Louis Burton : "I'm going all out for a podium again."

Time flies, even more so when your passion is your work. My first Vendée Globe, I feel like it was yesterday. I am so proud of the work that we have accomplished with the team and the fact of having been through all this evolution.

What is fundamental was a strong desire to go back. This desire was a little less strong after the 2016-2017 edition when I had a technically simpler project that perhaps was less exciting from a sporting perspective. Now, I really want to go back for sporting reasons. I have the feeling of continuing to progress and setting off in better condition than four years ago. Being ready physically, technically and mentally is nice. Of course I know that having planned everything like this doesn't prevent problems but it's still a real asset to set off in this state of mind.

It all brought us much closer together with the partners, the team and more generally all the stakeholders around the project. Finally, we brought a lot of positive things out of it on the human level. In the way we prepare, to optimize the boat, it has allowed us to make major changes. Now, I have the feeling of having a more reliable, lighter and stronger boat.

I would say that there is a new generation of boats that are more efficient. Of course, they have benefited from developments and feedback since they were launched, but I think that in terms of performance, we are not that far off. I think our boat is somewhere between 5th and 10th place. But the challenge is to do everything we can to get a podium. And after all we all know that anything can happen in the Vendée Globe!

In fact, it is a first level crossing. After the Doldrums, there are a few scenarios where we can go straight through, without being delayed by the Saint Helena high. If the opening benefits the head of the fleet and it closes behind, there could quickly be a four to five day delay before reaching the big south.

No, we can't be so positive. Four years ago, the boats were already going much faster than in 2016-2017 (Editor's note: the record edition) and yet they took six days longer. It is a pretty hard time to beat. With the sea mammal protection zones and the ice zone that mark the course, it's going to lengthen our course a little. So it's not a given that the record will be beaten!

The boats have changed a lot, that’s for sure. As for the skippers, there are more of us. There are also more races than before, so that allows everyone to gain experience. Overall, the level has only gone up. The sport is not really like it was in 2012. And that’s not a bad thing, quite the contrary. We sail more, we travel more, we progress… It’s an evolution that’s going in the right direction.

Yes, totally. We are in discussions to sell the current boat. I would like it to be someone with whom I would do the next season double-handed. And we would like to build a boat for the Vendée Globe 2028. After everything we have experienced, I think that the dream from a technical point of view is to build a new boat!

I am lucky that my children have always known me as a skipper who competed in the Vendée Globe. They know this world, its ins and outs. We want to protect them as much as possible but also make it as nice an experience as possible for them.

I think it's great! We compete in a sport where there are few events per year. So being able to share our passion with as many people as possible, in a village of this size, I think it’s great. Four years ago, it was disappointing because of Covid-19. We really want to enjoy it this year!