Gaston Morvan: "There is a hell of a level out there"

During the first part of the race, he was already very good but in terms of his fleet and race management. Since he has been in the South Ocean, and especially for the last fortnight, he has shown that he is the boss. His trajectories are crystal clear, his speed is constant. He is putting in a very high level performance. And he leaves little for others!

He sails a little differently to Charlie but he's also very intelligent in his choices. It's his first Vendée Globe, his first solo race in the Southern Ocean, and he's doing very well. It allowed him to catch up with the leader and he promises to be the future. I hope we'll have a great duel, a great match race between these two skippers who know each other well.

Yes, the elastic will eventually contract again. This group will get the depression sooner than the others. They will have to work hard to stay at the front of the front that they will recover. Skippers such as Jérémie Beyou (Charal) and Nicolas Lunven (Holcim-PRB) are very keen to get back to the front of the race. There are a lot of very talented skippers in this group, a strength in depth and boats that are a little different... It's going to be really interesting!

It's interesting, especially since it wasn't the case a few days ago. They were able to get some respite a little after the depression they had. As soon as you have easier conditions, you recover faster, you find comfort but also a smile. And it's true that even at the front, the skippers still seem to be fresh.

The group of Boris Herrmann (Malizia-Seaexplorer), Justine Mettraux (Teamwork-Team Snef), Samantha Davies (Initiatives Cœur) and Clarisse Crémer (L'Occitane en Provence) is sailing very well. Between them, it's very close and it's also a very nice match to follow.

Yes, they have managed well by opting to take few risks in the depression, which also allows them to do very well compared to others. Like Jean, they made the right choices, mastered their boats well without overdoing it in the strong wind.

Yes, we can see that there have been no major technical problems on the boats. In terms of average speed, the competitors go very fast, even in heavy seas. We didn't see that four years ago. The boats have evolved a lot in terms of technology and architecture, the teams have had time to prepare well, and so have the skippers.

Yes, I'm still in the early stages of the project. We are thinking about its structure, we are looking for partners to complete the budget. These are substantial projects to set up that require a lot of preparation and resources. The goal is to succeed in launching it next year and to be at the start of the Vendée Globe in four years' time. Ideally, I'm looking for a second-hand foiler to compete for a good place on the next round the world race.

The good thing is that it is so well known and simple to understand. When we talk about the Vendée Globe, everyone knows the race, employees play Virtual Regatta... Hundreds of thousands of people experience the race from the inside. We have to succeed in making them understand that supporting such a project brings so much more than a mere advertisement or brand profile, that it is an exceptional communication medium. I hope that many of us will find sponsors to embark on this great adventure!

Yes, with Le Figaro, we went to the right school! The three skippers who are currently on the podium of this Vendée Globe have either a French championship title or a title in the Solitaire du Figaro (Charlie Dalin, French champion in 2014 and 2016, Yoann Richomme winner of the Solitaire du Figaro in 2016 and 2019, Sébastien Simon winner of the Solitaire du Figaro 2018 editor's note:). It means that having put in good performances in the Figaro, you're legitimate and you have the technical background to compete in the IMOCA. They managed to do it, so why not us?