| Age | 34 (5/6/90) |
|---|---|
| Top performance | Winner of the Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro 2018 |
| Joined Imoca on | 2019 |
| Team | Groupe Dubreuil Les Sables d’Olonne – Vendée |
| Base | Les Sables d'Olonne (FRANCE) |
A structural and composites engineer, Sébastien is a fan of surfboarding, snowboarding and skiing, as well as sailing, offshore racing and the ocean of course. A native of France’s Vendée region, Sébastien discovered sailing as a child aboard his father’s boat. Bitten by the competition bug very early on, he quickly made a name for himself on the Olympic craft
Third of the World 470 Championship in 2013, but ultimately it was offshore racing that grabbed his attention and he rapidly set the Vendée Globe as his ultimate goal. In late 2013, he dominated the Challenge Espoir Bretagne-CMB, securing his entry ticket for the professional Figaro circuit. In the space of five seasons, he has asserted himself as one of the big names in this hotly-contested class, an antechamber to the Vendée Globe. In 2018, he won the Solitaire URGO Le Figaro and the French Elite Offshore Racing Champion title to boot.
Lining up in the colours of ARKÉA and PAPREC – two groups whose names are synonymous with offshore racing, the skipper Sébastien Simon intends to join forces around a meaningful programme where the dimensions of innovation, passing on knowledge, challenge and sharing, shape the contours of an ambitious project. With the support of his partners for his first participation in the Vendée Globe, Sébastien Simon has resolved to go for a new boat designed by the naval architect Juan Kouyoumdjian. The construction of the foiler began in Port-La-Forêt in September 2018, with a scheduled launch in the summer of 2019. Team ARKÉA PAPREC’s ambitions rely on the talent and spirit of Sébastien Simon and the vast experience of Vincent Riou.
Sébastien Simon will be setting off on his first solo round the world voyage in 2020. One month after the start, while sailing in 4th position, the sailor from Sablais was forced to abandon the race after hitting a UFO off the Cape of Good Hope. The disappointment is enormous, but the skipper's ambition is to return in 2024. After a brilliant Transat Jacques Vabre where he finished 4th with Yann Eliès, Sébastien met up with his great school friend Benjamin Dutreux in The Ocean Race 2023, on board Guyot Environnement - Team Europe.
After a complicated The Ocean Race, in which the Guyot environnement - Team Europe team was forced to retire due to a crash on the final leg, Sébastien Simon is back on a Vendée Globe project with his sponsor, the Dubreuil Group, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary and wants to make a big splash by taking part in the next Vendée Globe.
2018: Solitaire Urgo Figaro - Vainqueur
2018: Transat AG2R-La Mondiale - 2nd
2017: Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro - 4th
2016: Transat AG2R-La Mondiale - 4th
2016: Solitaire Bompart Le Figaro - 11th
| Name | GROUPE DUBREUIL |
|---|---|
| Sail number | FRA 112 |
| Architect | Guillaume Verdier |
| Construction | 2021, CDK Technologies |
| Former names | 11TH HOUR RACING TEAM - MĀLAMA |
| Length | 18,28m |
| Beam | 5,85m |
| Draught | 4,50m |
| Weight | 9 tonnes |
| Mast height | 29m |
| Mast type | Wing mast |
| Foils | Yes |
| Sail area max. | |
| Upwind | NC |
| Downwind | NC |
The Doldrums might cause a big shake-up at the front of the fleet and watch out for Charlie Dalin are two of the key messages from Simon Fisher as this fascinating Vendée Globe reaches the end of its 10th day.
•••The 2020 edition of the Vendée Globe has generated unprecedented interest. As a result, the organisers decided to increase the number of places at the start to 40 for the 2024 edition. 44 skippers applied for this 10th e…
•••Last December, Sébastien Simon discovered that he had a fractured vertebra. Five months later, the Vendée skipper is back in competition. It's a victory for him and his entire team, who have been working tirelessly since…
•••
