Vincent Riou : "a very high level generally"

In sporting terms, it was a great edition with a very high level generally. The main lesson is that ten years after putting foils on IMOCAs, we have proof that foilers are very competitive on all points of sail. Todaywe have a very homogeneous, evenly matched fleet, which has proven itself and which was capable of breaking the record.

We saw a very good match throughout the race. The duel between Charlie (Dalin) and Yoann (Richomme) was very interesting to watch. They attacked, they risked, they dared. They had a crazy race! Overall, the general level of the top ten was very high and they managed to put the cursor a little beyond the others.

The gap was largely linked to the weather conditions but also to the ability of the leaders to dare to go ahead of this very active front in the Indian Ocean. This time, they had the machine to do it. We knew that the foilers were very efficient when reaching and upwind. Downwind, we had to wait years for them to be as efficient.

You always had to take risks and go a little further in your commitment than the others to win. This is always the case in sport in general and sailing in particular. Four years ago, the sailors seemed compromised in the Big South and had forced themselves to take "safer" trajectories. Here, the level of performance is higher downwind and that's what makes the difference.

No, because they have evolved in all areas and especially because we have acquired a very detailed knowledge of foilers. In 2020, it was the beginning of the big foils and everyone was evolving in the unknown. But the experience gradually acquired as well as the human and financial resources of the big teams have contributed to the latest generation of boats being much more accomplished.

Before the start, I had fun making a list of the favourites and the outsiders, and in the end, I realise that overall, everyone stayed in their place. We can see that Sébastien Simon, who was one of the outsiders, has reached a new dimension and that we were expecting Thomas Ruyant on the podium. We can still see that those who have won races over the last three years and who have achieved good results were there.

We have seen that the gap is widening between those who compete and those who are setting off on an adventure. I don't think there is any debate possible. Besides, it's not the same way of sailing. I can't wait to see how it will evolve because despite the technological gap, there is still the same enthusiasm for all the sailors and that is part of the DNA of the Vendée Globe. During the first edition in 1989, Jean-François Coste set off with a Pen Duick (Pen Duick III, built in 1967) while some had boats built especially for the occasion!

When we first set off to race we were on our own and we had to tell our stories. For the first time, this time they had a permanent link with land. Communicating and sending content became easier. I remember the hours we spent trying to send a sound file or an image a few years ago… The generation that is emerging today has grown up with social networks. It is an additional pressure for skippers at sea but there is a real expectation and it is better for bringing the race to the general public.