Right from the start Benjamin showed that he was here to live the experience at full throttle. He was first to cross the line on November 10 and during his three and a half months at sea sparred frequently with Tanguy Le Turquais (Lazare).
Benjamin also demonstrated the resilience that’s essential for success in this field, repairing a string of small and large issues that befell his IMOCA, the winning boat of the 2012 edition in the hands of François Gabart.
Problems included rudders, the hydraulic keel ram cylinder, and two broken halyard locks. The self-nicknamed "Pépin" learnt his DIY skills on the job, having confessed his shortcomings in the field before the start, although he now claims to be delighted, "to have discovered a new passion.”
He also enthusiastically shared his fascination with the exotic countries he sailed past, as well as his despair before Cape Leeuwin when he thought his Vendée Globe was over. He also shared without embellishment, off the coast of Brazil, a “monumental blow”, while fatigue fell on him after the passage of a large depression near the Falklands.
“Even moving around in the boat was becoming a superhuman effort”, says the young Breton, who had already impressed by finishing 4th in the Vendée Arctique in 2022, 15th in the Route du Rhum 2022 and 13th in the Retour à La Base in 2023.
Before the start, his only goal was to “finish at all costs, even if that means swimming to pull my boat”. But his taut routings and assertive options even only a week from the finish, in a pack of eight closely packed boats, Benjamin Ferré certainly did better than that: he really raced with style and success!
