Kojiro Shiraishi: "Every round the world race is a new adventure"

Thank you for turning out is such big numbers to welcome me today! The sky is grey, but the enthusiasm and fun are there! Every time I take the start of the Vendée Globe, I never really know what I'm looking for. But with each edition, I find answers to my questions and I understand why I participate. It pushes me to give everything I have.

It was my third participation in the Vendée Globe. Four years ago, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we were not able to prepare as we would have liked. I broke my mainsail in the middle of the race, but still managed to finish. For this 2024 edition, we had ten qualifying and training races which allowed us to start much better prepared. However, my boat was very uncomfortable. I think Jean Le Cam has found the right solution with daggerboard boats, because they are much less violent. Sailing on a foiler at my age was very difficult and physically taxing. I finish very tired, but very happy to have succeeded in this round the world race.

Greatness, challenge and friendship!

This time, every Friday night, a live broadcast was broadcast on a national television channel in Japan. This has helped to get people talking about ocean racing in my country. Compared to my previous participations, I saw a real groundswell of enthusiasm. As proof on the next Mini Transat this autumn, three young Japanese skippers will be at the start.

The most difficult section was the one between Cape Horn and the finish in Les Sables d'Olonne. It was very long and testing. We compete in a sport where you evolve in the heart of nature, and it is difficult to always make the right choices. I sailed by trusting my feelings and my instincts, which allowed me to build my strategy. For example, towards the end of the route, I had initially chosen a route to the north, but I didn't have a good feeling. So I changed course to a more direct route, and it paid off.

It was the fifth time I had sailed around the world, and each time the problems are different. This is what makes this exercise unique and exciting. It's also what keeps me from getting tired of it: each round the world is a new adventure.

Yes, I summoned seven gods to give me good winds! There is a proverb in Japan that says that if you throw a salted plum stone into the sea, you can attract the wind. I think it worked well!

Yes, a lot. I'm not so much a racer, I'm an adventurer. My main goal has always been to finish the race. What's magical about the Vendée Globe is the diversity of the participants' profiles. For example, Violette is almost my daughter's age. It's not just a race, it's an event where you fight against the elements, and that makes it unique and fulfilling. What makes the magic of this race is the enthusiasm of the public. They are there supporting you if you are first, those who come after me, the last, and even those who have given up. Each of us comes back with a different story, and it is this richness that makes the Vendée Globe great.