Known as the King of the Transats because of his record on the Autumn sprints from Europe to the Caribbean, Ruyant won the last two Transat Jacques Vabre races and the 2022 Route du Rhum but against the toughest, most competitive Vendée Globe fleet ever, Ruyant suffered from a few niggling technical problems, not least losing his workhorse J2 headsail in a squall in the South Atlantic which rendered him compromised in race for the top placings in the peloton, behind the runaway top three.
For 43 year old Ruyant who finished sixth on the last Vendée Globe even after losing his port foil and retiring into New Zealand out of the 2016-17 race when his boat suffered a major structural failure, this seventh is not quite where he hoped to finish, even in this white hot fleet, but he put in a solid performance all the way round. He was fast out of the blocks and sailed cleverly down the light, fickle breezes of the North Atlantic to carry a slender lead across the Equator after making the best choice in the Doldrums.
In the Southern Ocean, the intensity increased. Between storms, electrical blackouts and technical breakdowns, Ruyant really had to push his limits. In the Indian Ocean, like others he chose to be prudent rather than push into the big depression which was the passport to the podium for winner Charlie Dalin and third placed Seb Simon.
He was in good shape, fighting valiantly in the peloton on the climb up the Atlantic. Violent squalls, including one at over 55 knots, put his boat to the test causing irreparable damage to his J2 (headsail). Fighting to the end he managed to hold off Justine Mettraux on the climb from north of the Azores to take a well deserved, hard won seventh tonight.
A meaningful IMOCA
Beyond the race, his IMOCA, flying the flag for vulnerability, has engaged hundreds of thousands of people. This unique project has helped raise awareness of the latent strengths that vulnerability can reveal. It has also brought together hundreds of economic, associative and institutional leaders around a common conviction: without changing our perspective on the vulnerability of Humans and the Planet, no lasting change is possible. And so although this Vendée Globe did not give Ruyant the honors he sought, it remains an enthralling high performance adventure marked by an ability to overcome challenges with calm, commitment and professionalism.
