Benjamin Dutreux: the Rookie of ocean racing
Of northern origin, Benjamin spent his childhood on the island of Yeu, where he learned to sail with his brother Marcel. A tenacious sailor and a competitor at heart, he finished 5th in the last single-handed race of the Figaro. For his first Vendée Globe, he went to Japan to recover his IMOCA in Japan, assisted by the talented Thomas Cardrin. His sponsor let him down with five months to go before the start, but it took more to discourage Benjamin. He is showing that he has a steely mentality by continuing his preparation and finding funding in extremis.
Wearing the colours of the "Water Family, du Flocon à la Vague" association, it carries out awareness-raising actions on water protection, particularly among children, but also among other teams and race organisers.
Happy to be at sea, Benjamin shares his happiness during the vacations and fully expresses his talent by maintaining his 2007 Farr plan in the leading group.
Damien Seguin: the Olympic champion pledge
Double Paralympic sailing champion, Damien Seguin is a force of nature. Leading an IMOCA in the top ten is already a great performance, especially knowing that Damien has only one hand! In a career spanning 11 years, he has surrounded himself and prepared himself for his first Vendée Globe. He first proved himself in the Figaro and then in the Class 40, before entering the IMOCA circuit by recovering the former DCNS.
Damien got off to a cautious start, getting his bearings on the descent of the Atlantic before managing to place himself in the right car at the entrance to the Indian. He is currently on board with Jean Le Cam, who is also his boatyard neighbour, as the two have prepared their IMOCA boats in the same structure.
Jean Le Cam: the rock-star of the Vendée Globe
At 61, Jean Le Cam is no longer introduced. He has been made a grandfather by several media and shows that this is not the case. Author of the fantastic rescue of Kevin Escoffier following the sinking of PRB, Jean knows his boat by heart and does not hesitate to send coal. Before the rescue, Jean was in third place, which proves that his IMOCA Hubert has managed to keep up her strong potential. The Breton skipper treats the land-based sailors daily with his onboard videos, and has managed to attract the best sympathy from the fleet.
Whatever happens on the rest of the race, Jean has definitely written his name into the legend of the Vendée Globe.
Weather conditions that benefited the "old boats"
At Cape Leeuwin, the leading group consists of 3 foilers, then 3 daggerboards. The conditions encountered during this first half of the race did not allow the foilers to stand out, but proved that daggerboard IMOCA boats can be very versatile in the complex conditions encountered since the start. It is still too early to allow ourselves to draw too hasty conclusions. There is still a long way to go and the foilers will perhaps be able to better express their potential in the Pacific and the climb back up the Atlantic?
