Bertrand de Broc loves the Vendée Globe

Discover the portrait of Bertrand de Broc, aged 53, 9th in the last Vendée Globe. After retiring twice in 1992-93 and 1996-97, his third attempt to sail around the world was successful. A just reward for this French sailing legend, who continues to race in the IMOCA circuit and will be lining up in one month from now for the start of the Route du Rhum. 

 

“Sailing solo around the world on this size of boat is awesome. It’s amazing to sail into the harbour entrance channel in Les Sables-d’Olonne after 92 days at sea with a boat in such good condition. It’s so emotional that you automatically want to do it all over again.” It took Bertrand de Broc twenty years and three attempts to complete the Vendée Globe race. He entered the history books back in 1992-93, when he had to sew up his tongue in the Forties, before being forced to retire off New Zealand. Four years later, a stopover in Ushuaia and capsizing a few miles from the finish put an end to his dreams of sailing all the way around the world. These two experiences meant he was left with a sense of unfinished business, but he still remains positive about his first attempts. “When in your very first Vendée Globe, you are in the lead for twelve hours off the Canaries with Alain Gautier, the future winner a long way behind you, it’s a memory that stays with you. From 1996, I can remember rounding Cape Horn, in third place, on a boat that certainly wasn’t the fastest. I felt quite proud of that.”

 

14 Solitaire du Figaro events, 7 Tour de France races, 25 transatlantic races

Born in Quimper, Bertrand de Broc grew up on the banks of the Odet and discovered sailing and dinghy racing at an early age. He studied to join the merchant navy, but gave up to dedicate himself to his passion: ocean racing. At the age of just 18, he took part in his first Solitaire du Figaro and got one of the best results in the event: 7^th out of 50. This remarkable performance opened other doors for him and he sailed with the top names on all sorts of boat. Bertrand de Broc, “I went through all of the various classes: Half Tonners, Formula 40s, Figaro Is, Figaro IIs, ORMAs, IMOCAs and I loved them all. I competed in 14 Solitaire du Figaro races, 7 Tour de France sailing races and did around 25 transatlantic races.” An impressive CV to which we should add his three Vendée Globes over a twenty year period. “I have been able to see how the course has changed. In 1992-93, we sailed through the icebergs. It wasn’t that much fun, but we were a bit foolhardy. Today, we are much more cautious with the ice gates. I don’t regret that, as we no longer get woken up by the radar alarm telling us that there are icebergs a few miles ahead,” explained Bertrand.
On 2^nd November, he will set sail from St.Malo at the start of the Route du Rhum. So he doesn’t intend to stop racing 60-foot boats. “I love this class, as it allows you to enjoy yourself sailing at speed over the water on reliable boats, which are interesting and will continue to evolve over the coming years,” declared de Broc.  (www.vendeeglobe.org)