Guirec Soudée (obviously) did not take his hen Monique on his Freelance.com boat.
Credit : Vincent Curutchet / Alea
It had been his dream for ten years. Like 39 other sailors, Guirec Soudée took the start of the 2024 Vendée Globe, this Sunday, November 10 in Les Sables-d'Olonne. On his Freelance.com boat, during this solo world tour without assistance, the Breton skipper will have to do without a teammate, but also without a faithful companion from his previous trips: Monique, his hen redhead.
An animal that those around him would not necessarily have chosen, before he set off to attack the seas and oceans. “At the age of 21, Guirec decided to buy a sailboat and sail around the world for five years, contextualizes Manon, her logistics assistant. Departing from Tréguier (Côtes-d’Armor)he already wanted to have a chicken, but everyone told him 'no, that's not a very good idea. A hen on the water, it will not lay eggs, it will not acclimatize at all. Finally, when he arrived in the Canary Islands, some friends gave him a chicken. And I think thathe came across THE chicken with sea legs !”
“Monique saved his life”
Had he imagined living with another animal on his boat? Not really, according to Manon. “A dog would have taken up a lot more spacethe kibble would have been much heavier, and he wanted an animal a little atypical, who also could give him something to eat. Monique didn't take up much space, just like her 12 kilos of seeds.”
The adventure therefore lasted five years, with several stopovers, and also some scares, like this 130-day passage in the ice of Greenland. “During the polar night, he had created a ceiling light for her and he continued to simulate day and night for Monique, so she continued to lay eggs. He had not at all had enough to eat during his wintering: ultimately, he ended up eating the eggs Monique, who saved his life because he didn't die of starvation.”
A beautiful story which seduced several visitors met in the village of the Vendée Globe. Like Grégory, a school teacher and amateur sailor, who has already made it his little favorite. “I loved her book with Monique, her chicken. It's magnificent, it doesn't really talk about technique, anyone can read it. It's more focused on the relationship with her chicken, who is really a friend for him since then, it's true that it's a browser that I follow a lot. I'm happy that he's leaving, I think he's going to have a good Vendée Globe.”
“A podium, based on a misunderstanding…”
There were also a lot of emotions on D-day for Manon and Guirec Soudée's team, who had been preparing for the race for four years. “I won't hide from you that at the start, tears flowed… It's a big achievement for everyone. Guirec couldn't wait to leave. Without chicken this time (laughs)since it is prohibited. He had already rounded Cape Horn, saying to himself at the time, 'I'll come back with a bigger, more powerful boat'… and that's what he's going to do, so it's great!”
For his first participation, the navigator hopes “really finish the racewhich would already be incredible, believes Manon. Afterwards, based on a misunderstanding as he usually says, why not a podium…” At the time of publishing this article, Guirec Soudée occupies 32nd place.
