It was an open secret that had quickly spread in the small world of sailing. Barely back from his paddling North Atlantic crossing, the sailor Guirec Soudée has just confirmed that he will participate in the next Vendée Globe, which will start from Les Sables-d’Olonne in 2024. The young skipper of Plougrescan, known in particular for his adventures at the North Pole with his hen Monique, bought the Imoca which was in the hands of Benjamin Dutreux during the last Vendée Globe (he had finished 9th).
This 2007 finned monohull (therefore foil-less) has already traveled all over the world in the hands of Sébastien Josse and Roland Jourdain, who won the Route du Rhum with in 2010. In a few months, the boat will be skippered by the Breton navigator, author of a double crossing of the Atlantic by oar. Guirec Soudée will also join the Kairos team ridden by Roland Jourdain in Concarneau (Finistère) to prepare for these deadlines.
A dream born in the howling fifties
This “dream” would have been born in 2018, when Guirec Soudée faced the 50th screaming (area where Cape Horn is located) with Yvinec, his steel boat that he had bought a bite of bread to face the Far North. With his hen Monique, the adventurer had turned around. That day, “he had made a promise to return one day with a boat fast enough to compete with the most dreaded seas on the globe.” Less than three years before the start of the solo race, the young Breton is looking for a sponsor. “Today the project is colossal and I am looking for new sponsors for whom sailing will be THE unifying project, and me, their ambassador. So if you are not afraid of getting seasick, I will be waiting for you on the bridge, ”Guirec slipped in a message posted on his site this Thursday.
Before the Vendée Globe, he hopes to line up with the Route du Rhum in 2022 and “other races on the circuit with a view to qualifying for 2024”. With his banter, his unmatched fan base and his unwavering determination, we don’t worry about him.