The young skipper revealed by the last Vendée
Globe will take the helm of the Initiatives Coeur monohull for the next three years.
After sharing the helm of the Initiatives Coeur monohull for a year with Briton Samantha Davies, Violette Dorange becomes its chief skipper for the next three years. She will thus compete in the Route du Rhum 2026 then the Vendée Globe 2028 under her new colors responsible for raising funds for Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque, an association which operates on children with heart problems. The two sailors, who spoke to Le Figaro before taking the start of the last Transat Café L’Or together, took sixth place in the Imoca monohull category won by the Jérémie Beyou-Morgan Lagravière duo.
Violette Dorange, who revealed herself to the general public during the last solo world tour (ranked 25th out of 40 starters) had managed to come full circle with a very small budget and on an old boat, seducing landlubbers with her freshness, her smile and her ability to tell her story well. The youngest in the Vendée Globe will now have a much more recent foiling monohull and will be able to demonstrate its full potential during the races to come until 2028. “ It’s a huge opportunity to be able to practice my sport on a high-performance boat while helping to save lives. Since I was a teenager, I have always looked with admiration at the Initiatives-Cœur project. Succeeding in combining sport and solidarity with so much commitment in each of these areas is incredible (…) I have a lot of room for improvement ahead of me to live up to these boats at the head of the circuit. This is why I am very happy to be accompanied by a great team and by Sam who knows this boat by heart.”
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Podiums in sight?
If Samantha Davies, as she wished, returns the helm of her flying boat, she will remain within the team as Violette Dorange’s coach and technical advisor. Strong support for the young sailor who, after having cut her teeth in particular on the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec (30th, 19th, 10th from 2020 to 2022), will be expected on the pontoons. By the public but not only…
