The 25th and final competitor in the Vend\u00e9e Globe, Ari Huusela, crossed the finish line last Friday after 116 days of racing, drawing a line under the latest edition of the world’s toughest sailing raceThe Finnish airline pilot was the first Nordic skipper to complete the Vend\u00e9e Globe and, besides enjoying every minute of the adventure, has become something of a hero in his home country of Finland for his endeavour.
\nBut every Vend\u00e9e Globe skipper has an epic tale to tell: we pick out some of other heroes of this remarkable ninth edition of the solo round the world race:<\/p>\n
1. Sam Davies
\nStrange though it may seem to choose a skipper who did not \u2013 officially \u2013 complete the race, there\u2019s no doubt that British skipper Sam Davies is a hero of the 2020 Vend\u00e9e Globe.
\nWhen Davies\u2019 IMOCA 60 Initiatives Coeur violently collided with a floating object back in early December, her race ended. She pulled into Cape Town to make repairs, thus disqualifying herself from the solo, unassisted Vend\u00e9e Globe.
\nBut Sam\u2019s Vend\u00e9e Globe had always had two objectives: one, to be competitive \u2013 and she is a fiercely competitive and highly technical skipper; but secondly, to raise money and awareness for her partner charity, which funds life-saving heart operations for children in the developing world.
\nThe fundraising model was perfect for a skipper as engaging as Sam \u2013 likes and shares on her social media page generated matched funding from her partner backers. But with her race cut short, the fundraising opportunities would have stopped early.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tVend\u00e9e Globe winner: Yannick Bestaven wins after redress<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn not only the closest, but also the most complex finish in the Vend\u00e9e Globe\u2018s 32-year history, Yannick Bestaven has\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tVend\u00e9e Globe rescue: Kevin Escoffier on his sinking and recovery<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cI AM SINKING. THIS IS NOT A JOKE. MAYDAY\u201d At 1345 (UTC) on Monday 30 November, on a grey and\u2026<\/p>\n
Sam, who has always been genuinely passionate about the project, decided to sail on, completing the circumnavigation on her repaired boat to continue raising donations and awareness for Initiatives Coeur.
\n\u201cIn my head the race was dead \u2013 I had stopping sailing, I had retired, I could already picture myself at home ready to pick up our nine-year-old son, Ruben, from school and back to making food at home,\u201d she said in South Africa, \u201cAnd then after 24 hours\u2026 I changed my mind. I came to my senses. \u201d
\n\u201cIt is obvious. Finishing the course out of the race makes sense. Initiatives-C\u0153ur is a solidarity project. And that\u2019s what gives me the strength and the energy to start again.\u201d
\nBut it was not easy. With three-quarters of the course still to go, Davies had to battle loneliness as well as ongoing issues with her repaired IMOCA. \u201cWhen I left Cape Town, I was behind everybody and all those guys were just so far away there was no way I was going to catch them,\u201d she told the IMOCA class.
\n\u201cI was worried about something else breaking on the boat, so I didn\u2019t want to push and so it wasn\u2019t the same sailing sensation that I am used to when I am racing. I felt lonely and it was a little bit scary as well being out there and being the last one. If something happened, I was there to help others but there was no one behind me\u2026\u201d
\nWhile her partner Romain Attanasio also finished the race, Sam sailed on to complete the course. On the way she raised enough funds for 102 lifesaving children\u2019s heart operations on the way. You can read more about the remarkable work Sam helped to fund on the Initiatives-C\u0153ur website.<\/p>\n
2. Jean Le Cam
\nThere is little that hasn\u2019t already been said about Jean Le Cam; the undisputed king of the 2020 Vend\u00e9e Globe. Racing a straight daggerboard boat that he campaigned on a modest budget, the hugely experienced Frenchman kept pace with the newest foiling designs for most of the race, frequently in the top four placings.
\nIn between, he plucked fellow skipper Kevin Escoffier from the South Atlantic after Escoffier\u2019s PRB suddenly and catastrophically broke up, leaving Escoffier adrift in a liferaft in 3m seas, without a radio. Showing superb seamanship, Le Cam located Escoffier, then managed to return and rescue him \u2013 at night, whilst short tacking in demanding conditions.
\nLe Cam finished 8th, despite the fact that his IMOCA was delaminating for most of the race. With the time compensation he had been awarded for the rescue, he took a hugely deserved 4th.
\nHe spoke at the end about how he hoped his achievements would inspire others to pursue a Vend\u00e9e campaign on more modest budgets. \u201cI believe that between Benjamin Dutreux, Damien Seguin and me, we gave young people confidence that the Vend\u00e9e Globe is still accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. Damien Seguin
\nDamien Seguin took 7th in the 2020 Vend\u00e9e Globe, but his race was not just remarkable for his ability to keep an older boat up with the new foilers, but because he was the first Paralympic skipper to complete the race.
\nHaving been born without a left hand, Seguin became the first sailor with a disability to complete the solo race. He finished in flamboyant style, donning a pirate costume, complete with hook, to sail up Les Sables d\u2019Olonne\u2019s famous channel.
\nJeremie Beyou training for the Vendee Globe. Photo Gauthier LEBEC \/ Charal Sailing Team)
\n4. Jeremie Beyou
\nAn unlucky 13th place is not the result J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Beyou would have been hoping for when he started his 4th Vend\u00e9e Globe last November. The widely fancied race favourite was setting out on one of the fastest and best prepared new foiling yachts in the race with Charal, and had enjoyed a near immaculate preparation schedule, including winning the Vend\u00e9e Arctic Race.
\nBut a collision soon after the start put paid to his winning chances, leaving Beyou only with the option of returning to port for repairs, restarting (allowed in the immediate early stages of the race), and continuing the course.
\nBeyou, who is more accustomed to being at the front of the fleet than chasing the tail-enders, initially struggled with being uncompetitive. Nevertheless, he continued, adding his personal challenge to the legions of Vend\u00e9e human stories.
\n\u201cThis was not the Vend\u00e9e Globe that I expected, I can\u2019t hide that fact,\u201d he said after finishing. \u201cDeep within me I discovered a part of my personality that didn\u2019t exist or that I had maybe repressed.
\n\u201cI went out there for the competition, the win, but\u2026 I discovered a different way of sailing, I learned a lot on the boat and did have a lot of fun. That is a big victory over my old self.\u201d
\nLouis Burton after finishing the Vend\u00e9e Globe. Photo Bernard Le Bars\/Alea
\n5. Louis Burton
\nLouis Burton\u2019s Vend\u00e9e Globe was heroic for its never-say-die, no-holds-barred approach. The Breton skipper finished 2nd across the line, and 3rd overall, having pushed his 2012 IMOCA Bureau Vall\u00e9e 2 to the limits.
\nHis full-throttle approach took its toll at times and Burton was twice forced to make major repairs, at one point climbing the mast three times while drifting in the protective lee of the remote Macquarie Island halfway between New Zealand and the Antarctic. Burton even had to contend with a fire onboard during his Atlantic return.
\n\u201cCrossing the line in 2nd position is a crazy thing, especially with the race I had,\u201d he said at the finish. \u201cI tried not to think too much about the finish during the race, it\u2019s like when you are riding a bike and you have a very steep hill to climb, if you look all the way up you get discouraged.\u201d
\nThe Vend\u00e9e Globe demands absolute commitment of its heroes, and Burton gave himself completely to the race. For the skipper, the rewards were equally consuming: \u201cI would not like to have anything more than what I am living here and now,\u2019 he said at the finish.
\nPip Hare celebrates with Champagne after arriving back on the dock at Les Sables d\u2019Olonne. Photo Richard Langdon \/ Ocean Images
\n6. Pip Hare
\nFor Pip Hare, completing the Vend\u00e9e Globe was a\u00a0lifetime dream come true. It was an ambition that Pip had poured her very heart and soul into, and finishing was a moment of pure celebration.
\nPip Hare finished the Vend\u00e9e Globe on Medallia in 19th position, with a final time of 95d 11hr. Sailing the second-oldest boat in the fleet, the 21-year-old former Superbigou built by Bernard Stamm, she finished within a few hours of the two closest foilers ahead (Alan Roura\u2019s La Fabrique in 17th, and St\u00e9phane le Diraison on Time for Oceans).
\nShe is only the 8th ever female skipper to complete the Vend\u00e9e Globe (four of which have been English). Before setting out, Hare had hoped to beat Ellen MacArthur\u2019s record for a female skipper of 94 days. She just missed out on that (Clarisse Cremer has set a new female record this year in 12th place at 87 days); it doesn\u2019t matter.
\nThis race has been a slower one than expected for almost every competitor, but everyone who has followed Pip\u2019s race will know that she has sailed Medallia\u2019s socks off. \u201cI never thought it would be like this, I never thought I would be playing with foiling boats,\u201d she said in disbelief at the finish. \u201cIt\u2019s been incredible.\u201d
\nPip became one of the stand-out heroes of this year\u2019s Vend\u00e9e Globe thanks to her open, honest, and often very funny videos, as she communicated the highs and lows of the world\u2019s greatest sailing race to an audience far beyond usual ocean racing fans. When she executed an incredible mid-race rudder change in the Southern Ocean, she confirmed her place as one of the race\u2019s legends (a mid-race birthday message from Russell Crowe just added to her superstar-status!). She can\u2019t wait to be back, and neither can her legions of her fans.<\/p>\n
7. Thomas Ruyant
\nThomas Ruyant\u2019s 4th place finish in the Vend\u00e9e Globe doesn\u2019t fully reflect a remarkable race for this Vend\u00e9e rookie. Widely considered as one of the favourites for the race, Ruyant put together a slick, professional campaign including a latest generation Verdier design \u2013 impressive in itself for a first-timer to the race.
\nHe was duelling for the lead, just three weeks into the race, when LinkedOut\u2019s port foil suffered major damage. Incredibly, Ruyant climbed out onto the end of the foil to cut the most badly damaged section away using an electric saw, before resuming racing, although his speed was severely compromised on starboard tack for the remaining 19,000 miles of the race.
\nDespite this, Ruyant pushed hard all the way, and was 3rd rounding Cape Horn. A rematch between Ruyant, Dalin and some of the other emerging talents in four year\u2019s time is a mouth-watering prospect for race fans.
\nSkipper Kojiro Shiraishi, DMG Mori Global One. Photo Olivier Blanchet\/Alea
\n8. Kojiro Shiraishi
\nKojiro Shiraishi became the first Japanese skipper ever to complete the around the world race. It took him 94 days to complete the course, but for the 53-year-old sailor it was the culmination of a 34 year dream.
\nShiraishi heroically refused to give up his Vend\u00e9e dream even after his mainsail split so badly it could have ended his race in the very first week. In total he spent more than seven days completing a major repair, and afterwards always had to sail cautiously, with at least one reef in the main for the entire circumnavigation.
\nAfter crossing the finish line Shiraishi said: \u201cIt is a miracle; I really did not think that my mainsail would hold, and it is truly incredible that it pulled through and I have been able to complete this wonderful adventure.\u201d
\nFor Shiraishi the voyage was also a homage to his own hero and mentor, the ground-breaking Japanese skipper Yukoh Tada. \u201cFor over 30 years I have been dreaming of doing this Vendee Globe, ever since Philippe Jeantot invited my master Yukoh Tada to compete in it. It has taken thirty years to complete the circumnavigation and I am proud to have been able to fulfil what Yukoh Tada wanted to do.\u201d
\nPhoto Jean-Marie Liot\/Alea
\n9. Charlie Dalin
\nThis year\u2019s Vend\u00e9e Globe winners honours deservedly go to Yannick Bestaven, who crossed the line in 80d 13h 59min 46secs and was awarded 10 hours and 15 minutes of redress for his part in the rescue of Kevin Escoffier. But nothing can take away from Charlie Dalin the fact that he crossed the line first on his first ever Vend\u00e9e Globe.
\nDespite being in the top two placings for much of the race, Dalin did not have it all easy. His port foil casing failed in the Southern Ocean, leaving Dalin to construct a remarkable 18-hour repair \u2013 the true MacGuyver-esque nature of which, with a cat\u2019s cradle of lines and stays, only became evident at the finish.
\n\u201cI was going back and forwards between the cockpit and the foil exit location on the hull,\u201d Dalin explained. \u201cI was suspended by a halyard to reach the point where I could fit the chock and I don\u2019t know how many times I went back and forth \u2013 30 or 40 times \u2013 to adjust the carbon piece to fit the foil case.\u201d
\nDalin sailed an otherwise near-faultless race, leading at the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin, but chasing rival Bestaven at the Cape of Good Hope. Despite the foil damage, a tactically smart eastern route saw him reel Bestaven in on the climb up the Atlantic, gaining over 400 miles past the coast of Brazil.
\nDespite having to relinquish victory, Dalin was gracious at the finish: \u201cWhat I\u2019m going to remember is that I was first over the line \u2013 no one can take it away from me. It\u2019s normal for boats that stop to help others to have time compensation and that\u2019s out of my control. But whatever the outcome I\u2019m here in front of you now and I\u2019m happy that I\u2019ve done a good job.
\n\u201cBefore leaving I said that finishing this round the world race would be a victory. Now I am even more aware of it \u2013 each of us has had many problems to overcome \u2013 and just to finish is a victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
10. Clarisse Cremer
\nFrench skipper Clarisse Cr\u00e8mer is now the fastest woman to sail singlehanded non-stop around the world, when she completed her Vend\u00e9e Globe after 87d 2hrs 24 mins, breaking Ellen MacArthur\u2019s 21-year monohull solo non-stop record of 94 days (when she took 2nd in the 2000-2001 Vend\u00e9e Globe).
\nCremer\u2019s achievement inspired a message from Dame MacArthur herself, saying: \u201cHi Clarisse, just a little message to say a big bravo for your race around the world. It\u2019s great to see you at the finish line. It\u2019s truly an exceptional lap. Well done for everything you have done! \u201c
\nBut the 31-year-old played down her achievement, saying at the finish: \u201cWe know that being a woman in ocean racing becomes a differentiator on land. But this is a mixed race and a mixed sport. There is no female classification. At sea, I am a sailor and I don\u2019t tell myself that the sailor in front is a man or a woman, I don\u2019t think about that at all.\u201d
\nCremer won legions of fans for her upbeat, positive videos, although she also spoke honestly about her doubts and fears at time, endearing her to many followers. \u201cI\u2019m afraid I\u2019m going off my head. I know that each gale seriously affects the condition of my boat,\u201d she worried in the early stages of the race when facing Storm Theta.
\nHowever, she grew in confidence throughout the race, sailing along the edge of the Ice Exclusion Zone with waves in excess of 20ft and winds of more than 40 knots in the Pacific, and overcoming her personal fear by climbing the mast twice on the return Atlantic leg.
\n\u201cI learned to switch off my brain, continue to advance, eat, sleep and look after myself,\u201d she explained.
\nWhen she passed Cape Horn, she felt like she had \u2018\u201cearned my stripes\u201d. Now, as the fastest woman ever to have completed the race, she joins the ranks of Vend\u00e9e Globe heroes.
\nIf you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post Vend\u00e9e Globe heroes: 10 remarkable sailors who embody the race\u2019s spirit appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The 25th and final competitor in the Vend\u00e9e Globe, Ari Huusela, crossed the finish line last Friday after 116 days of racing, drawing a line under the latest edition of the world’s toughest sailing raceThe Finnish airline pilot was the … <\/p>\n