Tanguy Le Turquais: " What I learned most about was myself "
The party atmosphere stepped up when Tanguy Le Turquais and Lazare began the passage up the channel. Lazare's "roommates", dressed all in pink, lifted the atmosphere. Tanguy savoured his time, he communed and shared with the public, he sprayed his loved ones with champagne and then fell into the arms of Benjamin Ferré for whom he is particularly grateful.
Vendée Globe :
What emotion!
It's great, I'm so happy. We did it… I just don’t have the words, it was so good! At the start, I didn’t know where I was going, I was in tears. And now I’m back, I’m still in tears and it’s all just incredible.
Vendée Globe :
And you had the biggest fight until the end…
It’s not the placing that counts but it was just the perfect scenario. If my race was great, it’s thanks to Benjamin. I was happy that we were together and at the same time it was horrible to be next to him. I feel like I’m coming back from a Figaro stage! We never let go of each other for two months, it was so intense! I just want to thank him. I didn’t just do a round the world race, we fought until the end! I destroyed my boat just to be next to him. And I'm very happy and proud to finish 16 minutes behind him.
Vendée Globe :
And then today was great too...
Yes, the passage back up the channel was incredible with the light, the atmosphere... The best reward was the smiles on the Lazare's ‘flatmates’' faces... It's just amazing!
Vendée Globe :
Was there pleasure all the time throughout your race?
Yes, even when there were difficulties, even when I found myself with my back to the wall. I'm proud to have been able to bounce back despite the struggles. I never put my race on hold. It's a team effort, we had a lot of work up front to get to the end. I'm coming back here changed like I never would have imagined….
Vendée Globe :
This bond with Benjamin grew stronger throughout the race...
I remember when we rounded Cape Horn. We were side by side and we said to ourselves: "we dreamt of being there". And we said to ourselves: "the best thing would be to do the finish and the press conference together!" And here we are! I talked a lot with Benjamin who was extremely talkative (laughs). Every day, he sent me summaries of these animal documentaries! But I was honored to be a kangaroo!
Vendée Globe :
It's a beautiful story of a friendship that was created...
Even so I really wanted to finish in front of Benjamin. He had bought Clarisse's Mini and I wondered who the hell he was... Benjamin doesn't know the difference between a flathead screwdriver and a crosshead screwdriver! I know how to fix stuff on a boat. So, I really wanted to beat him (laughs). We talked a lot for three months. On the Vendée Globe, we sometimes have the impression of being all on the same boat. It created a very strong bond. And throughout the whole round the world, Benjamin progressed, it was impressive (laughs)!
Vendée Globe :
What did you discover during this Vendée Globe?
What I discovered the most was myself, my limits, knowing how I can react when my back is against the wall. There you are alone, you have no choice. How we react, how we cope. These are the answers I went looking for. I like to say that I have no limits but with this Vendée Globe, I think I found them a little bit more.
