2016 Vendée Globe – Fabrice Amedeo’s first voyage on his new boat

by Vendee Globe on 15 May 2015 The amateur skipper, Fabrice Amedeo, the 12th skipper pre-registered for the 2016 Vendée Globe, is currently sailing an IMOCA for the first time on the monohull he has just acquired, which is none other than the former Synerciel aboard which Jean Le Cam raced in the last Vendée Globe. The sailor left Barcelona yesterday and is due to reach his home port of Lorient next weekend. The 60-foot boat is currently in the colours of Newrest, but a joint partner is due to be announced in the coming weeks. Fabrice will compete in the 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre and the 2016 Vendée Globe. We met up with a rather unusual skipper, who works as a journalist for the French daily, the Figaro.

Fabrice Amedeo: “This is a first for me, as I have never sailed a 60-foot IMOCA before. History is repeating itself as in July 2010, I had never sailed a Class 40 and I had to go and fetch my boat from Marseille to bring her home to Brittany tin order to compete in my first Route du Rhum. That was the start of a fine story with several transatlantic races including my ninth place in the last Route du Rhum. Discovering a boat during such a delivery trip of 1500 miles with the Alboran Sea, the Straits of Gibraltar, the climb back up the coast of Portugal, Cape Finisterre and the Bay of Biscay is a great way to learn and get used to a new boat in a variety of conditions. This first sail is the result of a lot of hard work this winter getting my Vendée Globe project set up, but it also represents the start of a huge challenge. I now have six months to go to the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre and 18 months before the start of the solo round the world race. After the business phase, looking for partners, buying a boat, dealing with the banks, forming a team, it’s now time for racing and the adventure can begin.”

For this delivery trip, Fabrice is joined by Alex Marmorat and two Spanish racers: Gerard Marin who has just completed a round the world race on this boat (the Barcelona World Race which he finished in third place) and Didac Costa, who also sailed around the world this winter and who has just been with Jean Le Cam on the delivery trip of his 60-foot Imoca between Catalonia and Brittany.

A new skipper for the Vendée Globe

For those, who don’t yet know Fabrice Amedeo, he is a 36 year old who lives near Paris, but is originally from the Angers region. He has already taken part in six transatlantic races: the 2013 Transat Jacques Vabre, the 2012 Quebec – Saint Malo, the 2012 Solidaire du Chocolat, the 2010 and 2014 Route du Rhum and the 2008 Transat AG2R. He also competed in the 2008 Solitaire du Figaro and has raced eight times in the Fastnet. A sailor, but also a journalist, he is assistant chief editor at the Figaro, and has written six books including one on the 10th edition of the Route du Rhum.