Éric Bellion will start his second Vendée Globe on Sunday. With Jean Le Cam, the two sailors decided to “co-build” two IMOCAs going against the current dynamic engaged with foils. For him as for 'King John', the future is heading straight for multiple reasons.
Are you competitive with these boats without foils?
Yes, I am convinced of that. We only based ourselves on facts from the last Vendée Globe, the average speeds necessary to win. We know exactly what we're going to look for. We are looking for an average speed. The facts, for the moment, prove us right in our choice. Now we have to get to reality. The reality is to finish the Vendée and see what happens.
Wasn't the race four years ago a decoy because we had very particular weather conditions?
I think we are going to have increasingly complex and unique scenarios. It is even more suitable for sea '4X4s'. But when you look at the facts, Jean (Le Cam), after all the slide in the Atlantic, where there were not such particular conditions, is in the first four at the Cape of Good Hope. Afterwards, yes, in the South Seas, indeed, the first ones were a little served. It caught up from behind, but we'll see who's right. For the moment the balance is tipped very favorably for the 'foilers' because they get all the results on the deckchairs and we are both a bit like idiots with Jean. But we chose from the start to be the idiots of the fair. It doesn't bother me, I'm quite happy with our situation.
Is it also a political choice, linked to the environment, to the evolution of the planet?
Yes, obviously. And it's not just that, because we would never have made slow boats for a political choice. So, these are boats that we first want to perform well. And yes, for me, it is the boat of the future with the two strongest innovations: sobriety and pooling. And it’s something nature has been doing for millennia. It's up to us to do it now. These two boats open a new path, a path to the future.
What are the views of other skippers who are in much more expensive projects with foils? Are some people telling you that we might have to review certain things?
Yes, I have many skippers who tell me that it is an interesting path and that we cannot go all technical, all financial, everything more and more. At some point, we will have to reason with ourselves if we want to continue practicing this incredible sport. And then there are also other skippers who come to see me saying that they don't see themselves on boats that fly, but on boats like that. I watch the images of the America's Cup, I practice foiling too, it's an extraordinary revolution. But in the Vendée Globe, is it useful? And don't these choices, which are wonderful in video and photos, ruin our lives, us, the sailors of the Vendée Globe? Doesn't that force us to raise even more money, to form ever larger teams? I think so. Somehow, it's a smokescreen, we're ruining our lives. I don't think it's really useful. I preferred to have much simpler boats and spend more time on the water. I think the dream for the spectators would be the same. I don't want to say that this is the right thing to do. I propose. Afterwards, it will take or it will not take.
Would the public be as passionate? Is it in tune with the times?
That's a hell of a question. I don't have the answer. I would like there to be a shift from stopping always more, always stronger, further, faster, and that we dig into other things. That would be great. Afterwards, it's true that the man is what he is and he always wants to push the limits. It's super complicated to keep things simple. All artists will say it. Working in simplicity, challenging ourselves to have boats that are increasingly clean, increasingly durable, and more respectful of the sailor. That's why we asked ourselves the question with Jean: “what do we really need to perform well in the Vendée Globe?” » And so we looked at ourselves, with our human and financial resources, also the time we had, and also our abilities as sailors. And it's true that there, we found our own weapon.
The budget of your Imoca what does it represent compared to those of the fleet's favorite boats?
We gave the price of one of our boats, it is less than 5 million, all inclusive, with electronics, on-board computer, sail set, all the extras. Today, to have an all-inclusive “foiler”, I think you no longer need to be between 8, 9, or even 10 million. The choice of sober design and pooling also removes almost a third of the carbon impact. And philosophically, it bothers me that these are necessarily only big projects with multinationals, banks… who seize the holy grail of building a boat for a race. Perhaps the boat will make the same revolution as Formula 1 or motorcycle GP. Formula 1 found Netflix to reignite the flame but it will go out. It will turn off. That's for sure. We will perhaps have a certain number of answers in three months. We are no longer in the same era. Between 2020 and 2024 the world has changed nonetheless.
And if something happens, it’s certain that it will inspire projects in 2028 to happen. We're really going to have to protect and bring in these projects. Because it is the future of the Vendée Globe. The Vendée Globe is a race in its own right. From the beginning, the latter has been celebrated as much as the former, if not more. We all need more humanity, and the Vendée Globe has a very specific place for that. It’s a hyper-human race. She really needs to keep this.
Comments collected by Pierre-Yves Leroux
