My Take on the Vendée Globe 2024/25
The Vendee Globe Race Course: Turn left past Spain, turn left past South Africa, go straight on at Australia, turn left after South America, and then take the right turn to France. Sounds Easy?!?
I’ll confess: yes, I’ve done a little solo sailing and sailed 2,000 miles on an IMOCA 60, but, to be blunt, I know almost nothing about the Vendée Globe.
As a child, I used to view Vendée Globe sailors as superhuman. My childish mind couldn’t comprehend how you could sail around the world alone, race seemingly without sleeping for three months, and learn how to do every job on a big boat (18 meters).
As an adult who’s flirted with solo sailing, I still struggle to comprehend it. How do you buy a boat? How do you hire all the support staff? How on earth do you finance all of this?
I wouldn’t even know how many pairs of socks to pack to sail around the world alone.
Some Things I Noticed
Yoann Richomme vs. Charlie Dalin’s battle to win was gripping. The clash between two different philosophies: one team focused on being fast in strong winds when others had to slow down to protect their boats. The other focused on speed through transitions. Charlie’s descent south from France to South Africa was brilliantly executed. On the way north after Cape Horn, he was able to get through the light wind areas fastest and into strong winds first, creating scenarios where he was sailing in more wind than those behind. Yoann’s ability to go fast when literally everyone else had to slow down to preserve their boats in the strong winds of the South Pacific Ocean was equally incredible to behold.
Maybe the biggest difference between those at the front and those at the back is the amount of time those who sailed impressive Vendée Globes spent on small boats prior to their Vendée Globe campaigns. Whether that’s by design or financial necessity, it highlights the importance of spending years sailing Minis, Figaros, and Class40s before even considering an IMOCA. Yes, there are sailing prodigies who climb the ranks with ease, but for most, skipping steps can have negative consequences. Those who didn’t serve their apprenticeship in small boats struggled. There’s a 5,000-mile difference between the non-foiling fleet as a testament to this. A mistake on a small boat has small consequences, but a small mistake on a big boat can have big consequences. Lessons are learned significantly faster in small boats because mistakes are easier to recover from.
The standard, not only of the skippers but also of the teams, has gone up since the 2020 edition of the race. The skippers are better athletes, they’re smarter, and they’ve followed a more defined career path to the start line. The standard of boat preparation is higher, and the race is becoming more professional. Breakages have better fixes; weather strategy is better understood; and mental resilience is higher than ever before. Sport is constantly evolving, and the high percentage of finishers is a testament to the evolving nature of the Vendée Globe.
I think we’ll see a high turnover of skippers after this race, as more of the new generation arrives. The likes of Ed Goldberry, Jack Trigger, and Alberto Bona—sailors who are arriving on the Vendée Globe scene as very complete and well-rounded individuals—have really studied the vast subject that is solo sailing.
A few of my favourite photos from the race
The Lighter Side
Sailors will always have their superstitions. Jean Le Cam, who brilliantly overtook six boats after Cape Horn, attributed his success to a “2016 Saint Julian” bottle of wine that he gave to Neptune. If you don’t donate the picket, it will pay off eventually!
At some point, Tanguy Le Turquais and Benjamin Ferré became best friends during their fight to be the first non-foiler, spending every day chatting on the VHF. It’s a wholesome story! Well, wholesome—unless you’re Alan Roura, whose foiling boat got caught up in the battle. And remembering that VHF channels are public, Alan had to listen to their 'bromance' for 12,000 miles. There’s being a third wheel, and then there’s that.
Nicolas Lunven, skipper of PRB, has achieved a lot. His achievements have been matched, like a metronome, by Yoann Richomme. Nicolas won La Solitaire in 2009, so Yoann won it in 2016. Nicolas won La Solitaire again in 2017, so of course, Yoann won a second time in 2019. Nicolas broke the 24-hour distance record on November 13th, so naturally, Yoann had to break it, which he did on November 20th. Something Nicolas has been keen to point out.
Look who’s behind me! A certain Violette Dorange
What was cool about this Vendée Globe (for me, at least) is that I’ve been lucky enough to race against and get to know some of the skippers who finished this edition of the race. In the Figaro, I’ve raced against Tanguy Le Turquais and Violette Dorange, co-skippers Alan Roberts, Lois Berrerhar, Will Harris, and Gaston Morvan, and befriended management teams and shore crews. In a weird way, I felt close to the race. I’ve got a fair few friends putting together campaigns for the 2028 Vendée Globe, so the next edition will feel even closer.
A Final Thought
I’ve got a rule: never attend a sailing race as a spectator that I’d like to race in. It’s a weird way to motivate myself to put in the work to one day be in the race. So no, I will not be going to Les Sables-d'Olonne in November 2028 as a fan.