Too good to miss

‘Le Professeur’ Michel Desjoyeaux is coming back to the Vendée Globe, as is his one-time protegéVincent Riou. Between them these two French skippers have dominated the last two events and now they are back for more. Vendée Globe veteran Patrice Carpentier joined Desjoyeaux for a few days’ training out of Port La Forêt in Brittany...

2008 will be the year that breaks all the records in term of participation in the VendéeGlobe. It will also mark the return of two skippers who have already won the singlehanded round-the-world race invented by Philippe Jeantot 20 years ago. In addition, remarkably, race winners Michel Desjoyeaux and Vincent Riou were using the same boat in 2000 and 2004... and backed by the same partner, PRB.

After his victory in 2001 Michel decided to race Orma 60 multihulls, but it was the Vendée Globe that still interested Vendée-based building products company PRB. So after talks with PRB managers Jacques Vincent and his son Jean-Jacques the trio decided that Vincent Riou should succeed him on their Finot Open 60 after a suitable training period on a Figaro one-design.

The younger Vincent – that head of grey hair is deceptive – had worked extensively with Desjoyeaux on the construction and preparation of his Open 60 for 2000. He had a good grasp of the detail of managing these complex and fast boats and so it wasn’t such a surprise that, while Michel was successfully campaigning his trimaran Géant, Vincent delivered PRB their second consecutive victory around the world.

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