How did Denis Van Weynbergh, currently last in the Vendée Globe, experience the arrival of the first competitors?

While currently between Point Nemo and Cape Horn, 14,400 kilometers from the finish, Denis Van Weynbergh (D'leteren Group) delivered Sand Journalthis Sunday, January 19, his feelings towards the skippers who have already set foot on land while he still has more than a month of racing left.

He also gave an update on his own race and how his Vendée Globe is going.

Journal des Sables: How do we experience the arrival of the first competitors in the Vendée Globe while we are still at sea and there is about a little more than a month of racing left? Is it demoralizing or on the contrary is it a boost when we see the fervor that awaits the skippers in Les Sables-d'Olonne?

Denis Van Weynbergh: In two ways.

We are super happy and super happy for them and obviously we underline and highlight the performance they achieved.

It is certain that we would like to be further along the course because we say to ourselves there is still a month before we are home so that has two effects, one positive and then at the same time it is not not easy to manage when you see all the arrivals, the party, all the people who are there, the fact that everyone has returned.

But hey, that's how it is and then we deal with it, we continue to move forward, we focus on our course, on our path to find to pass the famous Cape Horn which is not easy. We are focused on that.

Can't wait to get back to Les Sables-d'Olonne?

Yes, we can't wait to return to Les Sables-d'Olonne, that's for sure, among other things to see the other Sables-d'Olonne skippers.

And then since we're talking about the Sablais skippers, I want to highlight the performance of Sébastien Simon who finished third, podium, that's huge on a latest generation boat.

This is the first time that a Sablais skipper has made a podium. This bodes well for a bright future for him, he has great prospects for the next four years. In four years it will no longer be an outsider but it will undoubtedly be one of the favorites for victory in the Vendée Globe.

A quick word on how your Vendée Globe is going?

It happens as I know how to do it, as a good sailor, depending on my level of skill and what I manage to do in terms of speeds, in terms of wind angles, in terms of weather choices, prudent choices.

I always said that the goal was to finish. So it's true that I would have liked to finish perhaps faster but that's okay we made do, we had two or three problems on the boat that we had to resolve which made us lose time.

The Vendée Globe is that too, it's about resilience, patience, flexibility and then reviewing your objectives and reviewing your routes and thinking all the time about the best path you can take based on your needs. boat and the shape of the moment.

In terms of food reserves there is really no problem because I had planned at least 100 days of food. I've already done a little inventory like that quickly and in fact over the first few weeks I'm eating less so I have plenty of spare meals so there really won't be any problem.

How is the Manneken Pis who accompanies you around the world doing?

The Manneken Pis is doing well, it is warm, well wrapped to protect it because it breaks and then I hope to be able to get it out of the nerve centers of the race like at Cape Horn but that is not sure given the weather and then probably at the Equator or later so we will see at that level.

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