News - Vendée Globe

News 11 February 2021

Stéphane Le Diraison 18th to finish the Vendée Globe

French skipper Stéphane Le Diraison crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe this Thursday night on his Time for Oceans at 21:36hrs UTC taking 18th place and narrowly missing out on going one better, after a close match race with Swiss skipper Alan Roura which has gone on for the last week of their race. The two, racing very similar Finot Conq designs built for the 2008-9 Vendée Globe, were at times racing within sight of each other, their head-to-head reprising a match race to the finish line of the last Route du Rhum, with Le Diraison finishing just over 2 hours behind the young Swiss skipper.

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News 09 January 2021

Stephane Le Diraison, having a real tough Pacific

Stephane Le Diraison, Time for Oceans, "
“This is a real Pacific we are having, one that does not carry its name well, it is quite harsh for the six boats among which I am sailing. I have had three reefs in my main sail for a week and for the past 48 hours have had my storm sail up. Yesterday I think I got the worst of it with winds reaching 60 knots and waves with troughs of six to eight metres.

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News 31 October 2020

Lab Coats And Foul Weather Gear? Vendée Globe skippers help with scientific data gathering

Ten weather data buoys, three Argo floats and three thermosalinographs are the key items of scientific measuring and recording equipment which will be taken by Vendée Globe skippers during this upcoming race.

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News 19 June 2020

Meeting Stéphane Le Diraison

Stéphane Le Diraison is an engineer. He loves opera, history books and would like to complete his second Vendée Globe in 80 days or less.

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In brief 10 April 2020

Take Two, Stéphane Le Diraison Will Be Heading for the Start Line

Stéphane Le Diraison is on the Vendée Globe Start List.

"It's an incredible opportunity. Thank you to everyone who continues to follow me and encourage me. We are giving it everything!” It is a delighted Stéphane le Diraison who has just validated his registration for the solo nonstop round the world race. The Time for Oceans skipper is now the 17th sailor officially registered for the Vendée Globe. On November 8, he will start for the second time of his career aboard his 2007 monohull signed Finot-Conq. His boat is in the yard now completing an ambitious programme of modifications including the addition of a pair of foils.
The sailor who had to abandon his first attempt after six weeks of racing when his mast came down has prepared his second campaign well. He is presently one of the skippers who sailed the most, having participated in all the major IMOCA races during the past two years.