After 111 days and 38 minutes racing since leaving Les Sables d’Olonne on 10th November French skipper Manuel Cousin crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe today at 1240hrs UTC. The 57 year old former motor industry executive turned ocean racer completes his second successful Vendée Globe, finishing in 31st place.
His final ranking is a little below where he had hoped to finish but completing the race, mostly wearing his trademark smile and driven by his positive attitude, is a success in itself. Despite several pitfalls he never gave up. His race is marked by his ability to overcome difficult setbacks, mental fortitude and a very generous spirit. Manu is above all a passionate racer who made his way up through the ranks as an amateur/semi pro become an accomplished competitor who enjoys sharing his race with the outside world.
Cousin had hoped to be nearer the front of the non foiling group but he was hampered early in the race by a collision with an unidentified object or marine mammal in the water which cost him time at a key early phase in the race. His boat, which started life as Jean Pierre Dick’s Virbac Paprec 2, was extensively reworked and lightened by one ton and renamed Coup de Pouce, the charitable association he supports. He had hoped to achieve a better performance than his 23rd place four years ago. On December 1st, while he was sailing at around fifteen knots under large gennaker, his boat hit an unidentified object or animal. Inside the cockpit at the time of the impact, he was thrown violently into his saloon, narrowly escaping a more serious injury. The shock, which he compared to a car accident, marked an unfortunate turning point early in his race. Traumatised initially he had to regain the confidence needed to continue sailing at full speed. This incident immediately relegated him further down the rankings, forcing him to revise his ambitions.
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