Vendée Globe: New Imoca, new skipper - Banque Populaire on course for a comeback
Tatjana Pokorny
· 26.03.2025
He is 31 years young and is one of the greatest talents of his generation: Loïs Berrehar is sailing towards his Vendée Globe premiere in 2028/2029. The Transat Paprec winner brings his experience primarily from the Figaro class. In future, he will be racing with the Banque Populaire team in the Imoca XL format. The collaboration has long since begun.
New dream team for the Vendée Globe?
The launch of the new French Imoca "Banque Populaire 14" is planned for early 2027. Loïs Berrehar said in a first official statement: "I am very lucky to have been accepted into one of the best ocean racing teams and to be able to take part in the Vendée Globe - the race I dream of the most."
The support and trust of Banque Populaire is an incredible opportunity." Loïs Berrehar
The young skipper, who lives in Port-La-Forêt, continued: "I feel a lot of enthusiasm, attention and goodwill in the team. I want to do my best to achieve the goals that we will set together. All my previous experience, particularly in the Figaro class, has helped me to prepare for this new adventure in the Imoca class."
Loïs Berrehar once sailed on speeding sports catamarans with the dream of competing in the Tornado at the Olympics, but ended this career path when the Tornado was cancelled from the programme for the 2012 Olympics. He embarked on a new course with offshore sailing. He soon caught the eye of Thomas Coville, who included him in the Sodebo team.
Vendée Globe training at Figaro
There and at the Figaro races, he learnt with and from the best and quickly developed a penchant for solo sailing. He knew as well as any other aspiring soloist that there is hardly a better school than the Figaro school. He started his career there in Team Bretagne CMB and was later accepted into the highly respected Macif skipper programme as "Skipper Macif 2022".
Loïs Berrehar sailed his first "Macif" season alongside Erwan Le Draoulec and his second with Charlotte Yven, the "Skipper Macif 2023". Loïs Berrehar has often sailed onto the Figaro podium in recent years. In 2024, he came second in the French Offshore Championship, second in the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, third in the Maïtre Coq and second in the Laura Vergne Tropy. He won the Guy Cotton solo like many Imoca stars before him: Cahrlie Dalin, Armel Le Cléac'h, Yann Eliès and Paul Meilhat.
Now Berrehar's rise to the upper echelons of Imoca sailing follows with a racing team that has seen highs and lows and is aiming for a comeback at the Vendée Globe. Banque Populaire won the Vendée Globe in 2016/2017 with Armel Le Cléac'h. Back then, a spectacular top duel between Armel Le Cleác'h and "Hugo Boss" skipper Alex Thomson kept sailors and fans on the edge of their seats.
Withdrawal after the "Crémer case"
Four years later, Clarisse Crémer achieved an acclaimed twelfth place in the ninth Vendée Globe in 2020/2021 on the non-foiler "Banque Populaire X" as the best female skipper. However, this was followed by a fierce public dispute between the sponsor and its skipper, who became a mother in 2022: the "Affaire Crémer".
The sailing racing team had parted company with the skipper in the concern that she would not be able to collect enough miles for her second Vendée Globe participation due to her pregnancy and in view of the strict rules of the Vendée Globe. The Vendée Globe organisers were unable to make an exception possible. The case made waves right up to France's highest political echelons beaten.
Clarisse Crémer then looked for a new racing stable home, sealed her partnership with Alex Thomson in spring 2023 and took part in the tenth Vendée Globe, which had just ended, on "L'Occitane en Provence". With eleventh place, she was able to improve on her first place - and achieve an important personal success: against all odds as a skipper and young mother, she managed to finish her second race around the world.
Vendée Globe comeback with Loïs Berrehar
Banque Populaire, on the other hand, initially withdrew from the Vendée Globe after the public storm and cancelled the tenth anniversary edition. Now the banking giant is returning to the epicentre of French offshore racing with Loïs Berrehar as a new, fresh force.
In parallel to the resumed Vendée Globe commitment, Banque Populaire is also continuing its ambitious Ultim programme with Armel Le Cléac'h and the "Maxi Banque Populaire XI". The company has also been supporting the French Sailing Federation (FF Voile) for more than 20 years, helping to promote Olympic sailing in this sailing-loving country.
The new pre-project plans of the Voile Banque Populaire racing team, with a newly equipped and recently inaugurated base camp in Lorient, extend until 2029. In keeping with team tradition, Lois Berrehar's new Imoca will once again be built on the CDK Technologies shipyard. Further details are to be announced in the coming months. With the launch planned for early 2027, there will be two more seasons to get the Imoca in top form for the eleventh Vendée Globe.
Until then, Loïs Berrehar will also train and race with other teams. The programme will be determined together with Banque-Populaire sports director Sébastien Josse.
