Please select your home edition
Edition
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - LEADERBOARD

A coveted top-10 finish in classic Vendée Globe for French skippers Beyou, Meilhat, Lunven & Ruyant

by Ed Gorman / IMOCA Globe Series 26 Jan 06:49 AEDT 25 January 2025
Vendée Globe © Jean-Louis Carli / Alea

A top-10 finish in the Vendée Globe - in any edition of this classic race - is a major achievement in the world of solo offshore racing, but in the current race, with its record-breaking 40-strong entry, these are more valuable than ever.

And that's not just because of the size of the field that set sail last November, but also because of the competitiveness of the IMOCA fleet. Podium finishes, top-five finishes and top-10 finishes are all more sought after currencies than they have ever been.

Just ask Jérémie Beyou, the Charal skipper, who led the second group of finishers after the top three, as he crossed the line off Les Sables D'Olonne in fourth place in the early hours of Friday morning.

"There are fourth places that feel like defeats, but this one feels more like a victory," said the 48-year-old skipper originally from Morlaix. "It took me a bit of time to accept that it would only be fourth place, but in the end I'm proud."

Beyou arrived after 74 days and 12 hours at sea and did so nine days and 17 hours after race winner Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance). He was exhausted after a demanding run-in which saw some of the worst weather of the race for Beyou and those chasing him.

The three-time Figaro champion, for whom this was his fifth Vendée Globe, had dreamt of finally winning this marathon after having to re-start in the last race and finishing 13th, but it was not to be.

The next man across the line about 11 hours later, Paul Meilhat on board Biotherm, could not have been more proud of his fifth place. "What I was seeking in this Vendée Globe was the culmination of a collective effort over three years," he said. "In the end, it's me standing here in front of you. But this result is thanks to so many people - my team, partners, family and friends. I wanted to show that it's possible to succeed by taking this approach."

Then came Nico Lunven on board Holcim-PRB, a sailor who, like both Beyou and Meilhat, had to contend with many technical issues to keep his race on track. But like them too he was delighted with his sixth place. "Finishing is already a victory," he said. "I'm super-happy to have made it to the finish line, even though it wasn't always easy...finishing sixth, the objective was achieved," he added. "In any case, I'm satisfied with a job well done. I (did my best) and I fought hard all the way."

In seventh place, Thomas Ruyant on board VULNERABLE, another sailor who dreamt of winning after finishing sixth last time out, was in more philosophical mood back on dry land. Ruyant sailed a competitive race but his winning chances evaporated in the Southern Ocean when he could not stay with Dalin, Yoann Richomme (second on Paprec Arkéa) and Sébastien Simon (third on Groupe Dubreuil). He then suffered the loss of his J2 headsail in the Atlantic when it disintegrated in a 55-knot squall off the coast of Uruguay.

"If someone asked me to sign for seventh place before I set sail, I wouldn't have done so," Ruyant said at the finish. "But today I regret nothing. I did my best during the whole race and I am happy to be here today and I don't want to have any bitterness about it at all," he said.

Like Ruyant, Beyou's chance of winning ended when Dalin, Richomme, and Simon, built a lead heading across the South Atlantic and into the Southern Indian Ocean which the Charal skipper was never able to claw back.

"Charlie and I came out of the Doldrums together," recalled Beyou. "After that, I couldn't keep the speed up. I ended up with a physical problem with my knee which meant I might not have been performing at my full potential." Once he had fallen behind the leading three Beyou fought in vain to catch up again. "The gap cost us dearly," he said. "Then it stayed blocked the whole time...it kills your morale, but there's nothing you can do."

Beyou endured a tough final run-in to the finish and clearly found the stress of keeping his race on-track difficult to cope with. He said the technical problems on board his boat were a constant worry. "I had a lot of issues with the deck gear and electronics from the very start," he said. "I ended up with just one working wind vane out of four. There were also problems with basic components: blocks, furlers, hooks, hydraulic rams. Lots of technical issues that shouldn't happen. Psychologically, it felt like a sword of Damocles hanging over me, which made it hard to manage at times."

Meilhat was delighted that after having had to retire from his first Vendée Globe eight years ago, this time he was able to race all the way around the world, despite a broken forestay coming back up the Atlantic. He was always contending with boats around him and seemed to have enjoyed almost every minute of it.

"The others (his rivals) were my driving force," he explained. "I said before the start that I was here to race, to compete against the others. The final result wasn't that important to me - and I got what I wanted. This is the first time we've had a Vendée Globe with 40 skippers and, on top of that, the competitive level was very high. Throughout the race, I always had another boat near me and I crossed paths with a boat on AIS almost daily."

Meilhat said he needed all his strength and staying power to keep his boat in one piece during the final battering in the Bay of Biscay before the finish. "I'm thrilled to be here because, honestly, last night I had nothing left. I was hit with 40 knots of wind again, the boat broaching three times, lying on its side. I knew resilience was my strength, but I'm so relieved to be here," he said.

Lunven, meanwhile, paid tribute to Beyou after a long battle with him throughout the race, one of the sub-plots behind the leading trio that was no less intense than Dalin's rivalry with Richomme and Simon. "For much of the Vendée Globe, I was racing side-by-side with Jérémie. It was fantastic to have that friendly rivalry. We used to compete a lot in the Figaro and now here we are doing the same in IMOCA. It was really great," he said.

The Holcim-PRB skipper was asked if he is already thinking about coming back in four years time for another go at this uniquely demanding race. "It's hard to say no," he said. "We always tend to forget the bad moments and hold onto the good ones, so it's something that quickly comes back to mind."

Related Articles

2025 is going to be a huge season for IMOCA
Antoine Mermod talks about the season ahead Over the next four years the most exciting monohull class in world offshore ocean racing will take on no less than 17 races, covering tens of thousands of miles of the world's oceans. Posted on 28 May
The Ocean's Logbook amplifies global voices
A digital survey that looks beyond cold statistics to capture real stories A powerful new campaign designed to capture the world's emotional connection to the ocean is being launched today ahead of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France in June. Posted on 27 May
Francesca Clapcich names Will Harris as co-skipper
For Transat Café L'OR double-handed race across the Atlantic Italian-American pro offshore sailor, Francesca Clapcich, has chosen Will Harris (GBR) to join her as co-skipper for the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandie, the double-handed bi-annual race from Le Havre, France, to Martinique. Posted on 21 May
A new IMOCA for Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia
Three teams have joined forces to build three new boats Boris Herrmann's Team Malizia announces the build of a new IMOCA racing yacht and with it, an unprecedented collaboration. Posted on 20 May
Team Holcim-PRB partners with Hatch Systems
Studying human performance in extreme offshore sailing In an exciting new collaboration, Team Holcim-PRB has partnered with Hatch Systems, Inc. to study the physical and mental effects of one of the world's most demanding sports: offshore ocean racing. Posted on 18 May
New study in Vendée Globe could be a game changer
Research is being carried out by a bio-engineering specialist into human performance What effect does racing alone around the world on a high performance IMOCA yacht have on the human body and mind? Posted on 14 May
Team Malizia unveilsThe Ocean Race Europe crew
Gearing up for the next big challenge Building on their successful round-the-world experience in 2023, the team led by German skipper Boris Herrmann has gathered a talented group of sailors and onboard reporters to take on the short-format, crewed race starting in Kiel this summer. Posted on 13 May
Touching base with Francesca Clapcich
Francesca Clapcich on her 2028-2029 Vendee Globe campaign In late March, Italian-American sailor Francesca “Frankie” Clapcich announced that her Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing will campaign for the 2028-2029 edition of the Vendee Globe race. Posted on 13 May
Francesca Clapcich joins Team Malizia
Sail four legs of The Ocean Race Europe Francesca Clapcich is joining Team Malizia as a co-skipper for the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe, the six-stopover tour around the continent, which sets off from Kiel, Germany and finishes six weeks later in Montenegro. Posted on 13 May
An emotional evening in Les Sables d'Olonne
Les Sables d'Olonne lit up to celebrate the heroes of the Vendée Globe 2024-2025 On Saturday 10 May, Les Sables d'Olonne lit up to celebrate the heroes of the Vendée Globe 2024-2025. An exceptional evening brought together tens of thousands of people, with strong emotions and unforgettable memories, despite the driving rain. Posted on 11 May
Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca 2025Sea Sure 2025B&G Zeus SR AUS