NEWS
Seb Josse qualifies for the solo Vendée Globe:
Just over two months ago the BT IMOCA Open 60 was launched on the River Thames to the sounds of the ‘Sugababes’ and then not long after BT skipper, Seb Josse, was racing in The Artemis Transat – the oldest solo race race history from Plymouth to Boston. Seb was leading the 2,800 mile race when he was forced to retire following damage at the top of the mast that sent the mainsail crashing to the deck.
A disappointment for Seb but he was extremely happy with the boat’s performance, in particular with the Vendée Globe in mind, as at the time he had been leading the Vendée Globe pre-race favourites. Seb turned the boat around and headed back to Lorient in France and completed enough solo miles onboard the new BT IMOCA Open 60 to meet the qualification regulations for the Vendée Globe. Seb, who automatically qualified following his participation in the 2004 Vendée Globe, still had to qualify the new BT boat. This has now been officially confirmed by the Vendée Globe race organisers and BT becomes the 23rd official entry in the race, although the final entry numbers are expected to be close to 30
Born: 31 March 1975
Nationality: French
Lives: Concarneau, France
Sébastien Josse already has a very impressive track record and a real international stature. A product of the famous Figaro single-handed class, he quickly moved into the world of IMOCA 60s and threatened the “rock stars” in the 2004 Vendée Globe before hitting a growler (part of a broken iceberg), an incident that compromised his chances of stepping on the podium. Nevertheless, it is a determined and happy sailor who crossed the finish line in 5th position of what was his first solo non-stop round-the-world race.
In 2002, Sébastien had been part of Bruno Peyron’s crew, capturing the Jules Verne Trophy in 64 days. The young man’s third round-the-world journey was to be a major step in his career, since he had been appointed skipper of ABN AMRO 2 for the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race. Being in charge of the Dutch team’s “young” crew as all members were 30 years of age or less, Sébastien went on to challenge the race’s favorites, among which one could find legendary names such as Paul Cayard or Bouwe Bekking, and broke the 24-hour monohull record with an impressive 562.96 mile run that still holds today.
In November 2007 he set out on the double-handed, non-stop round the world race called the Barcelona World Race with previous Vendée Globe winner, Vincent Riou. In May 2008, Seb participated in his first race onboard his brand new BT, The Artemis Transat. Whilst leading the race, Seb was forced to retire due to technical problems, though he had been playing in the lead for the whole week.
Objective
To achieve a podium result in the Vendée Globe (November 2008-February 2009) – the ‘Everest’ of the solo racing world
SAILING CV
2007
Barcelona World Race with Vincent Riou – Had to retire from the race when top of the mast broke
Winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race with Vincent Riou
Winner of the Calais Round Britain Race with Vincent Riou
2006
4th of the Volvo Ocean Race
2005
Winner of the Route de l'Equateur
5th of the Vendée Globe 2004-2005
2004
8th of The Transat
2003
Winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race
5th of theTransat Jacques Vabre with Isabelle Autissier
6th of the Calais Round Britain Race
4th of the Défi Atlantique
2002
Member of the crew that broke the Trophée Jules Verne record onboard Maxi Catamaran Orange
2001
Winner of the Tour de Corse with Erwan Tabarly
2nd of the Solitaire du Figaro
3rd of the Tour de Bretagne
3rd of the Générali Méditerranée
4th of the Trophée Banque Privée Européenne
2nd of the France Solitaire Championship
2000
Winner Route du ponant
3rd Grand Prix Route du Ponant
5th of the France Solitaire Championship
5th Grand Prix Solo Porquerolles
10th Transat AG2R with Eric Drouglazet (won the prologue race)
14th Solitaire du Figaro (3rd of the prologue race)
1999
20th Solitaire du Figaro
12th Tour de Bretagne
1998
1st France Champion Espoir Solitaire
1st Télégramme Tresco in Figaro
1st Porquerolles Figaro Solo first timers
1st Grand Prix Figaro of Dunkerque first timers
1st Tour de France à la voile amateur
2nd of the Solitaire du Figaro first-timers
2nd Transmanche double-handed
3rd 110 solo miles of Concarneau
1997
1st Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole
2nd Primo Cup
2nd Obélix Trophy
3rd Snim
7th National Surprise
14th Tour de Bretagne double-handed
1996
1st série Transat des Alizés
2nd Tour de France à la Voile amateur
3rd Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole
6th National First Class 8
9th Offshore France Championship
1995
1st Antigua Week on a Swann 46
2nd Tour de France à la Voile amateur
For more information about Sebastian Josse, please visit website www.sebjosse.com
