Born without a left hand, in 2021 Damien Seguin became the first disabled skipper to complete a solo, non-stop, unassisted round-the-world race. A three-time Paralympic medalist in the 2.4 mR class, he made his ocean racing debut in 2005 in the Figaro and then the Class 40, before joining the IMOCA circuit in 2018. Determined and constantly striving to improve, Damien has managed to convince everyone that his handicap is not an obstacle to performance. During his first Vendée Globe, in which he finished in 7th position, he made his mark by often playing at the front. For 2024, he aspires to new sporting ambitions aboard his foiler.
This will be my first solo sail with the boat in its new configuration, since we changed a lot of things during the eight-month refit. It's a brand-new boat, with big foils, so I'm really looking forward to getting to grips with it single-handed. The idea is also to have fun, because that's an important part of our job. We'll be setting off from the West Indies, a place I know well and appreciate enormously, so I'm really keen to do well.
La Base is a measure of the passage of time! In 2005, I already had my Figaro there, and back then there really weren't that many of us... Today, it's a great working tool for us, for the team, because technically we find an enormous amount of resources. It's also a great tool for our partners. Ours come from Lyon, so the sea is already quite unfamiliar. When they arrive at La Base, they're immediately immersed in ocean racing, and they get a real eyeful. Even me, although I'm immersed in it all the time, I have memories of coming ashore after a day's training with everyone together, with stars in my eyes because it's such an incredible spectacle.
When you've got kids, it's hard not to do something for the environment, because they'll take you back as soon as you forget. So at home, we've put quite a few things in place. But within the team, we're also trying to gradually get things moving. This year, we developed a mainsail with 40% flax fibre with All Purpose, which will be a first in IMOCA, and we hope to be able to do the Vendée Globe with it. We want to put resources and engineering into these issues. I think it's great that we're talking about transporting goods by sail on our boats. On the other hand, if it's chocolate, I hope there won't be any checks on the quantity on arrival, or else we'll have to lead it!
2023
The Ocean Race - 4th overall with Biotherm
Guyader Bermuda 1000 Race - 5th
2022
Vendée Arctic - 9th
2021
Transat Jacques Vabre - 11th
Défi Azimut - Lorient Agglomération - 10th
Rolex Fastnet Race - 7th
2020
Vendée Globe - 7th (80d 21h 58m 20s)
2019
Transat Jacques Vabre - 14th
2018
Route du Rhum - 6th
Bermuda 1000 Race - 3rd
2019
2.4 mR World Champion (5th title)
2017
Tour de France à la Voile - Winner
2016
Rio Paralympic Games in 2.4 mR - Gold
2015
World Champion in 2.4 mR
2012
World champion in 2.4 mR
2008
Beijing Paralympic Games 2.4 mR - 2nd
2007
World champion in 2.4 mR
2005
World champion in 2.4 mR
2004
Athens Paralympic Games in 2.4 mR - Winner
22 World Cup wins in 2.4 mR
Name:GROUPE APICIL
Architect: VPLP / Verdier
Building: 2014, CDK Technologies, Port-La-Forêt
Launching: 03/02/2015
Old names: SAFRAN, Des voiles et vous, Maître CoQ IV
Lenght: 18,28m
Beam: 5,80m
Draught: 4,50m
Weight: 8 tonnes
Mast height: 29m
Mast type: Wing-mast
Foils: yes
Upwind: 310 m²
Downwind: 550 m²
