We knew that there was a strong “Vendée Globe effect” in the popularity of skippers, particularly on social networks. But Violette Dorange’s figures exceed anything the world of ocean racing has ever known. At 23, the skipper of the Imoca Become is by far the most followed competitor online out of the 40 sailors at the start of the Vendée Globe.
And the young woman’s popularity is only growing. On the eve of the departure, given on Sunday November 10, 2024 in Sables-d’Olonne, we established the ranking of the most followed skippers, taking into account the total subscribers on the following social networks: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn , TikTok, YouTube and (212,000).
A million subscribers by the end of the Vendée Globe?
But, three days after departure, the trend was radically reversed. The native of Rochefort continues to see her reputation grow, bringing together all the ingredients for success: her precocious talent, she who is the youngest skipper in history at the start of a Vendée Globe (men and women alike), her spontaneity , its careful image, its mastery of social network codes, its presence on TikTokwhere she is the only skipper to have a real community (106,000 subscribers)…
READ ALSO. Live cartography and rankings from the Vendée Globe
From now on, she has a total of 568,000 subscribers, an increase of 356,000 in just three days. Of course, in the world of the internet, that’s not much compared to influencers or athletes with millions of subscribers. But in the world of ocean racing, it’s huge. Here is the “newbie” who has become the most popular skipper in the Vendée Globe fleet. And by updating his profiles every hour, the number of subscribers continues to climb. Up to a million?
