The Normand Louis Duc is well known and very appreciated by his peers. He has been racing in the world of ocean racing for more than 20 years. He learned from the greatest, on the job. He built, tested, sailed of course, listened to, questioned… Thus making his way, his way, towards the open sea. He did not grow up on the Olympic sailing or the Solitaire du Figaro like many of his Vendée Globe comrades, but he forged a trail of his own: “his greatest strength is his love of navigation», sums up Miranda Merron. «Life at sea is his life, he’s made to be on the water”, confirms Marie Tabarly.
The highlights of the skipper of the Imoca Fives Group – Lantana Environnement for this 2024 Vendée Globe, seen by personalities from offshore racing.
Crazy composure
Marie Tabarly and Louis know each other for a long time. They are the same age, the same values and it is thanks to Marie that their duo was able to share a beautiful Transat Jacques Vabre in 2021, their very first in an IMOCA.
Marie Tabarly: "He’s a freak. He sailed a lot. There’s not much he hasn’t already encountered, thought about or planned to resolve any onboard concerns (while others will call on their shore crews). And he’s super curious. He exchanges a lot with other sailors and people around the ocean race: he also enriches himself with the experience of others. Because the goal is to complete the world tour, and finally you have to know how to fix. He went there step by step towards this Vendée Globe, he knows himself well. Life at sea is his life, he’s made to be on the water.”
His greatest strength: his love for sailing
They’ve been close for a long time. In 2020, Louis had given a few hands to Miranda Merron during the preparation of her Vendée Globe. This time, it is he who benefits from the precious experience of the British sailor on the last crucial weeks of preparation for her circumnavigation.
Miranda Merron: "He loves to sail. He grew up thinking only of boats and the sea. We can really see that he enjoys sailing, even in difficult times. Off the coast, he’s serene. And he’s a very handyman: he can handle most damage without being told how to do it. But most importantly, it is this love for navigation that is his greatest strength.”
The format of the Vendée Globe is for him
They have known and appreciated each other for a long time, but they really discovered each other during the last Transat Jacques Vabre. Rémi Aubrun, a talented and renowned sailmaker, designed the sails for the Imoca Fives Group – Lantana Environnement.
Rémi Aubrun: "The Vendée Globe is a long-term, solid thing, like Louis. Physically, he’s made for it. He’s tough. Technically, he has all the skills. And he is a very competitive player, he will not give up, especially on a very long format. He knows perfectly how to press the button while preserving the material. He knows his boat very well. He’s gonna get in trouble, that’s for sure, but he’ll face it. And I think he’s got the nerve to do something great: he’s going to have a nice Vendée Globe.”
A quiet force
Marc Lefebvre, head of the V1D2 shipyard where Louis, at the age of 17, learned to work with composite, followed and participated in all the renovation of the Imoca Fives Group – Lantana Environnement.
Marc Lefebvre: “Four years ago, he started from nothing with a boat set on fire. Today, he is at the start of the Vendée Globe. He chose a difficult, risky path and came to the end. Proof of his mental strength and his big motivation. He has achieved this. He’s a sailor, man! Hardened, seasoned, since time.... But he is also a competitor, able to try shots. He spends a lot of time working on his strategy. He’s also someone who knows how to use his hands on a boat. He’s hard on evil and tenacious. It’s a calm, not a pressure-building, quiet force.”
And what about the Imoca Fives Group – Lantana Environnement?
He really likes the story he’s writing with him.
Marie Tabarly: “The boat is healthy and simple, and Louis did not try to complicate it. He has a slight speed deficit compared to other drifting boats but, on the length, Louis has experience. He knows him well and loves him! He really likes the story he’s writing with him.”
You have to be lucky
Miranda Merron: “There was hard work to get the start of this Vendée Globe with a boat that is ready and optimized. Louis knows his boat very well. We made sure to make it as reliable as possible, there are always a thousand details to improve. It will be up to him to manage his race and equipment well, but it is a mechanical sport, we must have some luck too. I sincerely hope he will get through because he has worked hard to get there and he deserved to make a good race.”
I wish him to enter the top 10
Rémi Aubrun: «Since the last Vendée Globe, foilers have been up a notch in terms of performance. The boats with drifts will have a hard time staying in touch with the 7 – 8 first foilers, but there can be good boats with good skippers on board like Louis, who stay in the peloton to get a nice result in the scratch. The boat is fast, reliable. I wish him the top 10 and I think it’s possible!”
Fives Group – Lantana Environnement team Programme
- 10 November 2024: start of the Vendée Globe
A respectuous and circular sporting event
The Fives IMOCA is an "upcycled" boat. Thanks to Louis, it lives a 2nd life!
Louis and his team gave a new life to a very damaged IMOCA because of a fire. This refurbishment undertaking was a real technical challenge... that succeeded in only 10 months!
Louis and his team continue to apply this upcycling principle and optimization research with a constant effort on sobriety throughout this Vendée Globe program.
Louis is also very keen on respecting everyone's work and giving a chance.
The Fives Group, a major partner in this Vendée Globe program, has been seduced by such commitment and values, as it shares the same values and responsibilities.
Fives, your partner for a more virtuous industry
For over 200 years, the Group has designed the breakthrough solutions and technologies that make industry what it is. From the first railways to the Eiffel Tower, through the spatial conquest, Fives always spearheaded the industry of the future. Pioneering decarbonization, the Group is an unconditional partner of the industry's energy transition. Through digitization, the promotion of a circular economy and the development of new processes and new energy sources, Fives puts its technological leadership to its customers' service.
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