Jean-luc Van Den Heede wins the Golden Globe Race 2018

HOW FRANCE’S jean-luc VAN DEN HEEDE WON GOLDEN GLOBE 2018

Solo sailor Jean-luc Van Den Heede won the Golden Globe Race on 29 January after 211 days at sea, in an incredible demonstration of seamanship.

The French skipper sailed across the finish line under spinnaker. Having completely run out of fuel, Van Den Heede then sailed up the famous Les Sables d’olonne channel under mainsail.

It is the first round the world race victory for the 73-year-old, who also set a new record for the oldest skipper to sail solo non-stop around the globe. He led the solo race for almost its entirety.

The Golden Globe started on 1 July last year with 18 entrants – at the time of press just four were still racing – and the hugely experienced Van Den Heede was among the front-runners from the outset. After fellow French skipper and early race leader Philippe Peche retired, Van Den Heede built an almost unassailable lead at the Cape of Good Hope.

“After Philippe stopped I was alone, more than 1,000 miles ahead,” he recalls.

While the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans saw multiple retirements and other yachts were rolled, dismasted and abandoned, Van Den Heede was virtually unscathed. But in November, in the middle of the South Pacific, he was knocked down in 65-knot winds and 11m seas.

Although the mast held, a connecting bolt which attached the lower shrouds on the port side of the mast was damaged, leaving Van Den Heede unable to tension his rigging. “I thought my race was finished. I called my wife to say: sorry, I’m coming back earlier!”

He effected a temporary repair, initially planning to make for Chile to fix it, before deciding to continue racing, re-rigging ropes to support the shroud as he went – he climbed the mast seven times.

At the post-race press conference he recalled: “For three days I thought about how to save the