Every 4 years, the excitement is at its peak for sailing lovers. On November 10, 40 of them set off from Les Sables-d’Olonne (Vendée) for this tenth edition of the Vendée Globe, a sailing race around the world, solo and without stopover or assistance. This year, 34 men and 6 women set off for a race which should last nearly 80 days for the best and among them, we find in particular the darling of this year, Violette Dorange, whose companion is present during the crossing of a very particular way.
Although he has never won it, Marc Thiercelin has participated in the Vendée Globe 4 times, with his best result in 1996, when he finished in second place in the general classification. He then finished fourth in 2000, before being unclassified in 2004 then abandoning in 2008. A long history between the companion of Estelle Denis is the most prestigious of maritime races, but visibly, the one who displayed his physical evolution over the years has not quite finished with the queen competition. In an interview given to Figaro this Thursday, November 28, the 64-year-old skipper announces his intention to participate in the 2028 editionbut not just anyhow. “My idea is to build a boat out of wood or bamboo and hemp to demonstrate that we can travel around the world with materials other than carbon, therefore oil, and by using more natural fibers”he explains.
Marc Thiercelin in the 2028 Vendée Globe with an eco-friendly boat
An important challenge for the companion of the 47-year-old host, who we saw surrounded by famous athletes for a great Parisian event this year, and who did not hesitate to support her darling. On her Instagram account, where she is very active and followed by more than 100,000 subscribers, she wanted to react to the news in her story. On a photo in the article (to be found in the slideshow), Estelle Denis simply writes: “Always believe in your wildest dreams…”before adding a heart emoji, a sailboat and applause.
The former partner of Raymond Domenech, with whom she had two children, Victoire and Merlin, is fully behind Marc Thiercelin and his crazy project. The navigator, who will be 68 years old during the next edition, does not seem any more frightened by the task. “It will be a challenge to perform well at that age. It’s up to me to be up to the task, but I feel capable of it“he assures.
