The dean of the race, Jean Le Cam, took the lead in the Vendée Globe by taking a route further east than his competitors. It shouldn't last, but the story is beautiful.
Sacred Jean Le Cam. Dean of the Vendée Globe (65 years old), new record holder for the number of participations (6th), the skipper of It all starts in Finistère-Armor Lux this Saturday at the top of the ranking after six days at sea.
Le Cam owes its leading position to a strategic choice made in recent days. As he had fallen a little behind the head of the fleet (“I gybed a little too late in the south of Portugal, a little too close to Madeira”), the Breton opted for a more easterly route. At this stage of the race, the ranking favors the skippers who have taken this option (there are only two, Le Cam and Conrad Colman), because they are closer as the crow flies to the Cape of Good Hope.
In the medium term, the skippers heading west should regain the upper hand, picking up more wind in the coming days. His position as leader is therefore threatened, but Le Cam is not unhappy with his bet. « He who doesn't try anything gets nothing. In life you have to dare and believe in yourself. Sometimes doubt haunts me but doubt is part of the performance. The boat is fine, it’s the priority”philosophizes “King John”, like an old wise man.
The Cam, true to itself
Already an astonishing fourth in the previous edition (his best result after his second place in 2004-2005), Jean Le Cam continues to arouse admiration, and to remain a character apart. While more and more skippers have opted for foiling boats, these appendages which revolutionized the Imoca category a few years ago, the three-time winner of the Solitaire du Figaro preferred to keep a classic, old-fashioned boat.
« We wanted to make a simpler boat for better control because it is important for me, especially on a world tour, he justifies. I will not leave on a boat that I do not fully control. And honestly, I don't know how to control a foil boat for 80 days. I also think that our project is in tune with the times in relation to business issues. Everyone tries to do better with what they have, hence the idea of having a project that is more accessible. »
Jean Le Cam does well to stay true to himself, it works well for him.
