Jean Le Cam : "A new boat, a whole new adventure."

“Yes, and for a simple reason: one Vendée Globe is not like another and going there with a new boat is by definition a new adventure. What am I looking for? The definition of adventure is not knowing. What I want to find is necessarily emotion. However, I hope that there will be a little less than last time. Going below 80 days to go around the world is also something I would like, but the main idea is to finish. The little challenges that we set ourselves, we only really realise them at the finish. What is interesting is the fact of having a new boat. With Hubert (his last boat), I had already done three round the world races. I had gone all the way, so to speak. So this is a new challenge. A new story with new partners and new people. As always, there is the Vendée Globe itself and then there is all the preparation and the technical side, things that I am so passionate about.” 

“Today, I am 66 years old. The last time, I was 61. It doesn’t change much in terms of time. A round the world race is not a sprint but a long-distance race. Obviously, in a sprint, age has a big influence. In longer races, let’s say that physical fitness is less important. What you need is to go quickly to the right place. And you have to last the time and the distance. Sailing is a sport of experience. I give hope to the young and the old! (Laughs) There are a lot of people who are about my age and who tell me “you keep us young!” When you have passion, it works all the time and people's enthusiasm gives you energy."

"You always have to tell yourself that it will go better than you think. One of the problems with human beings is that they always see doom and gloom everywhere, when overall, it always goes better than you imagine. Each experience has been special. The last one, especially. It’s stating the obvious, of course, but until you cross the line, you haven't finished! (Laughs)"

"With Éric Bellion, we made a different choice, that of staying in a model where man controls the machine and not the other way around. It is a choice that makes things more accessible and therefore less expensive, both in manufacturing and in operation. It is not necessary to remind us all that money is a defining factor for those who do not have big budgets The primary goal was therefore clearly to avoid going into financial madness but there was also the idea of ​​spending more time on the water than anywhere else. In this sense, a simpler boat means less construction and therefore more sailing time even if, obviously, with a view to a round the world trip, we work a lot technically. Reliability remains the key word. It is the number one objective. On an exercise of this type, each time, the first thing is to arrive. We must never forget that. Obviously, it is better to put all the assets on your side to achieve it. "

"My experience, obviously".

"Hitting something or not being able to recover someone who needs rescued."

"The finish of my last race. It was a huge relief because it was very hard. The lesson is that you must always remember the positives rather than everything else."

"The moment when I finished into Lorient at the end of the qualifications for the Vendée Globe. A calmness after what today we can call a real obstacle course with the new regulations."

"Finishing on the podium."

"There are several but I would say Louis Duc. I like his way of being and expressing himself. He is straightforward, down to earth and I like that.”

“Generally, I spend 90% of my time preparing the boat but when I get back from the Vendée Globe, I would like to play golf to relax and think about something else.”

“Nothing.”