Romain Attanasio finishes 14th in the Vendée Globe 2024
by Vendée Globe media 2 Feb 03:35 PST
2 February 2025
Romain Attanasio (FRA) on Fortinet - Best Western finishes 14th in the Vendée Globe 2024 © Olivier Blanchet / Alea
For the charismatic 47 year old French skipper Romain Attanasio, finishing the Vendée Globe solo round the world race is becoming something of a habit.
When he sailed Fortinet - Best Western across the finish line off Les Sables d’Olonne this Sunday morning at 10:50.18hrs to take 14th place from 40 starters, it was the third consecutive time he has made the finish line in a very respectable placing. His elapsed time for the race is 83 days 22 hours 48 minutes and he finishes 3 days and 34 minutes behind 13th placed Sam Davies (Initiatives-Coeur).
It is a very solid result for Attanasio who managed to put distance on the big group of boats behind him led by Damien Seguin. And in the Indian Ocean in mid December Attanasio enjoyed the happy news he is to be a father for the second time. He has stepped up his speeds and performance on each successive race, this time sailing a foiling IMOCA for the first time in the shape of the former Malizia.
Romain Attanasio will be happy to be back on land and soon return to the everyday life as a dad, the little joys of family life, and no doubt return to the mountains where he first grew up and where he loves to decompress. His race very nearly did not happen. He was dismasted at only two months before the start and had to find last minute funding to purchase a replacement, including a public campaign.
Since competing on the Figaro circuit Attanasio has collected a fine set of results to which he adds gis 14th today, among them he finished 10th in the Route du Rhum (2022) and the Rolex Fastnet Race (2023).
Over the course of this Vendée Globe, he has raced hard often neck and neck with other skippers. On the way down the Atlantic he was not far from from Boris Herrmann (Malizia Seaexplorer) at the Azores, he passed the Cape of Good Hope alongside Benjamin Dutreux (Guyot Environnement – Water Family) and crossed the Pacific Ocean with Damien Seguin (Groupe APICIL). It is not easy though: he splits his chin when he was thrown forwards on his boat and then has to deal with a series of depressions in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. He passes Cape Horn for the third time in his career at the very beginning of the year before a tricky ascent of the South Atlantic where he is forced to climb the mast due to hook problems.
In the battle of a peloton of skippers, he manages to escape clear ahead across the Equator into the North Atlantic and consolidate his 14th place. His results show his consistency: Attanasio was 15th in 2017 and 14th in 2020.
Race in figures:
- Arrival time (UTC) - Sunday 2 February 2025 at 10h50
- Race time - 83d 22h 48min 18s
- Difference from first - 19d 03h 25min 29s
Romain Attanasio covered theoretical course of 23,906 miles at an average speed of 11.86 knots.
Romain Attanasio covered an actual course of 28,899 miles at an average speed of 14.34 knots.
Passage times
- Equator (outward) 11d 19h 46min 49s
- Cape of Good Hope 22d 18h 56min 02s
- Cape Leeuwin 33d 22h 32min 05s
- Cape Horn 53d 18h 15min 51s
- Equator (return) 69d 20h 44min 20s
Race highlights
13 November 2024
After passing to the West of the Cape Finisterre TSS, Romain works hard to climb back up the rankings. But a first big calm sees him fall to 26th place in the rankings.
20 November 2024
With the calm of the Azores finally behind him, Romain accelerates and lets his foiler do the talking in the trade winds, climbing back up the rankings to 18th place, just behind Boris Herrmann!
22 November 2024
Crossing the equator, after crossing the Doldrums in just 24 hours, Romain sets a moves up to 16th place!
26 November 2024
After having gone crazy at the start of the South Atlantic, Fortinet – Best Western is dropped from the depression that propels the leaders.
3 December 2024
Rounding the Cape of Good Hope in 15th position, battling with Benjamin Dutreux, who he keeps an immediate pace with he splits his chin in a collision.
4 December 2024
Mission accomplished, Romain deploys his weather buoy in the heart of the Roaring Forties! On board, it's sporty, the helmet is out!
11 December 2024
Surprise! It's a boy! Romain learns live from the Indian Ocean the secret of the little baby he will be a dad for the second time.
14 December 2024
Cape Leeuwin crossed after a series of particularly violent depressions that he shares the challenge with Pip Hare, with whom he sails almost side by side!
20 December 2024
The Pacific starts strong! After the dismasting of his neighbor Pip Hare, Romain finds himself in the calm, then close-hauled.
25 December 2024
Santa Claus passes aboard Fortinet - Best Western, and takes a nasty fall... Foils on the sleigh are not reasonable, especially when the depressions of the Great South multiply!
3 January 2025
Third Cape Horn for Romain, 14th, with Damien Seguin in the stern!
11 January 2025
Complicated start of the South Atlantic with little wind which allows the group behind to catch up with him, and a climb up the mast for hook problems that he could have done without!
18 January 2025
Romain manages to slip into the front and drops his comrades, but falls into an exceptionally Southerly and very thick Doldrums.
22 January 2025
Finally out of the Doldrums, after four nerve-wracking days but still in 14th place in the ranking.
2 February 2025
Romain arrives in Les Sables d'Olonne in 14th position, for his third Vendée Globe!
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