Benjamin Ferré: “I really want to finish at all costs, even if I end up swimming and pulling my boat”

I had a real imposter syndrome when I arrived in the IMOCA class, it was a bit of a departure from the Mini-Transat that I had done just before, and then above all I felt that I was expected to do well! At the start of the project, I even had the feeling of having everyone looking daggers at me, it was a bit hostile. I tried to concentrate on me and my boat, to sail as much as possible. And then I had Jean Le Cam who I called “my ozone layer”. He had taken me under his wing and that gave me a little protection, bullets don’t go faze him. Then, there was my very first race with my sponsors, the Vendée Arctique in 2022, where I found myself in the lead for three days, and I finished fourth after it was stopped. I felt a huge change in the behaviour of my peers then, people started to say “hello” to me, and a huge weight was lifted for me. In the end, that’s what I hate as much as I love about ocean racing: whatever happens and whoever you are, it’s on the water that you prove yourself. But it also freed me, because I told myself then that I was capable and legitimate. 

Actually, it’s funny, but I never told myself that it wasn’t going to work! By the way, we were talking about it recently with my team, I never looked at the stories of qualification, of number of miles, so much so that I hadn't seen that I was also just about to pass (36th/40, editor's note)! In fact, I already had a billion things to worry about, that I always told myself that there was no point in asking myself this question, I just assumed it would all work out! 

What do you expect from this solo round the world race? 
 

It's 100% fixed! We haven't cut any corners with the team since this breakage. We had put it back in the water at the beginning of September, but we had doubts, so we took the boat out, dismasted, took the keel off, re-inspected everything and we did the right thing because there were a few small anomalies. So, we were 99% sure, and now we're 100% sure. It was intense, It cost a lot of energy and I needed to rest, but at least now I no longer have any question marks in my head. 

Indeed, it really knocked me for six. At the time, I was super disappointment, and then the big hangover from all the energy it consumed. The good side was that it reminded me that it's hard to be at the start of the Vendée Globe. Until then, since 2022, I had been somewhat spared, it gave me a little more vigilance in my preparation and it allowed us collectively with the team to put a little more rigor in our way of approaching things, because there is nothing more tragic than a retirement. In fact, the more difficult things happen to you, the more legitimate you are. And then Jean and Anne (Le Cam, editor's note) really helped me to deconstruct it, they reminded me that it was happening at the right time rather than in the Vendée Globe, that it's part of the game for everyone and that otherwise it wouldn't be as much fun. And then Jean told me “a big slap in the face will stop you from being overconfident”, and as is often the case, he was right! The thing I regret is that it was the last race before the Vendée Globe. Basically, I fell and couldn’t get back on the horse. I hope I manage not to sail differently because of it.    

Right now, I’m at the stage where I’m tidying my room! I sort out all my files one after the other, I try not to leave stupid things lying around, like bills or things that are at the bottom of the “to do list”. And then I try to have good discipline in five areas: 9 hours of sleep minimum a night and 30 minutes of nap, the phone in a box after 8 p.m., a hearty and savoury breakfast, back exercises every morning, and at least a little sport every day. It’s my religion. 

I have two that come to mind right away. First, our arrival in Iceland with Guirec (Soudée, editor’s note) on the Vendée Arctique. It’s our first race, we’re like kids because we’ve just had a crazy result. We have 3 reefs, there are 50 knots, we’re side by side two meters apart. We try to go and take shelter in a fjord and then we have the same idea of ​​trying to recover kitefoil equipment, so we send messages on social networks to locals, it’s crazy. In the end, we didn’t succeed, but the atmosphere was crazy, the landscapes crazy, it was exploration, a real adventure. And then there’s also the first time I sailed alone on this boat. The first night all alone on a boat like that is something. 

He is omnipresent! We have dinner together at least once a week to discuss lots of things. He tells me: “ask me all your questions because it helps me think about them and it helps me prepare mentally”. Without him, my project would not have been the same. He has this peasant common sense in all its nobility, he is the first to tell me off when I am not at the boatyard enough, to tell me “you are just an idiot” because I do not do my delivery after a race. On such a long project, the hardest thing is not to lose your footing and to stay on track. I have the impression that thanks to him in particular, I have remained myself. 

I was always told that the best way to fail on your Vendée Globe was to think about the next one. However, everyone wants to know what you do afterwards: your sponsors, your girlfriend, your technical team, the media. It’s hard because people don’t believe you when you say you don’t think about what comes next. For fifteen years, I’ve always been thinking about the next move, now I want to allow myself this chance to just enjoy it. It’s a project that requires a lot of sacrifices, and the only thing I want for now after the Vendée is to have time. We’ll see if I can do it!