Vendée Globe: The same boat, a better world - Isabelle Joschke happy at the finish line
Tatjana Pokorny
· 04.02.2025
Shortly before midnight, Isabelle Joschke finished her second Vendée Globe on 3 February. After giving up four years in a row due to severe keel problems, this arrival, which she celebrated on Tuesday with the canal parade, tasted like a victory. The 48-year-old Franco-German also had to overcome tough challenges in the current solo race before she crossed the finish line in nineteenth place after 85 days, 11 hours and 26 minutes.
Almost three weeks after winner Charlie Dalin, Isabelle Joschke crossed the finish line in the freezing dark night. She has 29,659.77 Vendée Globe nautical miles in her stern, which she covered at an average speed of 14.46 nautical miles. This means she travelled faster than the skippers before her, right up to Romain Attanasio in 14th place, but she also clocked up more nautical miles over ground than others with some deliberately defensive courses as a result of breakages on board.
Vendée Globe skipper Joschke: strong and positive
Isabelle Joschke had to prove her MacGyver qualities more than once during her solo. She overcame numerous problems, most notably the "clean" breakage of her starboard foil in the Pacific. Despite everything, she achieved her most important goal of finishing the Vendée Globe with a positive and combative attitude.
When Isabelle Joschke sailed up the Sables d'Olonne Channel on the same Imoca "Macsf" four years ago, the world looked very different to this day. Isabelle Joschke also brought a new personal 24-hour record of 458 nautical miles with her to the start and finish harbour. Her Imoca, built in 2007, is the oldest boat in the top twenty of this 10th Vendée Globe, along with Tanguy Le Turquais' "Lazare", which is a little older.
On her second Vendée Globe mission, Isabelle Joschke found the phase in the Indian Ocean particularly tough and challenging. Like Jean Le Cam and Alan Roura, she had chosen the northern route. In the course of her race, the Lorient-based skipper was often able to hold her own against potentially fast boats. She showed impressive consistency, passing Cape Leeuwin in nineteenth place.
The foil breakage shock shortly before the end of the year
The shock came on 29 December when Isabelle Joschke suddenly heard a loud cracking noise. She feared that she had been hit by keel damage again. Then she discovered that her starboard foil had broken off in one piece. On top of this, the engine broke on the same weekend, making it difficult to recharge the batteries. The mainsail also tore. After that, Isabelle Joschke knew: "My racing would never be the same again."
Worried that she might not be able to finish her race again, she focussed from then on on reaching the line at all costs. She slowed down before Cape Horn to avoid the worst effects of a storm. In doing so, she dropped back to 18th place. In contrast, the conditions in the Atlantic favoured her more, as the group of skippers ahead of her were now slowed down.
In the "Vendée Globe Eight" with eight boats less than 150 nautical miles apart, Isabelle Joschke decided in the final phase to try her luck closer to the Brazilian coast. She crossed the equator in fifteenth place and accelerated in the trade winds as long as she could use her undamaged foil. When the group came together again in the Azores High, she slowed down.
Vendée Globe: Joschke is the fourth woman to finish
In the very hard-fought final phase of her race, Munich-born Isabelle Joschke gave it her all once again. Some boats were faster, others she was able to keep at bay. In the morning of 3 February, Damien Seguin ("Apicil") and then Benjamin Ferré ("Monnoyeur - Duo for a Job"), Tanguy Le Turquais ("Lazare") and Alan Roura ("Hublot") finished in 16th to 18th place in quick succession.
Isabelle Joschke followed before midnight, around four and a half hours ahead of old master Jean Le Cam on his non-foiler "Tout commence en Finistère - Armor-Lux". Less than a quarter of an hour after "King Jean", Conrad "The Crazy Kiwi" Colman arrived on "MS Amlin". On Tuesday morning, the Italian Carlo Pedote ("Prysmian") finished his race around the world in 20th place. In Les Sables-d'Olonne, there is currently no end to the cheers for the circumnavigators crossing the finish line.
