Louis BURTON

The adventure was cut short, but this entrepreneur at heart was undeterred. Alongside his partner Servane Escoffier, he simultaneously developed an offshore racing team, BE Racing.

In 2016, he embarked on a second round-the-world campaign, finishing in 7th place. Louis Burton’s next project was to tackle the foiler that had won the Vendée Globe, the former Banque Populaire VIII, which he took possession of in April 2017. His plan had "three areas of focus": "Get used to the speed and the shocks in the breeze, find the key to making progress upwind in light winds, and get into the dynamics of a project that could win."

From being an outsider, Louis Burton became a serious contender for the podium, as he demonstrated during the 2018 Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, a race close to his heart as a Malouin by adoption. Despite having to retire due to a technical failure, his determination to win remained unshaken, as he believed in the performance of his Bureau Vallée 2.

In 2020, the Bureau Vallée skipper set off in the Vendée Globe. Throughout the race, Louis Burton showed great determination to overcome numerous technical issues, even being forced to sail near Macquarie Island in the South Pacific to repair the top of his mast. After 80 days of racing, his second-place finish at the finish line felt like a massive victory.

A few days after his return to land, Louis and his team announced the purchase of L'Occitane en Provence, an IMOCA previously raced by Armel Tripon in the 9th Vendée Globe. Just days after the IMOCA was launched in Saint-Malo, the skipper, accompanied by four other sailors, set out on The Ocean Race Europe, his first crewed race in the IMOCA, which allowed him to get to grips with the boat for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, only hours after the start of the 2021 Transat Jacques Vabre, Louis, alongside Davy Beaudart, suffered a dismasting.

The team replaced the mast with the aim of participating in all the solo races of the 2022 season, but after a promising start to the season, Bureau Vallée dismasted again on the Route du Rhum. The disappointment was huge, but not enough to demotivate the Malouin skipper, who would be back in action in 2023.

Competing in all the races of the 2023 IMOCA GLOBE SERIES championship, Louis Burton notably finished 7th in the Retour à la Base. Qualified for the 2024 Vendée Globe, he set off on November 10 alongside 39 other competitors, determined to complete his third solo round-the-world race.

But his journey quickly took a difficult turn: a worrying crack appeared on his hull, threatening the boat’s buoyancy. After several days of intense repairs, the Malouin skipper managed to get back on track. Unfortunately, two weeks later, a rigging failure shattered his hopes. Forced to retire, Louis Burton saw his Vendée Globe dream come to an early end.

2010: Route du Rhum - 20th (Class40)