End of contract for Thomas Ruyant who now focuses on 2020 Vendée Globe

by Vendée Globe on 6 Mar 2017 It’s the end of a chapter for the joint effort from Le Souffle du Nord pour le projet Imagine and the French sailor, Thomas Ruyant, whose contract has just ended. After a stand-out voyage halfway around the world, Thomas is looking towards his next goal, which is to compete in the 2020 Vendée Globe.

Le Souffle du Nord pour Le Projet Imagine and Thomas Ruyant went through a big sporting and human adventure together. In terms of racing, he was fourth in the 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre with Adrien Hardy, and then he took part in the 2016 Vendée Globe, which unfortunately came to an early end. The association is currently busy repairing the boat to bring her home to France. She is still in New Zealand after the serious damage Ruyant experienced, when in eighth place in the Vendée Globe.

Sylvain Derreumaux, project leader for Le Souffle du Nord: “We have been through a big adventure together over the past couple of years with Thomas Ruyant and in spite of the frustration of not completing the round the world voyage, we are proud of what we achieved with him. He well and truly represented our values and those of the NGO, Projet Imagine and more widely all those, who work to ensure our world becomes a better place. We now have to repair the monohull, as the story is not yet over for her. We wish all the best to Thomas, who will remain a special ambassador for Le Souffle du Nord and he knows that he can count on us to be there to cheer him on at the start of the 2020 race in Les Sables d’Olonne.”

Looking forward to the 2020 Vendée Globe
Thomas Ruyant: “I experienced some fantastic moments with Le Souffle du Nord and I know how privileged I have been to have their support. Thanks to everyone who accompanied me each day in this big challenge. Even if the adventure ends there, it has left its mark on me and I would like to continue… I now need to get out there and look for partners, as I really want to take part in the 2020 Vendée Globe to make it all the way around the world and race against the big boys.” With this in mind, Thomas Ruyant will be attempting to win over one or more partners to set up a competitive project to perform well in the ninth Vendée Globe. That is why he is currently working on preparing for the next major races in the circuit such as the 2017 Transat Jacques Vabre and the 2018 Route du Rhum.