In 2014, during the Route du Rhum, Armel Le Cléac'h, skipper of the maxi-Banque Populaire VII, injured his hand and was replaced by Loïck Peyron… who then won the transatlantic solo.
For the Vendée Globe, each skipper can have a replacement skipper: “So that it doesn’t jeopardize the whole project. There are quite a few projects that have decided to take this approach. When you see the amounts invested, on the part of the sponsors and the investment of the teams… Not leaving because unfortunately, an accident happens to the skipper, it seems logical and prudent”, explains Christopher Pratt, replacement for Sébastien Simon for the third time: “With Armel (Le Cléac'h in 2016) and Jérémie (Beyou in 2020), the logical continuations of the Transats Jacques Vabre and the work we had together during the Vendée Globe campaign For Sébastien, it's a. willingness of the skipper and the sponsor to ensure things in case there is a physical problem.”
Ready up to ten days after departure
Yann Eliès, Yoann Richomme's understudy, adds that his role “can be activated at any time up to ten days after departure. If Yoann were to face a last minute injury, illness or accident, I would be ready to take his place. In the event of an incident in the first hours of the race, I could then take over.”
This has never happened in the Vendée Globe. Alex Thomson had to be replaced in the 2011 Barcelona World Race after emergency appendicitis surgery. François Guiffant, who hoped to be at the start as “regular skipper” but did not make it into the “40 of the Vendée Globe”, is replacing on two boats. He had experienced the opposite situation for the last Route du Rhum. “Honestly, I hope that doesn’t happen. I still did a little sailing with Louis (Duc) to look at the boat. I’m also going to pass on Lazare, Tanguy’s boat (Le Turquais) before departure.”
Have your bag and boots close at hand
You should know that, for replacements, qualifications are not obligatory for everyone: “There is a selection committee within the race management which validates. We also have to be realistic: these are very unlikely scenarios,” explains Christopher Pratt, another skipper likely to set sail at short notice: “There aren’t that many of us who can set off at short notice on a Vendée Globe. Compared to other years, there are more skippers who will set off for the Vendée Globe, so we are reaching the end of this exercise. Finding people who have both experience and availability is not that common.”
François Guiffant confirms: “It's a strange situation to be a substitute but we called the race management to see if it was possible and there are no contraindications. There is very little probability that two skippers will have a problem at the same time.”
“I would have liked to be in their place”
It's a somewhat thankless role for replacement skippers who often dream of sailing around the world alone. “I really don't hope anything happens to them but you have to be ready to jump on one of the boats at the last moment. So physically, I try to keep in shape and rhythm. My qualification in my pocket, my medical file ready…, I have no particular obligation other than to put my sailor's bag on board my truck when I go to Les Sables d'Olonne just in case.
Christopher Pratt is ready: “I want to go there and I would have liked to be in their place but it is what it is. My time will come or not but I have other things to live for in the meantime.”
