Yannick Bestaven, brown hair and clear eyes, was named the winner of the Vendée Globe after an 80-day trip at sea, where he experienced all the emotions.

The local man, sports addict and loyal supporter of the La Rochelle rugby club, made his dream come true by winning a race against the sea and the elements.  

This dream turned into a nightmare in 2008. The day after the start, he had dismasted in the Bay of Biscay and had to give up after thirty hours of racing.

A sad record.

Twelve years later, he returns to win the most legendary single-handed round the world race.

"A comeback after 12 years is very, very long, it's a lot of waiting and envy", says the 48-year-old skipper, who "chomped on the brakes". 

He was able to recover by embarking on another project.

In 2008, he decided to equip his sailboat with a system he created, a device producing the electricity necessary for the boat to function properly.

This hydrogenerator is fitted from all the boats in the Vendée Globe fleet. 

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"There was a lot of work"  

"I was on the other side of the barrier. I can still see myself adjusting François Gabart's hydrogenerator on his boat the year he won the Vendée Globe (2012-2013). You had to put your ego in pocket and wait for my moment, "he admits.  

Bestaven then offered itself a few good years in class40 (small monohull) to gradually move upmarket. 

In 2018, it is the meeting on the pontoons with the CEO of "Maître Coq", Christophe Guyony.

"It didn't come right in my mouth, there was a lot of work, waiting, you had to prove that I knew how to sail when I was on the starting line. I had to I am 46 years old to find a real sponsor to match my ambitions. It’s done, I’m going to take advantage of it ”. 

Installed in La Rochelle, he prepares without counting so as not to miss.

"Yannick knows his boat perfectly. He has worked with the people who make the electronics, the pilots, he has looked at each of its ends, each of its sails, he has climbed the mast as many times as necessary to get into the situation. , he worked everything in an absolutely exceptional way ", underlines to AFP Éric Blondeau, specializing in decision-making with high stakes and who has been working for months with Bestaven. 

A great sailor and structured engineer  

"He has this capacity to improvise in the unknown, the uncertain, the irrational and the complex, which makes him a great sailor. He has an absolutely incredible spirit of synthesis, he goes very quickly, it is an engineer, he is very methodical, very structured, extremely orderly in his head in terms of priorities, "he continues. 

In the lead for almost a month, he was the first to pass Cape Horn.

But the party was short-lived, stuck in a windless area, he saw his rivals pounce on him and overtake him.

Discouraged, almost distraught, he gave the impression of giving up.  

Instead, he got back into the race.

Her only sister, Emma, ​​was not surprised by the older brother she has always admired and whom she describes as a "daring, clever and epicurean" man. 

Modest, Bestaven, dad of two children, "loves festive moments, being surrounded by friends and family, it's a bon vivant", slips the little sister, now a physiotherapist and who hopes to provide her for the first time first massage on the ground, before considering one of those "little evenings that end by singing loudly!" 

His friend for thirty years and technical manager of the "Maître Coq" project, Jean-Marie Dauris, is also waiting to find him.

"He is not at all a loner at heart in everyday life. On the contrary, he is a bon vivant, he likes to party, finally live!" 

With AFP

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