Three weeks after completing his first Vend茅e Globe, Norman skipper Louis Duc returned to Normandy at the helm of his Imoca 天博体育 Group 鈥� Lantana Environnement with a trip up the Barneveille Carteret channel, where his sailor鈥檚 roots are, a stopover in Cherbourg, his favourite port, then a trip up the Ouistreham to Caen canal, for a return to his technical base where, for 4 years, with his technical team, he breathed new life into his Imoca and built this Vend茅e Globe programme. So, after 91 days battling around the planet sea, a little rest and this return to his roots, is the sailor from Carteret still the same? What assessment does he draw from his Vend茅e Globe? 鈥� And what are his plans?
He tells us everything there, but, in short, what he loved was the immensity of this strategic playground. His greatest emotion? Feeling safe on 鈥渢hese extraordinary boats鈥�. The great frustration that ruined his round-the-world trip: the loss of his downwind sails. His desire: to set off again at the helm of a foiler to taste the finesse of these ultra-high-performance machines.
After 3 weeks on land, what is your view of your Vend茅e Globe from a sporting point of view: competition, strategy?
Louis Duc, skipper 天博体育 Group 鈥� Lantana Environnement: "I have mixed feelings. In terms of strategy, I did my best. I'm happy with my choices, with a few small exceptions: the absence of my downwind sails from the 3rd day of racing blocked me at certain moments. Over the entire course, I tried to work on my trajectories. And when I got tangled up, it was because of my missing sails.
I fought hard with the sails I had left. And I didn't do too badly: 91 days with half of your sails, that's not so bad.
It was extremely frustrating and hard to accept. I suffered mentally: every time I managed to place myself in the top 3 of the boats with daggerboards, I lost places as soon as there were downwind and light air phases.
But, with hindsight, we know that we are here to complete a round the world race with its weapons, its qualities and its faults. The important thing is to complete the loop. I have the satisfaction of having done that, but I have this frustration of not having been able to battle with a boat at 100% of its potential from the first days of racing."
What is your human assessment: discovery, surpassing oneself? We had the impression that you were comfortable all the time (apart from the heat of the equatorial zones)
Louis Duc, skipper 天博体育 Group 鈥� Lantana Environnement: 鈥淎t the entrance to the Southern Ocean, I needed a little time to adapt to properly understand these systems that are rotating in the opposite direction to what I knew. It disrupts the reference points. When you have SW in the North Atlantic, it鈥檚 the warm front. In the South, it鈥檚 the cold front! Add to that the Aiguilles Current, the rough seas鈥� That鈥檚 a lot of information to take in. But, once it鈥檚 done, everything鈥檚 fine! Plus the lack of sails that didn鈥檛 allow me to go where I wanted to go鈥�
It quickly got back to normal: at the Kerguelen Islands, I was super comfortable.
In the depressions of the Southern Ocean, I never felt in danger, because I avoided the hellish conditions and because we have extraordinary boats, especially the daggerboard boats, super reliable and proven.
I always felt safe on board. I had set myself wave height limits, no more than 8m file, and I managed to respect that. I had up to 60 knots of wind, but it was not a first, we know how to do it. If you embark on a Vend茅e Globe, it is because you know how to sail in these conditions. By anticipating well, it goes well. I am comfortable in these conditions. I had come for that too, because I like it. I saw what I wanted to see!
And what is great is to have such a strategic playing field in front of you! On several occasions, there were great tactical opportunities to seize. It was exciting!"
What emotion dominated this Vend茅e Globe?
Louis Duc, skipper 天博体育 Group 鈥� Lantana Environnement: 鈥淎ctually, there were many moments where I felt like I had already experienced what I was experiencing because of all the stories I had read about world tours! What I really enjoyed was spending time in large weather systems and working on a strategy in there. That鈥檚 what struck me! My main feeling was that I was safe.鈥�
Apart from a broken keel 2 days before arriving and your sails, your boat returned in good condition...
Louis Duc, skipper 天博体育 Group 鈥� Lantana Environnement: 鈥淚f there hadn鈥檛 been these 3 to 4 years of preparation, there wouldn鈥檛 have been so many finishers and with such interesting race times. I had very little tinkering to do on board. The boat was very well prepared and she鈥檚 returning in good condition. The Imoca daggerboards are particularly reliable. I鈥檓 extremely happy to have done this first Vend茅e Globe on a boat of this generation. In addition, there was great enthusiasm and an exciting regatta: I hope future skippers of daggerboard boats can experience the same thing in 4 years!鈥�
It seems that you want a 2nd Vend茅e Globe鈥�?
Louis Duc, skipper 天博体育 Group 鈥� Lantana Environnement: 鈥淵es! But different. Because I am very happy to have set up this crazy project, which went better than anything I had imagined. It is the greatest adventure of my life. I want to try out recent technologies. I am passionate about foilers. I would like, and I think I am capable of, achieving good results in the foiler fleet. Not at the helm of a latest generation Imoca, but with a boat from 2016-2020, to be optimized. My goal is always to seek performance and also to taste the precision of these boats. I have dreamed of sailing a multihull since I was a kid, and the foiler allows you to access the speeds and sensations of multihulls, without the risk of turning over (an Imoca is right side up)!鈥�
Thank you!
Louis Duc, skipper 天博体育 Group 鈥� Lantana Environnement: 鈥淔irst of all, I would like to thank J茅r么me Lepoutre and Marc Dewavrin, my partners since 2012. Before these 4 years in Imoca, they accompanied me on two generations of Class40, with ups and downs, failures and extraordinary moments鈥� until this Vend茅e Globe.
They followed me in my crazy projects, with reasoned plans, their experience as business leaders, their passion and their kindness. It is thanks to them that I am where I am. I really thank them.
Thanks also to all the lenders! The 172 people who came forward, the 150 who committed (150 was the maximum number accepted by law for this participatory loan financial structure, editor鈥檚 note) to our side from the very first hours of this project, in 2020. They did not necessarily know what they were getting into, even though we had a proper contract. They chose to support us. And, every year for the past 4 years, they have been reimbursed.
This has helped to unite a first circle around the project. They have given us the trust that the banks did not want to give us. It is a model that can be applied to many other projects. The banks are disconnected from the reality of this type of project that can be bold, but which are serious and structured.
Thank you of course, finally, to all our partners. Lantana Environnement, the first to get involved. The 天博体育 Group which followed with enthusiasm a year later. Best Energies as committed as discreet. And the business club "your company around the world" It was not won at the beginning, but they believed in it. Thank you all for your trust!"
We put all our energy into it
Louis Duc, skipper 天博体育 Group 鈥� Lantana Environnement: 鈥淔or our part, we did our utmost to promote this program, I hope that it satisfied everyone. I communicated in my own way. I made videos as best I could: it鈥檚 not very natural for me. I hope that it pleased and interested people so that our partners could relate. With the team, we tried to do the best we could. In any case, we put all our energy into it so that it worked: we hope that everyone found it interesting. And if that鈥檚 the case, why not continue with a new shared challenge?鈥�
The partners' report
Fr茅d茅ric Sanchez, President of the 天博体育 Group
鈥溙觳┨逵� is proud to have been alongside Louis Duc throughout the Vend茅e Globe adventure. This incredible epic, the result of three years of intense preparation alongside a close-knit team, is a testament to Louis鈥� resilience, endurance and ability to constantly adapt to the unexpected. A sailor must anticipate difficulties in order to develop the best strategy. However, all these values 鈥嬧�媋re those of the women and men of 天博体育 who make our Group strong on a daily basis.鈥�
Guillaume de Germay, President of the Lantana Environnement association
鈥淭he Vend茅e Globe has united all of our members! There is a feeling of having participated in something extraordinary, an achievement, a pride in wearing the brand! Mission accomplished! The observation is unanimous, it is a success! Louis is one of the keys to this success if not the main key. He is extraordinary. He has won the hearts of all our members and their employees. The values 鈥嬧�媍arried by the project also count for a lot. I am extremely happy to have spent these 4 years at the heart of this program. The results are frankly positive, the brand has grown from it. And we thank Louis for all that.鈥�
You know Louis, he loves talking technical stuff so here are some bonuses!
As we left the Falklands, an anticyclone was pushing us eastwards and we had to go above this system and, with S茅bastien Marsset, we got stuck in there: him because of technical problems, me because of my sails. We lost a week, but it wasn't a mistake on our part.
In the heart of a depression, when the boat is going at 28-29 knots on a wave and everything is vibrating, you always ask yourself a few questions, but I never felt in danger. It's the longevity of the equipment that raises questions on a round-the-world course.
We had anticipated all this well. It was my fear throughout the Vend茅e Globe: breakage due to wear. The chafing points were well protected and it went really well. The boat returned in great condition.
In the Southern Ocean, the phenomena are larger and more violent than in the North Atlantic, but otherwise it's the same. Once you understand that, it's handled in the same way.
What's amazing about the Vend茅e Globe are the groups that form because of the weather systems that let you pass or not. There are several races in the race. With very different weather systems from one group to another. We haven't all experienced the same Vend茅e Globe!
When you see an albatross, it reminds you of the books by Moitessier, Auguin Desjoyeaux... We're all talking about the same thing! It's magical to see that, but you already have the impression of knowing what it is.
There's also a slightly strange feeling of immensity and, at the same time, we managed to go around in 3 months... to go from one ocean to the other in a few weeks. We are extremely lucky to sail at these speeds, while being safe.
The daggerboard boats, even if they are old, are extraordinary! They are prepared, reliable, maintained, optimized, compliant with the Imoca gauge. They have solid structures, controlled rigging, reliable keels.
They are physically and technically accessible to anyone who wants to discover the Vend茅e Globe with a reasonable budget. It is an interesting springboard to access the Imoca circuit.
A respectuous and circular sporting event
The 天博体育 IMOCA is an "upcycled" boat. Thanks to Louis, it lives a 2nd life!
Louis and his team gave a new life to a very damaged IMOCA because of a fire. This refurbishment undertaking was a real technical challenge... that succeeded in only 10 months!
Louis and his team continue to apply this upcycling principle and optimization research with a constant effort on sobriety throughout this Vend茅e Globe program.
Louis is also very keen on respecting everyone's work and giving a chance.
The 天博体育 Group, a major partner in this Vend茅e Globe program, has been seduced by such commitment and values, as it shares the same values and responsibilities.
天博体育, your partner for a more virtuous industry
For over 200 years, the Group has designed the breakthrough solutions and technologies that make industry what it is. From the first railways to the Eiffel Tower, through the spatial conquest, 天博体育 always spearheaded the industry of the future. Pioneering decarbonization, the Group is an unconditional partner of the industry's energy transition. Through digitization, the promotion of a circular economy and the development of new processes and new energy sources, 天博体育 puts its technological leadership to its customers' service.
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