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Three Key Things To Know About The Rookies

Eight skippers have taken their first solo steps in the IMOCA class this season. Some might have sailed and raced IMOCAs before but now they are solo, others are stepping on to the solo stage for the first time. All have ambitions to race the Vendée Globe.

Jean-Marie Liot / Alea / Vendee Arctique

Antoine Cornic (Ebac Literie)

His life: He is the son of the French 470 sailor Michel. But Antoine has a taste for the open sea. His life choices have seen him to alternate between his lives as a sailor, on the one hand, and as a restaurateur on the other. Last February, he sold his final restaurant to go back to sea at the age of 42.

His Arctic Vendée: “Nobody knows where we are going, even those who did the first one. Are we going to go round Iceland. I hope so. What are we going to discover? I do not know. It's a bit like the going back to pioneering adventure days and that fits my boat. I have no hope to win. I want to finish and tell my stories. This race is great for me”.

More info: A mattress bears his name. A nod to his challenge from partner, Ebac Literie (Beds) who are the French leader in the manufacture of mattresses. They gave the name Antoine to a 100% recycled and recyclable mattress, which won the innovation prize at the last Furniture Fair. For 2 years, Ebac has been working with recycled plastic, especially from the sea.

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