february 1, 2025: When the brain pauses to accelerate
Faced with extreme conditions âeuros high speeds (between 30 and 38 knots) and intense fatigue âeuros some sailors prefer to "unplug" their brains to better endure the pain and move forward. Jean Le Cam (Tout Commence en Finistère âeuros Armor-lux, 20th), for example, evokes the art of sleeping in the middle of a race to avoid overthinking, while Damien Seguin (Groupe APICIL, 15th) pushes performance by "eating" hundreds of miles in 24 hours. Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur âeuros Duo for a Job, 16th), Alan Roura (Hublot, 17th) and Tanguy Le Turquais (Lazare, 18th) are chasing after him. Others, like Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian, 22nd), are more cautious, preferring to preserve their equipment by limiting acceleration to avoid premature rudder wear. Some are also talking about the fatigue and loneliness they feel, such as Violette Dorange, who, despite some difficult moments, expresses nostalgia at the idea that the race is soon coming to an end.
february 2, 2025: Resilience and tenacity to the fore in the Vendée Globe
The day was marked by two symbolic arrivals in Les Sables d'Olonne, those of Romain Attanasio (Fortinet - Best Western) and Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ V), the former in the race and the latter out of it.
Romain Attanasio crossed the finish line at 11:50 am, after 83 days, 22 hours and 48 minutes of racing, finishing in 14th place. For his third consecutive Vendée Globe, the skipper was able to master the technical challenges of his foiler, the former Malizia while overcoming a number of personal challenges, including an injured eyebrow and a perilous mast climb in the South Atlantic. This place confirms his consistency, following similar rankings in 2017 (15th) and 2020 (14th).
Shortly afterwards, at 1pm, Yannick Bestaven, winner of the 2020 Vendée Globe, crossed the line out of the race. Forced to retire after major damage in the Pacific, he did not give up. After a technical stopover in Ushuaïa, he set sail again to complete his solo round-the-world voyage. Although symbolic, this finish is a real personal achievement, closing a chapter of almost 20 years devoted to the Vendée Globe. It proves that victory is measured not just in rankings, but also in the ability to persevere in the face of adversity.
Meanwhile, the battle continues at sea. Damien Seguin (Groupe APICIL) leads a tight group in the Bay of Biscay, closely followed by Alan Roura (Hublot), who is sailing without AIS, requiring extreme vigilance despite fatigue. Further south, Antoine Cornic (Human Immobilier) is battling powerful winds and cumbersome sargassum in the North Atlantic. At the rear of the fleet, Denis Van Weynbergh (D'Ieteren Group) struggled against fickle winds and flat calms, but managed to close the gap on his rivals.
The skipper of La Mie Câline, Arnaud Boissières, officially announced his retirement from the Vendée Globe on Sunday, following his dismasting last Thursday while sailing up the Atlantic. Despite attempts to improvise a makeshift rig by cutting up his mainsail, the precarious solution did not allow him to sail safely. It's a major blow for the man who was taking part in his fifth Vendée Globe without ever having given up before.
Monday, February 3, 2025: Four arrivals in a row after 85 days of fierce fighting
The day was marked by the arrival of four skippers in Les Sables d'Olonne, each completing their round-the-world voyage with stories rich in challenge and emotion.
Damien Seguin, skipper of Groupe APICIL, crossed the finish line at 9:33 am, after 84 days, 20 hours and 31 minutes at sea, ranking 15th. For him, this second Vendée Globe was a real "battle against himself", as he had to contend with capricious weather and damage, including an ingress of water caused by a ripped chainplate in the Indian Ocean, forcing him to wear a neck brace for the rest of the race.
At 12:21 pm, Benjamin Ferré, aboard Monnoyeur - Duo For a Job, finished his first Vendée Globe in 16th position, after 84 days, 23 hours and 19 minutes of sailing. Despite several incidents of damage, including rudder and keel problems, he showed his resilience and finished first among the boats with straight daggerboards, ahead of his rival Tanguy Le Turquais and mentor Jean Le Cam.
Just 16 minutes later, at 12:37 pm, Tanguy Le Turquais, skipper of Lazare, crossed the line in 17th position, after 84 days, 23 hours and 35 minutes of racing. A dream come true, he overcame numerous technical and meteorological challenges, including severe depressions at the Capes of Good Hope, Kerguelen and Leeuwin, transforming his boat into a veritable repair workshop on several occasions.
Finally, at 12:57 pm, Alan Roura, aboard Hublot, concluded his third consecutive Vendée Globe in 18th position, after 84 days, 23 hours and 55 minutes at sea. Sailing a radically designed foiler, he braved the elements with tenacity, particularly in the Southern Ocean, and fought an intense duel to the finish line, finishing just 20 minutes behind Tanguy Le Turquais.
