"We're not doing the Vendée Globe just for ourselves": assures Jean Le Cam, seven months after the end of his round-the-world trip

Jean Le Cam finished the tenth edition of the Vendée Globe in 20th place on February 4 in Les Sables-d'Olonne, Vendée. The Breton skipper, who has decided to no longer participate in the solo round-the-world race, reflects on his adventure.

"King Jean" welcomes our reporter into his hangar, where he prepares his boats, in the port of La Forêt-Fouesnant in Finistère. He has been nicknamed this way in the sailing world since his numerous victories in the Solitaire du Figaro. This time, we're talking about another race that has marked his life: the Vendée Globe. Jean Le Cam completed his fifth solo round-the-world sailing race on February 4th, at the age of 65 , out of six participations.

This last edition, of which he was the oldest, remains, like the others, anchored in his memory. " I still have in mind the image of my arrival in 20th position, just ahead of the 21st who was very close to me, so it was quite tense. But finishing the Vendée is always a victory," emphasizes the sailor. That day, thousands of people were present along the channel of Sables-d'Olonne in Vendée to applaud him. Some undoubtedly also followed his adventure thanks to his videos, often funny, shot on his boat during the race.

"A beautiful story is only beautiful if it is shared by others. Inevitably, it is others who give you the energy and the happiness to move forward."

Jean Le Cam, French professional sailor

to franceinfo

It must be said that Jean Le Cam was once again one of the most popular in the fleet, notably with the young skipper Violente Dorange . " We don't just do the Vendée Globe for ourselves, we also do it for others, otherwise it doesn't make sense ," says the Breton.

Seven months after the end of his round-the-world trip, Jean Le Cam also assures us that "you never get over a Vendée Globe. You're inevitably a little different from one edition to the next, but I think that's the case for everyone every time you have a more or less intense experience. You're never the same as before, you're constantly evolving," says the skipper.

However, we will not see Jean Le Cam at the start of the next edition of the solo round the world sailing race in 2028. He announced this last July as he felt "no longer in agreement with the qualification system, which is becoming more and more restrictive ." He regrets not having been heard by the Vendée Globe organizers. "I'm not going to fight against the wind ," he assures. The sailor, however, has no plans to retire. He is currently in full preparation with his team for a Swan 59, a sailboat around 40 years old and approximately 18 meters long. Jean Le Cam plans to participate in the start of the next Route du Rhum in November 2026. " It's an equally motivating project, perhaps less restrictive and with a more realistic readability ," concludes the sailor.