Two great champions. The overall winner of the 2020-21 Vendée Globe was returnee Yannick Bestaven (left) while line honours went to Charlie Dalin (above) – finishing seven hours in front but ceding the trophy after Bestaven received 10 hours’ redress for standing by Kevin Escoffier. Bestaven stepped ashore and then announced that ‘today we are two champions’. Bestaven was dismasted early in the 2008 race and stepped away from the event for 10 years to earn some money – before returning with a well-prepared 2016-generation boat with its original set of sturdier small foils. He then set about sailing the legs off it…
front – and regains his position as leader on 12 January off Brazil. But by bringing up more favourable weather the chasing pack behind is suddenly back in the game and again threatening the yellow boat. Dalin’s closest rival on the water is
24,365 miles solo. His fighting spirit, despite losing the use of his port foil in December, was also decisive. Aboard his latest-generation Verdier
design he took the lead on 11 November northeast of the Azores. Then Apivia’s route is marked by a great detour out to the west to avoid the worst of the tropical depression Theta… it will take a few days to close back the 100nm gap he conceded during the descent of the North Atlantic. But for Charles it is more important to
protect his boat. Crossing the Equator he is already back among the leading trio, behind Hugo Boss and LinkedOut. The trade winds of the Southern Hemisphere allow his foiler to accelerate. When round- ing the St Helena High and while Alex Thomson is stationary to repair cracks in the bulkheads of his boat the skipper from Le Havre takes the race lead. He rounds Good Hope and then Cape Leeuwin in pole position, with Thomas
Ruyant (also handicapped by a cut-down port foil), Louis Burton and Yannick Bestaven as his main rivals. On 14 December Charlie had been
leader for 21 days when the exit bearing of his long port foil broke and halted his momentum. His boat drifting, his body engulfed in a white boiler suit, mask on the nose, the skipper of Apivia spends 18 hours shaping and bonding in a new carbon bearing mount and retaining wedge. When he starts again with a secured but
unusable port foil there is nothing left of his 60nm lead – actually he is 135.5nm behind LinkedOut and barely less on Maître CoQ IV. But Dalin clung on and kept his place in
the trio throughout the South Pacific Ocean. He rounded Cape Horn in second place and brilliantly negotiated the weather gymkhana that marked the climb of the South Atlantic. He gains more than 400nm on Bestaven – who is now far in
Louis Burton sailing the winner of the last race, now renamed Bureau Vallée 3. Dalin manages to protect his lead till the finish but Apivia’s track shows the story of an intense tactical battle fighting for every wind shift as Dalin races a rival who has gained a lot of leverage and has little to lose with bold tactical moves. Charles has sailed the 24,365nm of the theoretical course at an average speed of 12.65kt. Actual distance travelled on the water is 29,135nm at an average speed of 15.13kt. His closest rival for the victory, Yannick
Bestaven sailing his first-generation foiler (smaller but stronger foils), preferred to sail to the north in Biscay to stay in a stronger breeze. He then tries for a layline to Les Sables from 1,000nm out. And he gets it! He finally crossed the finish line in Les Sables d’Olonne third on the water but only 7h 53m after Charlie Dalin. Yannick wins the Vendée Globe! Born in Saint-Nazaire in 1972, he spent
his youth in the southwest (Les Landes, Arcachon). Winner, among other prizes, of the Mini Transat in 2001 and double winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre in Class40,
the professional SEAHORSE 43
engineer
achieved a huge feat. He declared: ‘I was aiming to finish the Vendée because I had
CHRISTOPHE FAVREAU/DPPI
OLIVIER BLANCHET/ALEA
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