Belgian skipper Denis Van Weynbergh is back in Les Sables d'Olonne
by Vendée Globe media 8 Mar 14:14 GMT
8 March 2025
Denis Van Weynbergh, skipper of D'Ieteren Group - Vendée Globe 2024 © Vendée Globe
Belgian skipper Denis Van Weynbergh completes solo non stop round the world passage but finishes outside the 2024 Vendée Globe ranking.
Denis Van Weynbergh, skipper of D'Ieteren Group, arrived in Les Sables D'Olonne this morning to complete his solo non stop round the world passage but the 57 year old Belgian skipper missed the race time limit for by some 24 hours and so he finishes 'hors concours' - outside of the rankings. Any disappointment was lifted by a big, warm, appreciative welcome by race fans who lined the famous Les Sables d'Olonne channel, taking up their positions from early morning...
He has shown remarkable resilience and fortitude most recently in the face of problems with his mainsail halyard which have meant he has had to sail with no mainsail at all or with two or three reefs for the final 12 days. His Vendée Globe was a lifelong dream as a sailor and it proved a real test of character for him, where each challenge he took on confirmed his determination.
His quest to do the Vendée Globe began in earnest in 2018, when, as an SME boss and sailing instructor he bought an IMOCA, Nandor Fa's former Spirit of Hungary. But faced with a lack of funding he had to temporarily put his project on hold. Refusing to give up, he rethought his plan in 2020 by adopting an innovative and collective approach, focusing on reusing and repurposing equipment. This bold choice meant a collaborative initiative and all the way through his build up he was supported by a team of volunteers.
From 2021 he built his experience on the IMOCA circuit looking to accumulate qualification miles and refine his technique. Each race and each training passage allowed him to build a solid experience on top of his miles he had accumulated some 20 years earlier racing on the Mini 650 circuit and then Class40.
With this solid preparation he made the start of the Vendée Globe and then overcame the successive challenges which came his way. Charismatic and determined to share his adventure as much as possible he was always happy to be out ticking off the oceans and the round the world landmarks, albeit at a safe, prudent, steady pace. He dealt with the malfunctions of his wind vane and electronic problems showing great determination and tenacity, all the time underlining his desire to complete the course.
Latterly his problems and setbacks have accumulated to take him deep into his mental and physical reserves, not least realising he would miss the race time limit. As well as his mainsail problems which required him to spend long periods sailing only under headsail, he suffered a keel ram issue eight days before he arrived back in Les Sables d'Olonne.
But in the end it is Denis Van Weynbergh's inner strength and his fighting spirit that have left their mark. His adventure offered an inspiring lesson to all in how perseverance and optimism can win out in the end and his personal achievement is no less for having missed the finish time limit.
Race highlights
11 November 2024: The day after the start, Denis spoke of it as "something huge". "It took me a while to get here but I really enjoyed it". "And it's dizzying to think that we still have 24,000 miles to go!"
19 November 2024: Denis deploys a buoy in the North Atlantic, north of Cape Verde. "It's off on a journey to another dimension!"
2 December 2024: The Belgian skipper is enjoying it after three weeks of competition. "It's the first time I've stayed at sea for so long," he said in the South Atlantic.
7 December 2024: In the middle of the night, Denis "had to walk a tightrope" to put a piece of his pancake back on one of his headsails.
15 December 2024: The sailor has to deal with weather vane problems that prevent him from knowing the strength and direction of the wind before he finds a solution.
1 January 2025: Denis has just entered the Pacific. "I wanted to be there for the New Year!"
23 January 2025: The skipper rounds Cape Horn at night, a moment of great joy and emotion. "I've been dreaming of this for six years," he explains in a video with tears in his eyes.
30 January 2025: Having caught up with Manuel Cousin and Fabrice Amedeo for a while, Denis is once again left behind because of a zone of calm. "It's not easy to live with," he admits.
2 February 2025: In the semi-permanent cold front, it's difficult to find the right trajectory between the squalls and the zones of calm. "It's very tiring, exhausting, you have to go there and work so hard"
15 February 2025: As D'Ieteren Group progresses upwind, Denis works to repair his recurring connection problems.
24 February 2025: After a long windless zone, Denis picks up speed. But he has to deal with a problem since his mainsail halyard loop has broken. "It's complicated but we're going to try to find a solution," he says.
26 February 2025: Denis manages to reset his main at the second reef using the spinnaker halyard but it breaks some 48 hours later.
8 March 2025: Denis completes the Vendée Globe route but misses the time limit for the line closing on 7th March at 0700hrs UTC nonetheless he completes the full course, solo and unassisted but finishes 'out of the ranking'.