After his defeat in the 2008-2009 edition, Yann Eliès was determined to complete his solo round the world race and set himself the goal of finishing "not far from the podium" He's done that with his finish on Wednesday 25th January 2017 at 16 hours 13 minutes and 09 seconds. He is also the first classic daggerboard boat to complete the loop, as the first four are all equipped with foils - Armel le Cléac'h, Alex Thomson, Jeremie Beyou and Jean-Pierre Dick.
It's quite a revenge on destiny that the skipper of Quéguiner-Leucémie Espoir is offering himself, when we remember the very serious accident he suffered in the South of Australia during the 2008-2009 edition. From that point of view, "I admire what Yann did, I see it as an exploit. Going back there after what he went through is extraordinary. I don't know if I would have been able to do the same." said about him Jérémie Beyou Tuesday, at a press conference.
Right from the start on 6th November, Yann Eliès showed that his know-how, which has enabled him to win the Solitaire du Figaro three times, among other feats in his (very) impressive list of achievements, will have to be reckoned with. Yann is sailing aboard the very first boat designed by VPLP-Verdier, namely Marc Guillemot's ex-Safran, third in the Vendée Globe in 2009. It was in fact with this same boat that Marc Guillemot came to his rescue in the Southern Ocean.
At Cape Finisterre, Yann Éliès was in the pack of ten leading boats, then alongside Paul Meilhat and Jérémie Beyou, then Sébastien Josse and Vincent Riou. In Cape Verde, he is ranked eighth. The same score at the equator, despite a complex doldrums. Yann then sailed ahead of Jean Le Cam and Jean-Pierre Dick, two competitors whom he would meet up with very often throughout the race. Alas, a first damage to his mainsail hook caused him to lose around fifty miles, which quickly multiplied to his disadvantage.
In the descent of the South Atlantic, the seven leading boats escape and the weather circumstances make life hard for the next ones. But a very daring option, via a narrow corridor of wind which "cuts the cheese" in the South Atlantic, enabled him to limit his deficit to the leader to 1000 miles.
Yann Éliès is ranked sixth in the Indian Ocean, ahead of Jean Le Cam and Jean-Pierre Dick. Unfortunately, he is forced to put his race on hold for the first time for 24 hours, as he has no choice but to voluntarily slow down in order to let a big storm from Madagascar pass in front of him. As a result, his crossing of the Indian is solitary, interspersed at long distance between Jérémie Beyou in front of him and Jean Le Cam behind. Yann doubled the longitude of Cape Leeuwin in fifth position after 33 days and 4 hours on 9th December, twenty-three hours after Jérémie Beyou's CoQ Master.
The South of Australia, a grim memory for him, is going relatively well apart from these gales, which are holding him back, while up front, the weather is still favouring the duo in the lead: Armel Le Cléac'h and Alex Thomson. A new compulsory brake in the South of Australia, where he has to slow down a second time to let a furious storm pass with winds forecast at between 60 and 80 knots! This is the moment when he delays, while Jean Le Cam can pass further South and, conversely, Jean-Pierre Dick is heading due North via Bass Strait, between Tasmania and Australia. It is following on from this option that the infernal trio is formed to the South of New Zealand: Jean-Pierre Dick, Yann Éliès, Jean Le Cam... We are still only halfway through the Vendée Globe and these three friends are already working together all the time, or almost all of them.
In the Pacific, Jean-Pierre Dick has been taking the lead from time to time thanks to the performance of his foiler. However, the two "briscards" Yann Eliès and Jean Le Cam (both triple winners of the Solitaire du Figaro) are sailing side by side. And their match within the match is breathtaking. By the way they sail, of course, but also by their calls to each other on the VHF and the videos they send to the Vendée Globe press service, which are often amusing.
At Cape Horn on 30th December, there are a lot of people at the gate: Jean-Pierre Dick passes early in the morning at 0734 hours, then Jean Le Cam at 16h48 and Yann Eliès just over an hour later, at 17h56. Yann is holding on: first of all, he absolutely wants to finish this Vendée Globe and if possible in fifth place. "It's all very silly, but you only see the top five on the homepages of the websites," he maliciously justifies himself.
During the climb back up the Atlantic, Yann Éliès and Jean Le Cam never leave each other and tease each other by videotaping each other when they don't do it directly between themselves. The return trip home will also take place almost aboard for the two Bretons. When they crossed the equator in 67 days on 13th January, there was only half an hour (31 minutes) between Yann and Jean! At high speed, they even managed to get within range of Jean-Pierre Dick's slingshots in the final rounding of the Azores High. In fact, both of them will attempt to get him inside the bend in the last two days before the finish..
