Vendée Globe: "A child of the Vendée Globe" - Seb Simon celebrated in third place
Victory flares, fireworks, moments of happiness and goosebumps: Sébastien Simon is back in his home town of Les Sables-d'Olonne, where he once learnt to sail as a young opti sailor. The Vendée Globe bronze medallist experienced an overwhelming reception where he knows every plank and the people so well. And they know him.
I am a child of the Vendée Globe." Seb Simon
"It's a fabulous course, it's my course, I grew up here," said Seb Simon in the first interview on the dock in Port Olona. Four years previously, he was "out of the race with bad luck", now he is simply "happy". Simon thanked his sponsors and the Dubreuil Group, which has already signalled in the French media that it wants to accompany its skipper to another Vendée Globe. Either with a new build or one of the two top boats in this edition, according to reports.
Historic chapter for the Vendée Globe
Sébastien Simon has completed the race of his life in 67 days, 12 hours, 25 minutes and 37 seconds. When the "Groupe Dubreuil" skipper crossed the finish line of the tenth edition of the Vendée Globe in third place on Thursday evening, he wrote a historic chapter in the history of the most important solo race around the world: he achieved the first podium finish by a sailor from the Vendée Globe city, where the start and finish of the legendary non-stop round-the-world race are located.
Simon's victory is also a remarkable triumph over adversity and numerous setbacks in his past. Furthermore, his performance emphasises his talent, which in the past has often been hidden behind damage or accidents.
German sailing fans will particularly remember Team Guyot's rollercoaster ride through the last Ocean Race, in which he formed the French half of the team alongside co-skipper Robert Stanjek, Annie Lush and Phillip Kasüske alongside his long-time Vendée friend and co-skipper Benjamin Dutreux, who had to endure so many upsets and setbacks.
On the Vendée Globe podium with the "crash boat"
The shock crash at the start of the stage in The Hague, when Seb Simon's team caused a dramatic collision with the eventual winners from Team 11th Hour, remains unforgotten from the Ocean Race after previous low blows for the severely tested Team Guyot, the mast break and the resurrection. It is precisely this American winning boat, which was "impaled" and severely damaged at the time, that Sébastien Simon has now successfully carried around the world as "Groupe Dubreuil".
On the way to his triumph, Sébastien Simon set a fabulous new 24-hour solo speed record of 615.33 nautical miles between 26 and 27 November. He suddenly found himself at the head of the field as a contender for victory until the starboard foil of "Groupe Dubreuil" broke on 7 December.
The 34-year-old, who grew up sailing an Optimist dinghy off the beaches of Les Sables d'Olonne, showed great talent at a young age, taking third place at the 420 World Championship in the former America's Cup harbour of Valencia in 2013. With his overall victory in the 2018 Solitaire du Figaro, in which he won two of the three legs of the final challenge on Figaro 2 boats, Seb Simon rose to become the sailing hero of his home region of Vendée.
Simon's Vendée Globe high after the low
"I really wanted to finish this Vendée. This dream is now complete. I gave it 100 per cent," said Seb Simon in the first few hours after his triumphant return home. Four years ago, he had to abandon the Vendée Globe with foil problems near Cape Town. He was in fourth place at the time. This was followed by a separation from the team and sponsors at the time. Simon was initially left without support.
As time seemed to be running out in preparation for the current Vendée Globe, Simon's fortunes were turned round again by a text message from the Groupe Dubreuil company owner. In July 2023, Simon was given the green light for his campaign and made the wise decision to buy the boat from 11th Hour Racing, which had just won the Ocean Race.
In Simon's first solo race on the boat, the Rétour à La Base, he was in fourth place before having to divert to the Azores to carry out repairs to the electrical system. Seb Simon also suffered head and back injuries during his rollercoaster ride, but continued to fight until he lost his mast just a few miles before the finish in Lorient. The hoped-for Vendée Globe qualification was hanging by a thread.
Under Notrigg to the Vendée Globe qualification
With incredible perseverance and fighting spirit, Simon set a jury rig and drifted across the finish line to secure his Vendée Globe ticket. Afterwards, a broken vertebra forced him to spend most of last winter - three long and agonising months - in bed while he and his team had to find and set a replacement mast.
Simon then came back hungry and determined. It speaks volumes about this sailor, who is often so difficult to assess, that despite finishing fourth in the New York Vendée in the early summer of 2024, he was not considered by the experts to be one of the top favourites for the Vendée Globe. But now his programme with a very well optimised Imoca has proven itself.
Seb Simon's resilience, tenacity and sailing skills characterised his race. He was fast, especially in the Southern Ocean. He was in second place and fought an exciting duel with Charlie Dalin, going through the storm in the south with the dominator of the 10th Vendée Globe, which others avoided - until he lost his foil. The fact that SImon also made it onto the podium on a foil speaks volumes for his fighting spirit.
The next Vendée Globe already in sight
When Seb Simon sailed his last nautical miles to the finish line on 16 January and was welcomed as the hero of Les Sables-d'Olonne, he already promised his comeback for 2028: "My story with the Vendée Globe is not over until I have won it." Even on stage, he added during his tribute: "I already only have one thing on my mind: preparing for the next Vendée Globe."
