van Den Heede is a great French sailor, whom I have always known with a beard, with this stature as imposing as ever and this voice often punctuated with laughter, which fills a room.
Attracted by the sea, he embarked on a sailing race out of a taste for the open sea. And if he has never shone with his victories, he has always been at the top of the table of great events. Mini Transat, Route du Rhum, Vendée Globe... And today, to crown this career, the Golden Globe that he has just won. This old-fashioned round the world trip on a 36-foot long keel sailboat.
The book that partly describes this journey is an opportunity for the sailor to look back on his life and his career as a runner at sea. In a very modest way, he describes his experience of the sea, his encounters, his joys of sailing. We quickly move on to his (long) career and exploits with a few anecdotes drawn here and there.
Today, VDH still holds the record for the World Tour against the winds (round the world "upside down"). He is also the sailor with the most racing round Cape Horn and now the oldest! And yet, Jean-Luc remains simple, accessible and happy. He favours friendship and interpersonal skills as much as his crossings.
VDH is a friendly character. This book does not reveal it, it continues to paint the portrait of this character who does not try to put himself forward: a real sailor certainly not quiet, but in love with his adventures.
A book to read for all boaters who follow his races. We're just wondering why the publisher chose a picture of his half-portrait. A surprising choice for a sailor who is anything but half-toned, because as this biography shows, there is no more complete than this man!
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede - The last sea wolf
- Stock Edition
- 13.6 x 21.6 cm
- 227 pages
- 19.50 euros
