A top ten for the ages

This weekend saw a flurry of activity in the Vendée Globe finish port of Les Sables d’Olonne with seven sailors crossing the finish line between Friday and Sunday, including places fourth through 11.

It’s an honour’s list of talented sailors each of whom had to overcome significant challenges to finish the race. A common thread connecting each and every sailor in the top 10 on the leaderboard is previous experience in The Ocean Race.

From 4th placed Jérémie Beyou, who was on the Dongfeng Racing Team that won the 2017-18 edition of The Ocean Race, through to 10th placed Benjamin Dutreux, who continued to race under the same GUYOT Environnement banner in both The Ocean Race and the Vendée Globe, all the sailors saw their time in The Ocean Race contribute to their reserves of experience and skill for this solo challenge.

“On a Vendée Globe, you go fast, but you are managing the situation more, while in The Ocean Race you go a bit without restraint,” is the way Beyou once described the differences between the solo mentality of the Vendée Globe and the fully-crewed pace of The Ocean Race.

“I think that when I return to the Southern Ocean, I have experienced this other mode of racing and I am less afraid to push the boat a little more when necessary. The Ocean Race reassured me about my ability to go fast in big conditions.”

For others, like Paul Meilhat, who secured an impressive fifth place finish, the 2022-23 edition of The Ocean Race provided a proving ground for his brand new IMOCA, Biotherm, and the confidence that comes with having already raced around the world on the same boat.

“It's probably one of the greatest overall achievements of my career. Above all, it is the culmination of four years of hard work with a whole team,” he said. “What's great about this project is that we built it from scratch, building the boat and staying true to the philosophy we set out from the start. For four years, we never wavered from our principles, and it paid off!”

Nico Lunven secured a sixth place finish in his first Vendée Globe arter completing The Ocean Race with Team Mallizia. Incredibly, after the marathon of The Ocean Race, he didn't find the Vendée Globe to be too long and sounds like he's ready to take on the next challenge:

"Although there were some difficult periods, I did not find the time long at all in the southern ocean and we were always in close competition with each other," he said. "It was very motivating, stimulating, and I thought it was quite pleasant."

Swiss sailor Justine Mettraux was on the winning teams of the last two editions of The Ocean Race - in 2017-18 with Dongfeng Racing Team and in 2023 with 11th Hour Racing Team.

She completed this Vendée Globe in 8th place - the top female and the first international (non-French) skipper to cross the finish line.

“When you spend so long at sea, it's a very rich experience,” she said at the finish. “I feel like I have progressed in mastering the boat, to know it better and have learned many things about strategy. I also had to do a lot of maintenance and repairs, which is not my strong point, so I have progressed in different areas of preparation of the boat during this circumnavigation. It's all interesting and the next time something happens, I will have the answer immediately.”

For all of the competitors, the Vendée Globe is a singular experience and finishing near the top of the fleet is an immense achievement.

At The Ocean Race, we send our congratulations to all those safely in Les Sables d’Olonne, and all of those still at sea, racing towards the finish.

See more at www.vendeeglobe.org