what will La Rochelle skipper Yannick Bestaven eat during the Vendée Globe?

5,000 calories per day for cold areas

“I prepared the supplies for Yannick four years ago. So I have this experience of the last Vendée Globe, which he won, to know his tastes. This is part of the performance elements, like everything else,” explains the specialist. “The objective is to prepare a stock of food which will allow him to have the necessary energy, because he is the first machine on board. Of course, he also needs pleasure food. »

As part of this, his team prepared something for him to last for 78 days and also provided him with a bag of provisions in the event of an incident. As a reminder, the Rochelais completed the Vendée Globe in 80 days, 3 hours, 44 minutes and 46 seconds, on January 28, 2021. This year, he will take on board his Imoca around 160 kg of food. Its food will be stored in large pouches arranged in a very precise manner in the boat.

The menus are concocted with attention to detail. “I do it by day and I divide the course into zones, depending on the temperature and weather conditions that Yannick will encounter. This will give me a number of calories per day to respect,” continues Stéphanie.

In fact, the La Rochelle skipper must consume around 3,500 calories per day when he is in areas where the climate is hot, nearly 4,000 when the climate is temperate and between 4,500 and 5,000 for areas cold. “It will have freeze-dried food, dehydrated and hand-cooked dishes,” says the specialist. Add to this sterilized dishes to reheat which are heavier because they contain water. “It’s the best and easiest thing to prepare,” explains Stéphanie Gaspari.

For this Vendée Globe, Yannick Bestaven favored prepared meals a little more than freeze-dried: “It's perhaps a little heavier but it's more pleasant to eat”

The navigator trusts his teams as the race approaches. “We have the experience of four years ago which helps us to finalize everything in terms of equipment, food and clothing to take on board. These are important little details when you go to sea for three months alone,” emphasizes Yannick Bestaven. “Nothing is left to chance, everything has been calculated in terms of weight, calories… Experience helps me a lot to prepare this as quickly as possible. Nothing has changed since the last edition, everything is the same. » For this Vendée Globe, Yannick Bestaven still favored prepared dishes a little more than freeze-dried ones. “It may be a little heavier but it’s more pleasant to eat. Let's say that with age we enjoy ourselves a little more,” admits the title holder.

Duck confit for New Year's Eve

He will also be able to enjoy dishes designed especially for him by La Rochelle caterer Grégory Coutanceau: sole and chocolate pear ballottines for his birthday on December 28, capon supreme at Christmas, scallop navarin on December 31 or even duck confit and rice pudding for New Year's Eve… Yannick Bestaven should enjoy it! “What we prepare for him is super high quality. These are small homemade dishes with products purchased from local producers,” continues its supply manager. A diet almost like at home but of course without a refrigerator once at sea “because everything has to be kept at room temperature”.

The important thing is also to eat a balanced diet. “There is mainly meat but I want there to be fish because it is easier to digest. It’s really so that he has energy and feels good to do sports and that it’s not too heavy,” says Stéphanie Gaspari. Concerning drinking, the winner of the Vendée Globe will set off to sea with two packs of water and will use a desalinator throughout the course.

Add coffee, tea and herbal teas to change the tastes. More generally, the idea is to not have a day that is the same. “I think he doesn't want to always eat the same thing, it gives him surprises which are good for his morale. For example, he loves lentil savory, it's his favorite dish at his mom's. So we used the recipe, he will eat at least one per week. »

40 dark chocolate bars

Of course, you also have to allow for some deviations. “Yannick likes sweet things, I give him some but not too much so that he doesn't get sick. I take him half a bar of dark chocolate per day, that's 40 bars over 80 days. He also takes desserts and chocolate biscuits, which are certainly not really optimal for an athlete's diet, but you have to give him things he likes. » This is one of the important elements when taking part in a race as long and demanding, both physically and mentally, as the Vendée Globe.