Sébastien Simon, a structural and composites engineer from the Vendée region, made a name for himself on the Figaro circuit, winning La Solitaire du Figaro in 2018 and the French Offshore Racing Championship title. After starting out in Olympic sailing, he turned his focus to offshore racing with the Vendée Globe as his goal.
Forced to retire in 2020 after a collision off the Cape of Good Hope, he is making a comeback in 2023 alongside the Dubreuil Group to prepare for the 2024 Vendée Globe. Although he was not among the favorites and despite breaking a foil halfway through the race, Sébastien Simon managed to stay in the top three, shattered the record for distance covered in 24 hours—615.33 miles in the South Atlantic, or 1,139.6 km—and secured an exceptional third-place finish.
Immediately upon the Vendée Globe’s finish, the Dubreuil Group announced it would continue supporting the Vendée-based skipper in preparation for the 2028 edition. Together, they launched the construction of a new IMOCA that represents a true architectural breakthrough, designed by Guillaume Verdier’s firm. A custom-designed foiling monohull tailored to the skipper, with the ambition of excelling in the biggest offshore races, starting with the 2026 Route du Rhum, followed by the 2028 Vendée Globe.
2024–2025: Vendée Globe – 3rd
2024: New York Vendée – Les Sables d'Olonne – 4th
2024: The Transat CIC – 10th
2023: Retour à La Base – 19th
2023: Transat Jacques Vabre – 18th
2023: The Ocean Race – 5th
2021: Transat Jacques Vabre – 4th
2021: Défi Azimut-Lorient Agglomération – 5th
2021: Rolex Fastnet Race – 4th
2020–2021: Vendée Globe – Withdrew on 12/04/2020 – Collision
2020: Défi Azimut-Lorient Agglomération – 6th