Born on 6 May 1990 in La Roche-sur-Yon, Sébastien discovered sailing as a child aboard his father's boat. Bitten by the competition bug right from the start, he cut his teeth in the Optimist before turning to the 420 (3rd in the World Championship in 2013), then the J80 and the M34. In the end, it was ocean racing that caught his interest. For this sailor from Vendée, who has seen the race start and finish in his own backyard, the Vendée Globe is a childhood dream and it's the goal that Sébastien quickly set himself to move forward. At the end of 2013, he won the Challenge Espoir Bretagne-CMB and earned his ticket onto the professional Figaro circuit. Over the course of five seasons, he established himself as one of the leading contenders in this hotly contested class, the antechamber to the Vendée Globe. In 2018, he won the Solitaire URGO Le Figaro and the title of French Elite Ocean Racing Champion. This victory opened the door to the IMOCA Class. In May 2019, he sailed his first solo race on an IMOCA hydrofoil and won the Bermuda 1000 Race, proving himself to be a fine strategist and demonstrating all his potential in this category. He lined up at the start of the 2020 Vendée Globe, but his attempt was aborted off the Cape of Good Hope following a collision with a UFO while sailing in 4th position in the fleet, after having diverted to assist the skipper of PRB in distress.
Sébastien Simon trained as a structural and composites engineer. He is an all-round athlete, keen on board sports and triathlon. He took part in the Ironman half in Les Sables d'Olonne in 2022.
Sébastien, what are your objectives for this Retour à La Base?
It's important for us to remain humble because we have everything to do, everything to prove, everything to build. Even if everything still has to be built, I have a unique opportunity to return to the Vendée Globe, and I'm very lucky to be part of this project. It's already been a busy year with my participation in The Ocean Race, and it's going to be even busier with the Transat Jacques Vabre and then the Return to Base. I'm really pleased that we're doing a race for the return leg. I've always found that delivery trips are never very exciting. This is going to be great, it'll be a great opportunity to get to grips with the boat!
What is the 'base' of solo versus double-handed sailing? What is the 'base' of solo versus double-handed sailing?
Double-handed sailing is still false solo sailing: you're alone on deck and two doing the manoeuvres. It's a fairly smooth transition for me. This year, I went through the crewed version of The Ocean Race before the double-handed and solo versions. After that, I'm a sailor who really enjoys sailing solo, and I'm looking forward to getting my bearings on the boat alone.
What's your 'basic' trick for recovering as quickly as possible between these two upcoming transatlantic races?
I'm going to try and take a few days off when I arrive. It'll be important to clear my head, take the pressure off, and take a calm approach to what's to come. I don't know Martinique at all, so it'll be a real discovery for me. During the last edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre, in 2021 (4th with Yann Eliès), I stayed on the island for less than 24 hours... So I'm looking forward to spending a bit more time there (Laughs)!
2021
Rolex Fastnet Race with Yann Eliès - 4th
2019
Transat Jacques Vabre with Vincent Riou - 7th
Bermudes 1000 Race - Winner
2018
French Elite Ocean Racing Championship - Winner
La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro - Winner
Transat AG2R La Mondiale, duo with Morgan Lagravière - 2nd
2017
French Elite Ocean Racing Championship - 3rd
Tour de Bretagne à la Voile, duo with Vincent Riou - 2nd
La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro - 4th
Transat AG2R La Mondiale, en double avec Xavier Macaire - 4th
2015
Première étape sur La Solitaire du Figaro – Eric Bompard Cachemire - 1st
2013
Challenge Espoir Bretagne Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne - Winner
Championnat du Monde 420 - 3rd
Name: Groupe Dubreuil
Architect: Guillaume Verdier
Building : 2021, CDK Technologies
Launching: 08/2021
Previous names: 11TH HOUR RACING TEAM
Lenght: 18,28m
Beam: 5,85m
Draught: 4,50m
Weight: 9 tons
Mast height: 29m
Mast type: Wing-mast
Foils: yes
Upwind: NC
Downwind: NC
Groupe Dubreuil
The Dubreuil Group is a family-owned group based in the Vendée region, operating in 7 core businesses: Distribution (Automotive, Construction and Public Works Equipment, Agricultural Machinery, Energy, HGVs), Hotels and Air Transport. The Group comprises 42 SMEs in mainland France and the French overseas territories, and employs 6,000 people.
The Dubreuil Group has chosen to support Sébastien Simon with a latest-generation IMOCA boat. A skipper from Vendée, Sébastien has always shown determination, respect and daring in his challenges: values that have been dear to the Group for almost 100 years.
