Jean le Cam enters Vendee Globe 2012

Solo sailing legend returns to the round the world race track

French solo sailing legend Jean le Cam will return to the Vendee Globe this year under the colours of Synerciel, a building company that specialises in energy-efficient renovation work.

Philippe Christophe, President of SynerCiel commented: "The Vendee Globe carries the values ​​that drive our business: the challenge, ecology and technology for performance. There is a strong parallel between the challenge of a solo race around the world nonstop unassisted with our business, to adapt to periods of calm, to withstand storms and take advantage of every situation. This adventure, above all a human endeavour, is an opportunity to bring together all the players involved in Eco Energy Retrofit: our businesses, our craftsmen and their customers and our industry partners. We are delighted to share this challenge with Jean Le Cam. He is a talented skipper - passionate, experienced with real ambitions of success in the Vendee Globe 2012. As a journalist rightly said: "EVeryone loves him for his wit, his loyalty to the Vendee and the sailors much respect him for his talent.'' Everything has been said about this man!"

Jean Le Cam added: "Our association is consistent with SynerCiel. We share the same values. Today to consume less is not just a hot topic, it is the subject of the next 100 years. I appreciate that. I have had a heat pump for the past ten years. I know the people involved. It's great to be at the start of the Vendée Globe with them. It is something motivating, it's a story, a real record! I decided to associate myself with the race team off Absolute Dreamer in starting my project. When you get to do things together intelligently, it is much stronger. It's a beautiful story that begins, in every way, life is only made up of stories."

Absolute Dreamer is the name of IMOCA 60 skipper Jean-Pierre Dick's racing team that runs his successful Virbac Paprec campaign.

In the Vendee Globe, le Cam's new SynerCiel is the former Gitana Eighty, that Loick Peyron campaigned in 2008. This is a Bruce Farr designed sistership to Virbac Paprec 2, built by Southern Ocean Marine. After the Vendee Globe she was subsequently raced to third place in the Barcelona World Race by Spanish sailors Pachi Rivero and Tonio Piris. 

For Le Cam, 52, this will be his third participation in the Vendee Globe, having finished second in 2004 but having to abandon his boat off Cape Horn when her keel fell off in 2008. Le Cam is one of only three people ever to have won La Solitaire du Figaro three times. He won the Figaro class' Transat AG2R in 1994. He was Formula 40 champion in 1988 and 1989.