Quentin Debois and Denis Van Weynbergh setting sail for the 2028 Vendée Globe

Quentin Debois and Denis Van Weynbergh setting sail for the 2028 Vendée Globe © Laurence Hannon

Belgium sets out to conquer the Everest of the Seas

Quentin Debois, the first Belgian to set a record for a solo Atlantic crossing, aims to qualify for the 2028 Vendée Globe as skipper. Denis Van Weynbergh, the first Belgian to have completed this round-the-world race, will take on the role of team manager and co-skipper for the double-handed qualifying races. To meet the ambitious challenge of representing Belgium once again in the Vendée Globe, they will need to find partners by the end of 2026. The start of this solo, non-stop, unassisted round-the-world sailing race will be on 12 November 2028. To date, only 130 skippers have achieved the feat of completing the Vendée Globe.

Quentin Debois, the 38-year-old skipper from Marchin, will attempt to qualify Belgium for the second time for the next edition of the Vendée Globe, which will set sail from Les Sables d'Olonne in November 2028. Denis Van Weynbergh will be his team manager and co-skipper during the qualifying races, which will be held as double-handed events in 2027. Quentin will need to finish in the top 37 of the championship. Only 40 18-metre monohulls (IMOCA) will be allowed to start.

Denis Van Weynbergh: "For years, Belgians have been taking part in transatlantic races, but none had ever competed in and finished the Vendée Globe. I've shown that it's possible. Now, I want to encourage other Belgian skippers to embark on this adventure, even though the challenges are immense. It's good to do it once, but it's even better to do it several times! I'm in the process of passing the baton to Quentin. Our goal is to establish a new tradition: to have a Belgian at the start of every edition of the Vendée Globe."

As skipper, Quentin Debois will be responsible for preparing the monohull, supported by a team of technical preparers. He will need to rack up the nautical miles and points during the qualifying races before taking on the round-the-world challenge.

Denis Van Weynbergh will take on the role of team manager (coordinating and supervising the project) and co-skipper during the double-handed qualifying races.

The team will be based on the crew Quentin Debois assembled for his world record attempts and will be expanded to include three technical preparers.

A shared entrepreneurial vision for the 2028 Vendée Globe

Quentin and Denis both have an entrepreneurial background and an unconventional career path. They share a common vision for the Vendée Globe project and are fully aligned on the objectives and how to achieve them.

Quentin Debois: "This summer, I'm fully committed to my second attempt at the world record for the North Atlantic crossing in a Mini 6.50, this time between New York and England. As soon as I return to Belgium in September, I'll throw myself fully into this new project to realise the dream I've had ever since I started ocean racing: to compete in the Vendée Globe."

Denis Van Weynbergh: "We've both made a radical career change to become offshore skippers. We've taken risks. Our backgrounds and entrepreneurial vision bring us together. We love a challenge, and our first major challenge will be to convince partners to support us in this incredible adventure."

Quentin Debois: "My desire to compete in the Vendée Globe came about right from my start in ocean racing in 2022. Meeting and talking with Denis made this idea a reality, and we decided to take action by setting our sights on the 2028 Vendée Globe. The team that has been supporting me for the past year in my double Atlantic record project has shown that it is strong and ready to take on this new challenge."

The Belgian flag must continue to fly at the Vendée Globe

Quentin Debois: "Denis brought Belgium to the Vendée Globe for the first time, and the Belgian flag must continue to fly at this race in future editions."

Flying the flag for Belgium was already our goal with my team during our world record attempt across the Atlantic from east to west in a Mini 6.50 last January. It will be our goal again this summer during our record attempt across the Atlantic from west to east. And the 2028 Vendée Globe is part of this ongoing journey.

From the end of this year, I'll need to step up my game to get to grips with an IMOCA, which is three times bigger and much faster than my current boat. With Denis as co- -skipper during the double-handed races, the learning process and knowledge transfer should be quick and effective.

"We have two objectives: to establish Belgium's presence in the Vendée Globe and to finish the race in under 100 days."

Further information on the 2028 Vendée Globe please visit www.vendeeglobe.org/edition-2028

Profiles

The meteoric rise of Quentin Debois

On 31 January 2026, Quentin Debois became the first Belgian skipper to break a world record for a solo Atlantic crossing. He smashed the world record for the east-to-west crossing aboard his Mini 6.50, completing the journey in 24 days, 19 hours and 31 minutes - a full six days faster than the previous record.

This extraordinary achievement highlights the 38-year-old skipper's meteoric and unconventional rise in the world of sailing.

Quentin grew up far from the sea, in Marchin in the Province of Liège, and nothing suggested he would go on to compete in ocean racing. A management engineer from the ULB, Quentin set up an events management company after graduating. It was only later, at the age of 31, that he discovered sailing with a friend. He was immediately hooked and took his first lessons the following week on the Belgian coast. The call of the open sea grew stronger, and Quentin decided to change his life.

From 2021 to 2023, he undertook intensive training in ocean racing at La Turballe in Loire-Atlantique and bought his first boat in 2022. In November 2023, Quentin completed his first solo transatlantic crossing, without assistance or means of communication, in 28 days. He knew this was his calling and that he wanted to make this sport his career.

In 2026, he set out to break a double world record for solo Atlantic crossings in a Mini 6.50. He broke the East-to-West record in January 2026 and will attempt the second, West-to-East, this summer.

Denis Van Weynbergh's incredible achievement

Denis Van Weynbergh is the first Belgian to have competed in and completed the Vendée Globe (2024-2025 edition).

A graduate of Sciences Po and the ULB's journalism programme, he set up and ran his own express courier and parcel delivery business for 17 years before becoming a professional sailor.

He began competing in the Mini Transat in 2001 and went on to take part in various Class40 races (Route du Rhum in 2010, Transat Québec Saint-Malo in 2012, Transat Jacques Vabre in 2013, and the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2015).

From 2021, Denis took part in all the qualifying races for the 2024-2025 Vendée Globe. He qualified and completed the race in 117 days.