Crémer back with new Vendée bid
Clarisse Crémer, the French solo sailor who was controversially dropped by her backers Banque Populaire, is back with a new Vendée Globe campaign, a new sponsor and new boat.
Crémer has signed with French skincare company L’occitane en Provence as her headline sponsor, while British five-time Vendée Globe veteran Alex Thomson has been confirmed as team principal.
Thomson’s team has purchased the Verdier-designed IMOCA FRA 79, formerly Charlie Dalin’s Apivia, which her previous sponsors had originally planned for her to skipper. In February Banque Populaire caused widespread outrage when it dropped Crémer from its racing team, citing concerns about her ability to qualify for the Vendée Globe following time out to have her first child.
Crémer will now be competing for a place on the startline once again. “I can’t wait to get back to sailing,” she said. “These last few months have been intense, sometimes hard, but I will always be grateful to all those who have believed in me. Today I’m focused on the future: it’s a great joy to have an extraordinary boat and a great team to accompany me in this adventure.”
Alex Thomson said: “Clarisse is one of the most talented sailors in ocean racing and she deserves to be at the start of the Vendée Globe next year. We want to prove to the world that becoming a mother doesn’t change who you are as an athlete.”
Speaking to French racing news outlet Tip & Shaft, Thomson explained how the project came together: “I said to Clarisse: ‘I think you’re a better proposition than I ever was. If we can’t raise funding for you then I think I need to get another job!’”
He added: “She [said], but I’ve got no boat, I’ve got no team, nothing. It’s impossible for me to put this together’. I think that the fact we were able to come together was suddenly a great opportunity for L’occitane. L’occitane are the saviours really in this because that allows us to start off properly now and to go at full pace. Not many people would be able to give that decision so quickly.”
There is now a race against time for Crémer’s team to log qualifying miles to secure a place in the Vendée Globe, which starts on 10 November 2024. Thomson noted this may involve Crémer taking part in The Ocean Race to begin building IMOCA mileage.