{"id":81608,"date":"2025-05-12T12:15:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T16:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=81608"},"modified":"2025-05-19T17:41:23","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T21:41:23","slug":"vendee-globe-and-the-great-pursuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/racing\/vendee-globe-and-the-great-pursuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Vend\u00e9e Globe and The Great Pursuit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/charles-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Charlie Dalin\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/charles-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/charles-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/charles-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/charles-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/charles.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Charlie Dalin, of France, the outright winner of the latest edition of the Vend\u00e9e Globe, maintained a relentless pace.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Charlie Dalin<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>There are so many things that can go wrong over the nearly 30,000 miles of the Vend\u00e9e Globe: routing and tactical errors, boat breakages, collisions, sheer bad luck\u2014you name it. And that\u2019s why Frenchman Charlie Dalin\u2019s victory in the 2024-25 edition is indeed so rare. Four years ago, Dalin was first across the finish line but was relegated to second place on corrected time when runner-up Yannick Bestaven, of France, was awarded a time bonus for helping in the \u00adrescue of a rival and declared the winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"x8aa2rgac1\" src=\"https:\/\/Sailingworld.dragonforms.com\/x8aa2rgac1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>It was fair enough, but the result left a feeling of unfinished business for Dalin, a modest and self-effacing character from the French port city of Le Havre. But Dalin didn\u2019t let it get the better of him. Instead, together with his team, he set about trying to do the impossible by removing the asterisk in the historical record next to his name and winning the race outright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409101430-240910cdn-3jml4998-high-resolution-1-Enhanced-SR-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"IMOCA 60 Macif\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409101430-240910cdn-3jml4998-high-resolution-1-Enhanced-SR-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409101430-240910cdn-3jml4998-high-resolution-1-Enhanced-SR-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409101430-240910cdn-3jml4998-high-resolution-1-Enhanced-SR-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409101430-240910cdn-3jml4998-high-resolution-1-Enhanced-SR-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409101430-240910cdn-3jml4998-high-resolution-1-Enhanced-SR.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Dalin\u2019s IMOCA 60 <i>Macif Sant\u00e9 \u00adPr\u00e9voyance<\/i> returned to the Vend\u00e9e Globe finish \u00adlooking almost as pristine as it did at the start.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Ronan Gladu\/Disobey\/Macif<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The 40-year-old father of two at the helm of <em>Macif Sant\u00e9 Pr\u00e9voyance<\/em>, the latest foiling design from the board of Guillaume Verdier, sailed an almost immaculate race, hard-driving and relentless in his pursuit of optimal performance. Dalin built his victory on a punishingly fast leg across the South Atlantic, when he took a direct route from Brazil to South Africa ahead of a perfectly timed depression. Then he took a courageous chance in the southern Indian Ocean to go deep in front of a monster storm system, jibing along the racecourse\u2019s ice limits\u2014a calculated strategy that all but one of his nearest rivals chose to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this is not to say that it was a walk-over. Far from it. Dalin was pursued all the way round the world by two of his countrymen, Yoann Richomme on <em>Paprec Ark\u00e9a<\/em>, who led at various times, and S\u00e9bastien Simon on <em>Groupe Dubreuil<\/em>, who was hampered in the second half of the race by a broken starboard foil. They duly took second and third on the podium. Richomme finished 23 hours behind Dalin and Simon 2 days, 17 hours behind on the very same boat that Charlie Enright and his teammates raced to victory in The Ocean Race 2023, under the colors of 11th Hour Racing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dalin crossed the finish line off the French Biscay port of Les Sables \u00add\u2019Olonne after 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes at sea. The numbers here are breathtaking: He broke the previous race record, set by Armel Le Cleac\u2019h, of France, in the 2016-17 edition, by 9 days, 9 hours, 12 minutes after sailing 27,667 nautical miles at an average speed of 17.79 knots. And this was in a monohull, and it wasn\u2019t all reaching and downwind speed sailing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501150936-vg24-paprec-2nd-1501-jlc15890-high-resolution-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Yoann Richomme\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501150936-vg24-paprec-2nd-1501-jlc15890-high-resolution-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501150936-vg24-paprec-2nd-1501-jlc15890-high-resolution-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501150936-vg24-paprec-2nd-1501-jlc15890-high-resolution-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501150936-vg24-paprec-2nd-1501-jlc15890-high-resolution-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501150936-vg24-paprec-2nd-1501-jlc15890-high-resolution.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\"><i>Paprec Ark\u00e9a<\/i> skipper Yoann Richomme, of France, finished in second, on January 15. <\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Jean-Louis Carli\/Alea<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>To put this in context, consider that Dalin was at sea only half a day longer than Bruno Peyron and his crew on the 109-foot maxi-cat <em>Orange<\/em> when winning the Jules Verne Trophy for the fully crewed round-the-world record in 2002. (That record now stands at 40 days, 23 hours.) On the one hand, this was race-winning form from Dalin, but it also meant a rough and noisy ride for the skipper, even on a flying boat that nosedives in big seas less often than some of its older rivals.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever experienced emotions like these before,\u201d Dalin said at Les Sables D\u2019Olonne, after being given a hero\u2019s welcome by a crowd who poured into the finish port for his arrival in mid-January. He was almost overwhelmed by what he had achieved. \u201cThis is by far the best finish line I\u2019ve ever crossed. Today, I can confidently say, I\u2019m the happiest man in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked tirelessly over the past four years to make this dream a reality. The boat was incredible, and everything we\u2019ve lived and worked for came together in this moment,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richomme, who made a storming start to his IMOCA career with two solo transatlantic race wins in the buildup to this Vend\u00e9e Globe, was happy to pay generous tribute to a superior competitor at the finish. \u201cI came up against someone stronger than me; Charlie was simply unbeatable,\u201d said the 41-year-old whose foiler is from the boards of Antoine Koch and Finot-Conq. \u201cHe\u2019s been stratospheric in IMOCA for several seasons, and it\u2019s hard to challenge him. I\u2019m thrilled for him to have a bit of redemption from the past.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409270748-devenir-bi-vg2024-qaptur-68-high-resolution-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Violette Dorange\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409270748-devenir-bi-vg2024-qaptur-68-high-resolution-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409270748-devenir-bi-vg2024-qaptur-68-high-resolution-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409270748-devenir-bi-vg2024-qaptur-68-high-resolution-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409270748-devenir-bi-vg2024-qaptur-68-high-resolution-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2409270748-devenir-bi-vg2024-qaptur-68-high-resolution.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\"><i>DeVenir<\/i> skipper Violette Dorange, of France, at left, was the race\u2019s youngest competitor, and finished 25th, completing the race in just over 90 days.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Thomas Deregnieaux\/Qaptur<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Dalin, meanwhile, credited Richomme for pushing him to a level of performance that he would not have reached on his own. Reflecting on his circumnavigation, he said that making the right weather call north of Cape Frio on the Brazilian coast was a key moment. Then he enjoyed what he called \u201cexceptional conditions\u201d in the Southern Ocean and, in the final stages, he had a boat in good shape for a full-on race up the Atlantic. Along the way, Dalin dealt with a series of technical issues with ease, among them sail repairs and keel and pilot ram failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simon Fisher, formerly the navigator with 11th Hour Racing who advised Dalin on his meteo strategy before the start, said that the French skipper had shown all his experience, knowing when to push and when to hold off and preserve his boat. \u201cCharlie sailed very smart,\u201d Fisher said. \u201cHe\u2019s obviously a very talented sailor and, being a naval architect, is very dialed in to his boat. For me, his success in this race was a combination of good tactics and strategy, and good boatspeed, and using those two things when he needed to. You can easily run yourself into a big rut in these races and push too hard, but Charlie did a great job of knowing when to put the hammer down and build a lead, and when to be a little more conservative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dalin\u2019s race against Richomme and Simon apart, there was an excellent fight for the minor places in the top 10 when, a week later, J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Beyou, of France, in fourth place, was the first of six boats home in just 37 hours. These skippers battled brutal weather as they returned to northern Europe in classic big-winter conditions. Among them was Justine Mettraux, of Switzerland, in eighth place, who became the first female and first non-French sailor to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412201546-imo-charal-80-241220-224656-im-high-resolution2-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Beyou\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412201546-imo-charal-80-241220-224656-im-high-resolution2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412201546-imo-charal-80-241220-224656-im-high-resolution2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412201546-imo-charal-80-241220-224656-im-high-resolution2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412201546-imo-charal-80-241220-224656-im-high-resolution2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412201546-imo-charal-80-241220-224656-im-high-resolution2.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Beyou, on <i>Charal<\/i>, was unable to maintain pace with the podium three, finishing fourth in his fifth Vend\u00e9e Globe.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Beyou<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Beyou, on <em>Charal<\/em>, had started as one of the favorites with his much-tweaked Sam Manuard design. But his fifth Vend\u00e9e Globe did not go as well as he may have wished; he struggled to match the leading three for pace. He found the wild weather in the closing stages stressful, and at the finish, he underlined that even minor places in the Vend\u00e9e Globe are now more valuable than ever.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are fourth places that feel like defeats, but this one feels more like a victory,\u201d said the 48-year-old skipper originally from the Breton town of Morlaix. \u201cIt took me a bit of time to accept that it would only be fourth place, but in the end, I\u2019m proud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101033-vg24-simon-pontoons-1011-vc145-high-resolution-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"S\u00e9bastien Simon\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101033-vg24-simon-pontoons-1011-vc145-high-resolution-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101033-vg24-simon-pontoons-1011-vc145-high-resolution-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101033-vg24-simon-pontoons-1011-vc145-high-resolution-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101033-vg24-simon-pontoons-1011-vc145-high-resolution-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101033-vg24-simon-pontoons-1011-vc145-high-resolution.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\"><i>Groupe Dubreuil<\/i> skipper S\u00e9bastien Simon, of France, before start of the Vend\u00e9e Globe, on November 10, 2024, in Les Sables d\u2019Olonne, France. <\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Vincent Curutchet\/Alea<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>This recent edition of the race was record-setting in many ways. It saw a new solo monohull 24-hour distance record\u2014an incredible 615.33 nautical miles\u2014set by Simon heading south in the Atlantic. It included the youngest competitor ever to finish the race in the form of the 23-year-old sensation Violette Dorange, of France, on <em>DeVenir<\/em>. It featured Jingkun Xu, the first Chinese sailor to complete the race, a remarkable individual who lost his left arm up to his forearm in an accident as a child. He completed the course in 30th position on board <em>Singchain Team Haikou<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it also featured the race\u2019s biggest fleet, with 40 boats taking the start in early November\u2014seven more entries than the previous record in 2020-21. More importantly, it saw the highest number of finishers, with only seven of the 40 starters failing to make it round under the rules. Among them was 2020-21 winner Yannick Bestaven, who was forced to stop in southern Argentina to repair his steering system on <em>Ma\u00eetre Coq V<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412232359-imo-paprec-2024-12-23-at-2251-high-resolution-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Yoann Richomme\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412232359-imo-paprec-2024-12-23-at-2251-high-resolution-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412232359-imo-paprec-2024-12-23-at-2251-high-resolution-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412232359-imo-paprec-2024-12-23-at-2251-high-resolution-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412232359-imo-paprec-2024-12-23-at-2251-high-resolution-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2412232359-imo-paprec-2024-12-23-at-2251-high-resolution.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Richomme, on board <i>Paprec Ark\u00e9a<\/i>, shares a selfie while rounding Cape Horn in December.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Yoann Richomme<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The number of sailors who were forced to abandon the race translates to a failure rate of only 17.5 percent. This compares with a high of 62 percent in the 2008-09 race, when 18 of the 29 starters dropped out, and reflects the increasing professionalism of the teams and the way they prepare boats for what is the ultimate offshore-\u00adsailing test of human and design. It is also the consequence of the demanding qualification process for the Vend\u00e9e Globe now in place and the busy calendar of IMOCA races that lead up to the race through every four-year&nbsp;cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas in the past the Vend\u00e9e Globe has seen tragedies when sailors have been lost, or dramatic rescues carried out, this race was notable for the absence of such events, arguably a sign that as a sporting event, it is maturing. Antoine Mermod, president of the IMOCA class, considered the completion rate a big step forward in terms of the race\u2019s sporting credentials. \u201cIt\u2019s very important that the skippers can complete the race, and can compete at a sporting level, and that the Vend\u00e9e Globe is not a race of elimination because of technical issues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/8th-place-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Justine Mettraux\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/8th-place-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/8th-place-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/8th-place-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/8th-place-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/8th-place.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Swiss skipper Justine Mettraux, the fleet\u2019s first female finisher, at eighth overall, is photographed immediately after finishing, revealing the race\u2019s physical toll on her and her hands.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\"> Mark Lloyd\/Alea<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>This race featured six female sailors, proportionately slightly less than the 2020-21 edition, when six women also took the start in a fleet of 33 boats. Mettraux and Dorange apart, the female entrants included Clarisse Cr\u00e9mer, of France, who finished her second Vend\u00e9e Globe in 11th place on board <em>L\u2019Occitane En Provence<\/em>\u2014the boat sailed by Dalin in the 2020 race, then named <em>Apivia<\/em>. Veteran solo campaigner Sam Davies of Great Britain had a disappointing race, finishing in 13th place on <em>Initiatives-Coeurs 4<\/em>, in what was her fourth and likely final Vend\u00e9e Globe. And her fellow Brit, Pip Hare, sponsored by the California-based customer and employee experience management company Medallia, saw her second Vend\u00e9e Globe abruptly end with a dismasting south of Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With ever-improving communications with boats even in the remotest locations, the flow of information and insight from skippers was better than ever. Race fans were treated to a steady stream of onboard video updates, photographs, audio recordings, and postings on a variety of social media channels. The race places the skippers front and center in their own soap opera, whether they like it or not. It all means that there has never been a better time to follow their adventures from the comfort of an armchair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101432-vg24-fleet-start-1011-jml14483-high-resolution-1-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Start of the 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe Race\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101432-vg24-fleet-start-1011-jml14483-high-resolution-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101432-vg24-fleet-start-1011-jml14483-high-resolution-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101432-vg24-fleet-start-1011-jml14483-high-resolution-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101432-vg24-fleet-start-1011-jml14483-high-resolution-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2411101432-vg24-fleet-start-1011-jml14483-high-resolution-1.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">After an agonizingly slow start this past November, the front-runners were\u00a0soon racking up 24-hour records.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Jean-Marie Liot\/Alea<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>It also means that the reporting is getting better and the impact more dramatic. The race featured countless gripping pieces of film, not in the least a memorable sequence by French sailor Tanguy Le Turquais on the daggerboard-\u00adconfigured <em>Lazare<\/em>. Early in his Southern Ocean passage, Le Turquais broke several battens in his mainsail during an uncontrolled jibe and filmed himself in a state of utter despair, cursing his incompetence and furious that he had placed his race at risk. Then we saw the high that followed as Le Turquais celebrated, ecstatic that he had managed to effect repairs and get his race back on track. He went on to finish 17th, second in the daggerboard division by just 16 minutes, behind Benjamin Ferr\u00e9 on <em>Monnoyeur-Duo For A Job<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501170201-vg24-dubreuil-3rd-1701-vc16392-high-resolution-Enhanced-SR-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"S\u00e9bastien Simon\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501170201-vg24-dubreuil-3rd-1701-vc16392-high-resolution-Enhanced-SR-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501170201-vg24-dubreuil-3rd-1701-vc16392-high-resolution-Enhanced-SR-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501170201-vg24-dubreuil-3rd-1701-vc16392-high-resolution-Enhanced-SR-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501170201-vg24-dubreuil-3rd-1701-vc16392-high-resolution-Enhanced-SR-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/vg2024-2501170201-vg24-dubreuil-3rd-1701-vc16392-high-resolution-Enhanced-SR.jpg 2000w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Simon claiming the best 24-hour record at 615.33 nautical miles before finishing third overall.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Vincent Curutchet\/Alea<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Much later in the race, Beyou sent an equally memorable video capture. This was the <em>Charal<\/em> skipper only a few days before the finish, sailing in 40 knots of wind in the North Atlantic, wincing at every crash, and looking physically and mentally exhausted by the challenge of trying to complete the race and keep his foiler in one piece. His haunted appearance showed us better than any number of words or interviews could do just how demanding this real-life drama remains and how true these amazing characters are to sailing\u2019s most fascinating race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Charlie Dalin delivered a superhuman performance in last year\u2019s Vend\u00e9e Globe, making what is impossibly difficult seem easy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":81611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Ed Gorman","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":"","sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[159],"tags":[2992,177,178,227],"class_list":["post-81608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-racing","tag-print-spring-2025","tag-racing","tag-sailboat-racing","tag-vendee-globe"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81608\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}