Record breaking Belgian sailors making more waves

Two record-breaking intrepid Belgian sailors have revealed their next nautical target. Quentin Debois, the first Belgian to set a record for a solo Atlantic crossing, aims to qualify for the 2028 Vendée Globe as skipper. His sailing chum, Denis Van Weynbergh, the first Belgian to have completed this round-the-world race, will take on the role of team manager and co-skipper for the double-handed qualifying races.

To meet the ambitious challenge of representing Belgium once again in the Vendée Globe, they will need to find partners by the end of 2026. The start of this solo, non-stop, unassisted round-the-world sailing race will be in late 2028. To date, only 130 skippers have achieved the feat of completing the Vendée Globe Quentin, the 38-year-old skipper from Marchin, will attempt to qualify Belgium for the second time for the next edition of the Vendée Globe, which will set sail from Les Sables d’Olonne in November 2028.

Denis will be his team manager and co-skipper during the qualifying races, which will be held as double-handed events in 2027. Quentin will need to finish in the top 37 of the championship. Only 40 18-metre monohulls (IMOCA) will be allowed to start.

Denis: “For years, Belgians have been taking part in transatlantic races, but none had ever competed in and finished the Vendée Globe.

“I’ve shown that it’s possible. Now, I want to encourage other Belgian skippers to embark on this adventure, even though the challenges are immense. It’s good to do it once, but it’s even better to do it several times. I’m in the process of passing the baton to Quentin. Our goal is to establish a new tradition: to have a Belgian at the start of every edition of the Vendée Globe.”

As skipper, Quentin will be responsible for preparing the monohull, supported by a team of technical preparers. He will need to rack up the nautical miles and points during the qualifying races before taking on the round-the-world challenge. Denis will take on the role of team manager (coordinating and supervising the project) and co-skipper during the double-handed qualifying races.

The team will be based on the crew Quentin assembled for his world record attempts and will be expanded to include three technical preparers. A shared entrepreneurial vision for the 2028 Vendée Globe Quentin and Denis both have an entrepreneurial background and an unconventional career path. They share a common vision for the Vendée Globe project and are fully aligned on the objectives and how to achieve them.

Denis said: “We’ve both made a radical career change to become offshore skippers. We’ve taken risks. Our backgrounds and entrepreneurial vision bring us together. We love a challenge, and our first major challenge will be to convince partners to support us in this incredible adventure.”

Quentin added: “This summer, I’m fully committed to my second attempt at the world record for the North Atlantic crossing in a Mini 6.50, this time between New York and England. “As soon as I return to Belgium in September, I’ll throw myself fully into this new project to realise the dream I’ve had ever since I started ocean racing: to compete in the Vendée Globe.

“My desire to compete in the Vendée Globe came about right from my start in ocean racing in 2022. Meeting and talking with Denis made this idea a reality, and we decided to take action by setting our sights on the 2028 Vendée Globe. The team that has been supporting me for the past year in my double Atlantic record project has shown that it is strong and ready to take on this new challenge.”

The Belgian flag must continue to fly at the Vendée Globe. Quentin goes on: “Denis brought Belgium to the Vendée Globe for the first time, and the Belgian flag must continue to fly at this race in future editions.

“Flying the flag for Belgium was already our goal with my team during our world record attempt across the Atlantic from east to west in a Mini 6.50 last January. It will be our goal again this summer during our record attempt across the Atlantic from west to east. And the 2028 Vendée Globe is part of this ongoing journey.”

He said: “From the end of this year, I’ll need to step up my game to get to grips with an IMOCA, which is three times bigger and much faster than my current boat. With Denis as co- -skipper during the double-handed races, the learning process and knowledge transfer should be quick and effective.

“We have two objectives: to establish Belgium’s presence in the Vendée Globe and to finish the race in under 100 days.”

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