LORIENT, FRANCE - 5 SEPTEMBRE 2024 : Le skipper de Holcim - PRB Nicolas Lunven (FRA) s'entraîne le 5 septembre 2024 au large de Lorient, France - Photo by Adrien Nivet / Polaryse

LORIENT, FRANCE - 5 SEPTEMBRE 2024 : Le skipper de Holcim - PRB Nicolas Lunven (FRA) s'entraîne le 5 septembre 2024 au large de Lorient, France - Photo by Adrien Nivet / Polaryse

Nicolas Lunven, 6th in the Vendée Globe 2024

Sport

24/01/2025 - 21:51

This Friday at 0751 PM UTC, after 75 days, 07 hours and 49 minutes of racing, Nicolas Lunven crossed the Vendée Globe finish line in Les Sables d’Olonne in sixth place, in the midst of a building winter storm. The completion of his circumnavigation represents a remarkable performance for the Breton skipper’s first participation, especially as he didn’t take the reins of Holcim - PRB’s IMOCA until September 2023, little more than a year before the start.

An extremely experienced and talented sailor, Nicolas was an obvious choice to take the Holcim - PRB campaign forward. Significant career milestones already included two Solitaire du Figaro victories (2009 and 2017), plus three participations in The Ocean Race. He also has almost a decade of experience in the IMOCA class, including the successful completion of the 2022 Vendée Arctique, taking 10th place in an older boat sporting the colours of a previous sponsor.

Audacity and resilience
Nicolas immediately confirmed that he was ready to compete in the big leagues. Taking advantage of bold strategic options, he was the first skipper in this edition of the Vendée Globe to break the solo 24 hour distance record in a 60ft yacht, covering 546.60 miles. Although this was surpassed by Yoann Richomme and Sébastien Simon, it nevertheless highlights his ability to exploit all the speed of his IMOCA. 

He also demonstrated both calm and ingenuity when faced with technical issues, including a repair to a ballast hatch in the doldrums and damage to his mainsail in the Southern Ocean. 

Consistently good strategic choices, combined with an ability to sail cleanly in the most harsh conditions, were highlighted in a close match with Jérémie Beyou and Thomas Ruyant in the Pacific. 

Tenacity in the face of the unexpected
The loss of masthead wind sensors in an area of intense thunder storms during the ascent of the Atlantic robbed Nicolas of equipment that’s essential for optimising performance. Yet being forced to rely on a makeshift arrangement rigged on the pushpit at the back of the boat didn’t appear to dent his speed and he even gained a place in the final days, having made particularly good progress in an intense depression before the Azores.

Lunven’s performance in his first Vendée Globe shows he has the mindset, determination and technical skill to compete with the very best at the highest echelon of his sport, suggesting more exploits to come for the 42-year-old skipper.

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