Approaching the equator, the VULNERABLE monopolize the first two places of the 10e edition of the Vendée Globe, and the cordial understanding of their respective skippers, Thomas Ruyant and Sam Goodchild – both from the Lorient team TR Racing – cannot be denied.
Thursday, November 21, on the eleventh day of this solo race around the world, non-stop and without assistance, the Frenchman took the lead in the event, followed, around twenty miles, by his friend and partner of British training. “Okay Thomas, it’s good because it’s you”joked Sam Goodchild, in the morning, on his social networks.
The latter, who swears that his only ambition as a rookie is “ just to to end » this 45,000 km ride through the Capes of Good Hope (South Africa), Leeuwin (Australia) and Horn (Chile), celebrated its 35th anniversary two days ago, at the head of the race. A position to which he has been flashed 24 times since leaving Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée), on November 10.
Disturbed the first days by the management and repair of a small water leak at the front of his boat, Thomas Ruyant, 43 years old, double winner of the Transat Jacques-Vabre (2021 and 2023) and the Route du Rum 2022, was discreet in spite of itself.
But its positioning further west than its direct competitors allowed it to hit a vein of wind and make an express crossing of the Doldrums, this intertropical convergence zone characterized by an alternation of violent squalls and flat calms which puts the sailors' nerves on edge.
The northerner makes no secret of his ambition to win this “Everest of the seas” on which he is lining up for the third time in a row, after abandoning due to damage off the coast of Tasmania during the 2016-2017 edition and a 6e place in 2020-2021.
“Two VULNERABLE, like there is the Red Bull of Verstappen and that of Pérez”
In the world of ocean racing, his TR Racing team – T for Thomas, R for Ruyant – which Goodchild joined in 2023, is an exception and a curiosity. Design office, preparation and optimization of boats, training navigations, tools, logistics… With the exception of a close guard of technicians for each, the two navigators share and pool everything, like in an F1 team.
Even the strictly identical surname of their two 18 m monohulls (Imoca), VULNERABLE, which bars their black mainsails in white vertical capital letters. “It’s simple, there are two VULNERABLEs like there is the Red Bull of (Max) Verstappen and that of (Sergio) Pérez »smiles Thomas Ruyant in reference to the Dutch and Mexican F1 drivers, when we point out that this choice is likely to sow confusion in the minds of observers.
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