THE BOAT

PORTRAIT

In 1993, for the first Transat Jacques Vabre solo race; Parlier, Peyron and Gautier were among the starting monohull skippers. And so was a young yachtsman sporting a classic haircut who, at the age of 21, was sailing across the Atlantic for the first time on Maitre Coq and who eventually finished the race despite major water ingress. The other competitors praised the exceptional tenacity of the young skipper – who had just had his first taste of offshore sailing – but few of them realized that Riou would win the Vendee Globe some years later thanks to his immense talent.

« Vincent the Terrible », only former winner

At the age of 40, Vincent Riou has become one of the most symbolic figures of the Vendee Globe. His history in that race started in 2000 with his first circumnavigation… on dry land. Riou was then in charge of preparing Michel Desjoyeaux’s PRB and greatly contributed to the Vendee boat’s final victory. The sponsor then chose to trust the young, discreet and gifted man with their monohull for the 2004 edition.

The Brittany-born yachtsman won the race on his very first participation after an epic fight with Jean Le Cam, finishing only seven hours ahead of Le Cam, who called him “Vincent the Terrible”, a nickname that is not unlike the name of a nuclear submarine. Riou then started working on the construction of a new monohull on which he competed in the 2008 – 2009 Vendee Globe. After 57 days at sea, his path once again crossed Jean Le Cam’s as Le Cam capsised off Cape Horn and was finally rescued by Vincent, who damaged his rigging in the process. The mast held on for a few hours but eventually broke before the boat could reach Tierra del Fuego. Riou had to retire but the jury decided to grant him the third place of the race. He is the only former Vendee Globe winner to race in the 2012-2013 edition.

WINS AND PERFORMANCES

2012
Winner of the Europa Warm’Up

2011
Winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race 
Winner of the Artemis Challenge
3rd place in the Transat B to B

2010
2nd place in the Tour of Spain
5th place in the Route du Rhum

2009
7th place in the Transat Jacques Vabre (with A. Boissières)
3rd place in the Vendée Globe
Winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race
Winner of the Calais Round Britain Race

2005
Yachtsman of the year

2004
Winner of the Vendée Globe


2003
Winner of the Calais Round Britain Race
2nd place in the Rolex Fastnet Race
4th place in the Transat Jacques Vabre (with J. Beyou)

THE BOAT

PORTRAIT

The gentleman skipper, as Loïck Peyron calls him, comes from Nice. Trained as a veterinary surgeon and with a 3rd-cycle HEC degree, JP has a background that did not suggest a future sailing the seas. Yet, at the age of 36, this experienced sailor decided to change his life and devote himself to his passion for offshore sailing. Jean-Pierre Dick is a man of challenges. In 2002 he took on a considerable one: Competing in the Vendée Globe. A tenacious and ambitious fighter as well as an unusual character, he devoted himself to his new life as an all-out sailor.

    2011 Yachtsman of the year 2011

After his first win in the Transat Jacques Vabre (with Nicolas Abiven), JP was at the start of the 2004-2005 Vendee Globe, making his dream come true. A real “DIYer” despite himself (boom broken and repaired, energy problem forcing him to sail the remaining three quarters of the round-the-world race on solar energy only), he finished his first Vendée Globe in sixth position. The skipper of Virbac-Paprec 3 then enjoyed a series of victories, with two new Transat Jacques Vabre races (2005 and 2011), and two wins in the Barcelona World Race (2008 and 2011). In 2011, he earned the recognition of his peers and was voted Yachtsman of the year.

During the last Vendée Globe, as he was leading the race, a collision with a UFO broke his rudders. Despite his attempts to repair them, JP had to resign himself to stop the race. This year, the skipper from Nice is more determined than ever to shine in the 2012 Vendee Globe. This may very well be his last participation, since this man of challenges later intends to sail the oceans he loves so much on three hulls.

WINS AND PERFORMANCES

2012
Winner of the Trophée Azimut
Winner of the Europa Warm Up first leg

2011
Yachtsman of the year
Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre (with J.Beyou)
Winner of the Barcelona World Race (with L.Peyron)
24h IMOCA 60’ distance Record (506.33 miles with L. Peyron)
2nd place in the Rolex Fastnet Race


2010
4th place in the Route du Rhum


2008
Winner of the Barcelona World Race (with D.Foxall)


2006
3rd place in the Route du Rhum


2005
Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre (with L.Peyron)
6th place in the Vendée Globe


2003
Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre (with N.Abiven)


2001
Winner of the Tour de France à la Voile

THE BOAT

PORTRAIT

His kid sister just could not pronounce “Christophe” properly so his name became Kito and it remained for the rest of his life. And what a life! Kito is an adventurous jack of all trades who discovered the joy of sailing on a Dordogne lake with a wooden optimist dinghy built by his father. At the age of 17, his “salty” passion for regatta grew even stronger when his family moved to Port Camargue. He became France’s National Mini-Tonner Champion and, two years later, sailed across the Atlantic for the first time on the family ketch «Rackam le rouge». After exploring Martinique equipped with a sextant only, he went on with his discovery of wild areas by sailing on Lake Tanganyika. His adventurer’s soul then took him to the West Indies, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Red Sea, the China Sea…

A charming competitor

In between trips, Kito owns the Espiguinguette, a piece of heaven located on a spit of sand in Camargue. In 1999, supported by his family and encouraged by Denis Horeau – who was the Fishing Ports Challenge manager back then – he started competing in the Figaro class. In 2002, this talented Mediterranean guy won the Solitaire and emerged from the shadows. Bernard Gallay and Jean Le Cam offered him to compete with them in transatlantic events in tandem on 60-foot race yachts. In 2005, Bel decided to work with this charming competitor and, after two successful seasons on the Figaro class, started the construction of the Goupe Bel 60-foot monohull. Since 2007, the skipper and his Laughing Cow (Vache qui rit® in French) have covered 100,000 miles, the equivalent of four circumnavigations, either for competition or to meet Bel employees on the five continents. 8,500 of them left their fingerprints on the boat’s mast as a token of encouragement. Thanks to Bel, the Vendée Globe is already shining around the world!

WINS AND PERFORMANCES

2012
6th place in the first leg of the Europa Warm’Up


2011
5th place in the Transat Jacques Vabre (with Y.Régniau)
Participation in the Barcelona World Race (with S.Audigane)


2010
Participation in the Route du Rhum 
9th place in the Solitaire du Figaro


2009
2nd place in the Transat Jacques Vabre (with F.Gabart)
2nd place in the Istanbul Europa Race


2008
Participation in the Vendée Globe (with Démâtage)


2007
2nd place in the Transat B to B
6th place in the Transat Jacques Vabre (with S. Col)


Before 2007
7 participations in the Solitaire du Figaro (2002 Winner)
3 participations in the Transat Jacques Vabre (3rd place in 2005)
3 participations in the Transat AG2R (2006 Winner)
Winner of the Solo Méditerranée in 2006
Winner of the 2003 Tour de France à la Voile