This Sunday, November 10 starts early: you have to reach the pontoons of the village of Vendée Globe in Les Sables d’Olonne before 7:30 a.m. The parade of skippers is precise: a departure every three minutes and a 45-minute protocol per sailor. In accordance with the draw, the first to set off is the sailor based in Concarneau, Charlie Dalin. Jean le Cam is 25th. His daughter Thaïs is waiting for him near the boat to say goodbye. “Once again, it's been 20 years, we'll say that it's usualshe smiled. It's a bit like a charm, it's the departure, we obviously want to say goodbye”.
Like the others, Jean le Cam passes next to the trophy, answers questions from the media before setting off onto the pontoon. Hands in his pockets, the Finistère sailor, recognizable by his curly hair, walks up to his black and yellow Imoca It all starts in Finistère Armor Lux. He takes the time to discuss with the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, accompanied by the president of the Vendée Departmental Council, Alain Leboeuf. In a few seconds, King John summarized his thoughts: “We need to think about the future of Port Olona (Editor's note: the departure port of the Vendée Globe in Les Sables d'Olonne), we have almost reached the point of saturation of the event.” No time to say more, it's time to get on board.
Angeline Demuynck
The sailor who spent the evening with his loved ones on a small restaurant sailboat in the port, admits to having slept poorly. And leaving the port is tricky: you have to get out of the pontoon in reverse, avoiding a post on one side and the foil of one of your competitors on the other. After a little scare, the Imoca is ready to descend the channel. It's a moment that the sailor from Port-la-Forêt is looking forward to, especially since during the previous Vendée Globe in 2020, the Covid epidemic forced people to stay at home at the time of departure. Massed on the quays, the footbridges, everywhere, hundreds of thousands of people cheer King John. Standing at the front of the boat, arms raised, he invites them to make an ola. “Did you see that?“, he exclaims, stars in his eyes. “It's extraordinary people's enthusiasm for this Vendée Globe, there are crazy people, there are people on the beach, people everywhere, these are exceptional moments.“
At his side, his wife Anne films the scene. It’s her sixth channel too, her last, she promises, and she doesn’t hide her emotion: “I don't know if you realize the intensity of everything they receive there with these hundreds of thousands of people along the channel, it's mind-blowing. It's a crazy energy that comes out of there, it's completely crazy.“
“We’ve been working for this for three and a half years”
Once out of the channel, return to calm. There are three hours left before the start, it's time to get into race configuration. His team hoists the mainsail. “We've been working on this for three and a half years, so we have to concentrate on the start. There I'm going to look at the weather, when we're a little clear of all that.“Jean must in particular choose which sail to use to cross the line. The wind is light, between four and eight knots. It will be the spinnaker.
Angeline Demuynck
One hour before kick-off of the 10th edition of the Vendée Globeit's time to jump ship. Anne Le Cam hugs her husband one last time before jumping into a semi-rigid boat. The technical team also ends up going down. That's it: Jean is alone on board for the duration of the race.
“Top start Vendée Globe 2024“: the 40 boats set off, at low speed. Jean le Cam's spinnaker has difficulty inflating but the marie does not deviate from its course. The zodiac follows him for a moment to ensure that everything is fine before to turn around towards Les Sables Anne asks to come closer for a last goodbye: “We leave you“, she shouts to her husband. They both exchange a wave of the hand. The couple will remain in close contact throughout the race. In the event of a problem, it is Anne that Jean le Cam calls at all hours day or night. First contact that same day at 5:30 p.m.: “Everything is fine“, she smiled as she hung up.
Angeline Demuynck
