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From a Paris office to the docks in Lorient
Just a few years ago, Nicolas d'Estais was working in corporate strategy consulting. An engineer by training, with a master?s degree in mechanical engineering from England, his career path had been quite far removed from the world of offshore racing.
Yet sailing had long been a part of his life. From the age of six, he dreamed of competing in the Vendée Globe. He eventually left his job to try to build a career as a sailor, taking it one step at a time.
First came the Mini Transat, which he competed in in 2015 and again in 2019, finishing second in the latter race. Next was the Class40, a category in which he competed in the 2022 Route du Rhum and several transatlantic races.
The transition to IMOCA will take place in 2025. This time, it?s no longer just about pursuing a racing career, but about preparing for the 2028 Vendée Globe.
However, Nicolas d'Estais does not consider his experience on smaller boats to be a guarantee of success. An IMOCA presents different challenges: heavier sails, considerable physical effort required during maneuvers, and a level of technical complexity that leaves little room for improvisation.
Café Joyeux, a sports initiative promoting inclusion
Nicolas d'Estais's adventure has another unique feature: his IMOCA does not bear the colors of a traditional main sponsor.
The boat operates under the banner of Café Joyeux, a chain of coffee shops and restaurants that employs and trains people with mental or cognitive disabilities.
The sailor discovered this initiative while he was still working in Paris. As he prepared for his career change, he proposed continuing the Café Joyeux legacy in ocean racing, following an earlier sailing project that had already flown those colors.
The business model is unusual. Café Joyeux does not directly fund the sailing campaign. Nicolas d'Estais must bring together the private partners who make it possible for the boat to sail.
These include Ibis, Nestlé, Castorama, and several other companies. Their support is intended to sustain the project through the 2028 Vendée Globe. The stated goal is to raise awareness of the cafés and restaurants and their mission to promote employment integration. Visibility through sports is therefore not an end in itself: it should serve to draw attention to this initiative.
The skipper is particularly committed to this human aspect. As a sponsor of Café Joyeux in Marseille, he made a stop there with his IMOCA during the summer of 2026. On land, the project relies on a team of about eight people. At sea, Nicolas d?Estais sails alone. But this solitude is made possible by the collective effort put in before each departure.
An IMOCA that won the Vendée Globe, still with centerboards
The boat chosen for this campaign has an unusual history.
Designed by VPLP Design and Guillaume Verdier, built by CDK Technologies in collaboration with Green Marine, and launched on August 16, 2011, this 18.28-meter IMOCA initially sailed under the colors of Macif .
It was on this boat that François Gabart won the 2012?2013 Vendée Globe, before going on to win the 2014 Route du Rhum. Renamed SMA , he continued his career with Paul Meilhat, who in turn won the Route du Rhum in 2018. The boat then passed to Clarisse Crémer, who finished twelfth in the 2020?2021 Vendée Globe, and then to Benjamin Ferré, who will compete in the 2024?2025 edition.
In total, this monohull has competed in five Vendée Globe races. Nicolas d'Estais hopes to have it compete in its sixth round-the-world race in 2028. Architecturally, it belongs to a generation that predates the introduction of foils in IMOCA racing. It retains straight centerboards, which limit lateral drift without generating the lift produced by the large appendages found on newer boats.
This technical choice determines the boat?s performance. In light winds, the boat can take advantage of its relatively low weight and reduced drag from its appendages. But when the wind picks up, IMOCA foiling boats generally have a significant speed advantage.
A closed cockpit and redesigned ergonomics for solo sailing
Since taking over the boat in the summer of 2025, the Café Joyeux team has made several modifications to adapt it to its new skipper.
The most noticeable change is in the cockpit. Originally, the boat had a sliding canopy that allowed the cockpit to be opened or closed depending on the conditions.
However, this solution had one flaw: water continued to seep in when sea conditions became rough. Since the hatch remained closed most of the time, the team decided to lock it in the closed position during the 2025?2026 winter construction project.
This modification resulted in a reorganization of the helm station. The tiller was moved back, the space available above the helmsman was slightly increased, and the gauges and navigation screens were repositioned.
The cockpit now features an additional computer screen. Closing the canopy also made it possible to install more solar panels on the roof; according to the skipper, their surface area has quadrupled.
These changes address very specific concerns: providing better protection from sea spray, reducing humidity in the cockpit, making it easier to view navigation data, and improving energy efficiency.
Ergonomics, however, remains a work in progress. Nicolas d'Estais is still searching for the least taxing positions for working at the chart table and sleeping. On a round-the-world voyage lasting several weeks, these details can play a major role in managing fatigue.
The team plans to continue making these adjustments after the Route du Rhum and then test them during the 2027 season.
The Route du Rhum: A Learning Experience Leading Up to 2028
The sports program follows a deliberate progression.
In 2025, Nicolas d'Estais made his IMOCA debut in a double-handed race with Swiss sailor Simon Koster, notably in the Transat Café L'Or. This first season allowed him to learn how the boat worked and to begin identifying its limits.
In 2026, he switched to solo racing. He finished sixth in the 1000 Race, then sixth in the Vendée Arctique, before continuing his preparation with the Défi Azimut and several training voyages.
The Route du Rhum is the main event of this second season. For him, the primary goal is to complete this first major solo transatlantic race on an IMOCA, while pitting his boat against those of his generation. The experience he gains will then inform the two remaining years of preparation leading up to the Vendée Globe.
