Australian Matt Johnston wins the Virtual Vendee Globe

by Gaia Coretti on 27 Jan 2017 On his black and yellow boat, wearing the IMOCA Hugo Boss's colours, Matt Johnston, Mangina-PYR, wins the 2016-2017 Virtual Vendée Globe Edition. At the end of a very tight race and after more than 49,000 km around the world, this virtual sailor arrives ahead of 451,000 players. The New Zealander Derek Watt (NZ-Eligo ‘'IST') and the Frenchman Didier Flament (Didflam) complete the podium.

It took 72 days, 2 hours 23 minutes and 10 seconds to sail virtually around the globe, which started and arrived in Les Sables d'Olonne. They have been 72 days of presence on the Virtual Regatta's flag game, of fine settings tuning, of choosing the best route and, above all, of continuously analysing the weather in order to get the best of it. It's a young Australian from Adelaide, in South Australia, who wins this virtual circumnavigation.

This victory has been build as the oceans, the capes and the miles went by. 540th at Cape of Good Hope, (which is the first of the three major capes in this circumnavigation), Mangina-PYR, as the boat is named, has then never stopped to catch up in the ranking. 288th at Cape Leeuwin in the southwest of Australia then 142nd at Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of the American continent, the skipper has crossed the Equator and entered the northern hemisphere as 12th. We all know what followed and it's as the big winner that he arrives today, January 17th, in Les Sables D'Olonne.

By achieving his circumnavigation in 72 days, Matt Johnston beats by 2 days and 10 hours the former Lilian Launay's reference race time.

On this circumnavigation, Matt Johnson will have sailed 26,592.20 nautical miles (49,248 km) in 72 days, 2 hours 23 minutes and 10 seconds; that's an average speed of 15,4 knots.

Interviewed three hours after his arrival and, because of the time difference, a bit of sleep, Matt Johnston looks back on his race for us:

“Shortly before the Vendée Globe start, I have been lucky enough to take part in a sailing championship with Michael Coxon of the Australia North Sails sail makers company (Editor's note : Coxon, well renowned sailor in Australia, took part in 29 Sydney Hobart races and numerous other big races, he's also North Sails's Managing Director). His experience and his common sense have been very helpful to me. It mainly advised me to go as fast as possible in the different transition phases, but also to descent and climb up back as fast as possible in the Atlantic Ocean. That's what I've tried to do and it worked pretty well. I'm very glad of this victory in the Virtual Vendée Globe. It's incredible”.

New Zealand and France on the podium

Few minutes after Mangina-PYR, Derek Watt, skipper of NZ-Eligo “IST” has also looped the loop and seizes the second spot.

Interviewed right just after his arrival by the legendary sailor Chris Dickson (Match Racing triple world Champion, Louis Vuitton Cup 2003 finalist…), New-Zealander like him and also player of the Virtual Vendée Globe, Derek Watt shares his first thoughts.

“I've started the race quietly but I quickly threw myself completely into it. I find the app absolutely exceptional. That's what made me feel like keeping on going. Then I left my life a little bit aside during these 72 days. I was really on it daily and woke up regularly during the night. I set up my alarm clock every 3 to 4 hours in order to adjust my trajectory and my strategy. The game was really gripping. I think my wife should be very happy that this adventure is coming to end. It was one in a lifetime adventure.”

Didier Flament, researcher in marine microbiology, is the first French sailor of this edition. His very conservative strategy and his intuition enable him to finish this circumnavigation on the third step of the podium. It's a beautiful performance that he comments:

“It was not my initial goal at all. I have never put my work aside and to be sincere I used to log in in the evening for about one hour in order to analyse the weather and set my course, and then about 30 minutes every morning. It happened to me also to have a look into the app during the day to check if everything was fine. But the last night has been the only one where I woke up to manoeuvre my boat. I had to tack and I did not want to foul it. Being first at a certain time has made my friends laugh a lot and this is my great victory in the Virtual Vendée Globe. I'm really very glad of this rank. It has been a beautiful adventure.”

Now that the finish line has been broken, it's henceforth a continuous flow of virtual players that will loop up their circumnavigation. With more than 451,000 skippers on the oceans, there will be lots of passages on this virtual finish line, right in front of the port of les Sables d'Olonne.