Technical Review of the Vendée Globe 2024-2025

After a record-breaking Vendée Globe, a technical review of the Imoca fleet was essential. For this 10th Sailing Café (FR content), three guests responded to the invitation from Bretagne Développement Innovation: Guillaume Combescure, technical manager of the Macif Santé Prévoyance team; Félix de Navacelle, technical director of Lazare; and Alizée Vauquelin, technical director of Biotherm.

This tenth edition was marked by the lowest dropout rate in Vendée Globe history (7 out of 40 starters, or 17.5%, compared to 24% four years ago). Many boats, once moored at the Vendée Globe dock after two or three months at sea, even seemed ready to set off again. At Biotherm, Alizée Vauquelin admits having “broken a lot during The Ocean Race, which made us aware of all the boat’s issues,” but she acknowledges that Paul Meilhat’s Verdier design (5th place) could almost “set off again as is.”

A similar analysis comes from Guillaume Combescure, who remains “surprised by the good condition of [winner Charlie Dalin’s] boat and the fleet in general.” At the Lazare team, the philosophy was slightly different, “as the goal was to finish at all costs,” says Félix de Navacelle, which is exactly what Tanguy Le Turquais achieved, finishing 17th after 85 days at sea. The only damage observed was due to “some aggressive maneuvers, so if we had to do it again, we would lighten the boat a little,” he adds.

Beyond a qualification system that “encourages covering more miles,” Guillaume Combescure attributes the fleet’s reliability to participation in The Ocean Race, which he sees as “almost a prerequisite now.” However, his Macif Santé Prévoyance team, which did not compete in the crewed around-the-world race since Charlie Dalin’s boat was not yet launched, still “benefited from the lessons learned by others” thanks to information sharing within the Imoca class.

Alizée Vauquelin also highlights the increasing professionalism of teams, “even the smaller ones.” However, Félix de Navacelle believes that adding one more race to an already busy schedule would not have been advisable, as in the event of damage, “it would have been more complicated to arrive at the Vendée Globe with peace of mind.” While the post-race work lists are reasonable, they were meticulously compiled by all teams throughout their two to three months at sea.

In-Depth Analysis of Five Key Areas

Hull, Structure, and Keel

Guillaume Combescure notes that “the biggest surprise was the condition of the hull bottoms, which have been a major issue for a long time” but remained largely intact during this race despite sometimes violent sea conditions. There were no issues for Biotherm either, which had added six extra bulkheads at the front after The Ocean Race. The situation was slightly different for Lazare, as their boat is 18 years old and, despite reliability improvements, faced material fatigue. Tanguy Le Turquais had to deal with structural issues in the Southern Ocean.

Foils and Rudders

Charlie Dalin’s technical team was also surprised by how well the foils held up, noting that they “generally came back in better shape than after a training session in Port-La-Forêt!” Guillaume Combescure jokes. The same applies to Paul Meilhat’s team regarding the rudders: “We broke six in three years, but this was the first race where we didn’t break any,” adds Alizée Vauquelin.

Sails and Rigging

The lessons learned regarding sails were significant, especially since the three boats used different sailmakers: North Sails (Macif Santé Prévoyance), Incidence (Biotherm), and All Purpose (Lazare). While the winner’s FRO (Fractional Reacher) “came back ruined and will only be used to make souvenir toiletry bags from the Vendée Globe,” says Guillaume Combescure, he admits, “That was our fault for not demanding a stronger sail.”

At Biotherm, the team was very satisfied with their sail inventory, as only the spinnaker tore—a predictable outcome after also competing in The Ocean Race. However, sail hooks were a weak point, with many skippers reporting failures of these fittings. According to Alizée Vauquelin, “One key takeaway from this Vendée is that we’re seeing mechanical fatigue in these parts that we didn’t experience before.”

Electronics and Energy Management

On the positive side, all three guests emphasized the reliability of the electronics—no boat had to switch to backup circuits—and the energy systems, which posed no major problems. Whether skippers relied on alternative energy sources or bet on the reliability of their thermal engines, energy management was not a major concern.

Living Spaces and Ergonomics

Finally, different approaches were taken regarding onboard accommodations. Paul Meilhat opted for a minimalist setup with just a simple bean bag chair on Biotherm, whereas Charlie Dalin’s boat featured a highly ergonomic compact living space. Meanwhile, Tanguy Le Turquais took a pragmatic approach but regretted not having enclosed his cockpit at the rear.