---
title: "Engineers vs adventurers: two ways to cross an ocean"
description: "Crowhurst, Knox-Johnston, Birch, Gabart, Le Cam, Joyon: sailors who optimise everything and those who make do with little, and what the 2026 Rhum shows."
url: "https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/offshore-sailors-engineers-vs-adventurers"
lang: "en"
---

# Engineers vs adventurers: two ways to cross an ocean

Published November 10, 2026 by [Antoine Labbe](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/about)

![Mike Birch's trimaran Olympus Photo in Saint-Malo during the first Route du Rhum in 1978](https://www.offshoreraces.app/photos/vintage-olympus-1978.jpg)

*Photo: Gvdmoort, [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olympus_StMalo_1978-11_1.jpeg)*

**In short.** Offshore racing has always had two families. The **engineers** calculate, model and commission ever faster boats, like the Gitana 18 and its 50,000 hours of design work. The **adventurers** set off with fewer resources, older boats and a great deal of faith in their seamanship. The first group wins most often. The second regularly pulls off results nobody expected, from Mike Birch in 1978 to Jean Le Cam in 2021. The 2026 Route du Rhum adds a new chapter: four days after the start, three of the eight Ultims had retired, and the oldest ones were still racing.

## Two families, one sea

Nobody signs up as an "engineer" or an "adventurer": these are labels from the press and the bar, not racing classes. They still describe a real dividing line. On one side are sailors trained in engineering schools, surrounded by naval architects, design offices and data. In 2013, Figaro Nautisme ran a headline on the Vendée Globe podium: "[Two engineers on the podium](https://figaronautisme.meteoconsult.fr/actus-nautisme-courses/2013-01-28/41393-deux-ingenieurs-sur-le-podium)". François Gabart, the winner, graduated from INSA Lyon ([Lyon Capitale](https://www.lyoncapitale.fr/sport/francois-gabart-la-fierte-de-l-insa-de-lyon)); Armel Le Cléac'h, second, studied at INSA Rennes ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armel_Le_Cl%C3%A9ac%27h)).

On the other side are sailors who learned on the job, on second-hand boats, and are proud of it. Jean Le Cam summed it up in one image during the 2020 Vendée Globe: "I am in the Renault 4 category, not in the Ferrari one." And a few days later: "But I realize that the little R4 is very well tuned!" ([Sailing Scuttlebutt](https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/11/20/vendee-globe-a-well-tuned-renault-4/)).

## 1968: the electronics engineer and the merchant seaman

The first solo non-stop race around the world, the *Sunday Times* Golden Globe, already pitted the two families against each other, with a tragic outcome.

**Donald Crowhurst** was an electronics engineer. His small company, Electron Utilisation, made the Navicator, a hand-held radio direction finder for navigation ([Royal Museums Greenwich](https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-247176)). He entered with a 40-foot trimaran, Teignmouth Electron, which he meant to fit with safety devices of his own design against capsize: an inflatable bag at the masthead and sensors linked to pumps. He had never sailed a trimaran before taking delivery of his, a few weeks before the start, and his systems were never finished. Having left on 31 October 1968, he ended up radioing false positions. His boat was found empty on 10 July 1969 ([Wikipedia, Donald Crowhurst](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Crowhurst)).

**Robin Knox-Johnston**, a merchant navy officer, sailed **Suhaili**, a 32-foot wooden ketch built in Bombay in 1963 ([Wikipedia, Suhaili](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suhaili)). He was the only one of the nine starters to complete the voyage: he left Falmouth on 14 June 1968 and returned there on 22 April 1969, after 312 days at sea ([Wikipedia, Golden Globe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Times_Golden_Globe_Race)). He gave the £5,000 prize for the fastest time to Crowhurst's family ([Wikipedia, Robin Knox-Johnston](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Knox-Johnston)). The race's third great figure, Bernard Moitessier, gave up a likely win to sail on to Tahiti: his story is told in [The Long Way on Joshua](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/voyages/bernard-moitessier).

## 1978: the little yellow trimaran

![Mike Birch's trimaran Olympus Photo in Saint-Malo during the first Route du Rhum in 1978](https://www.offshoreraces.app/photos/vintage-olympus-1978.jpg)

*Photo: Gvdmoort, [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olympus_StMalo_1978-11_1.jpeg)*

Ten years later, the first Route du Rhum showed the adventurer's other face: the one who wins. **Mike Birch** was born in Vancouver in 1931. Before sailing, which came late in his life, he worked as a gold miner, on oil derricks, as a mechanic and even as a rodeo cowboy ([Yachting World](https://www.yachtingworld.com/all-latest-posts/mike-birch-1931-2022-140974)). His 12-metre yellow trimaran, Olympus Photo, was designed and built by the American Walter Greene ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acapella_%28trimaran%29)).

Up against him was **Kriter V**, Michel Malinovsky's 21-metre monohull, almost twice as long. After 23 days at sea, Birch won by **98 seconds** ([Wikipedia, 1978 Route du Rhum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_Route_du_Rhum)). The full story of that edition is in [1978: 98 seconds and a sailor lost](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/route-du-rhum-1978-birch-colas).

## The engineers take the helm

From the 1990s on, budgets climbed and offshore racing turned professional. **Michel Desjoyeaux**, nicknamed "the Professor", won the Vendée Globe twice, in 2001 on PRB and in 2009 on Foncia, a boat he designed with Farr Yacht Design ([Wikipedia, 2008-2009 Vendée Globe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008%E2%80%932009_Vend%C3%A9e_Globe), [Sailing Scuttlebutt](https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/11/20/vendee-globe-a-well-tuned-renault-4/)). **François Gabart**, whom he mentored ([Yacht.de](https://www.yacht.de/en/regatta/the-ocean-race/volvo-ocean-race-mr-professor-makes-a-request/)), won the 2012-2013 edition aged 29, in **78 days 2 hours 16 minutes**, the record at the time, 3 hours ahead of Armel Le Cléac'h ([Wikipedia, 2012-2013 Vendée Globe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012%E2%80%932013_Vend%C3%A9e_Globe)).

Today, the engineering has moved from the skipper's head to whole teams. The **Gitana 18**, Charles Caudrelier's Ultim launched in 2026, took around 50,000 hours of design work and 200,000 hours of building, at an estimated cost of 18 million euros ([Wikipedia FR, Gitana 18](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gitana_18)). Its Y-shaped foils and U-shaped rudders are explained in [Gitana 18: price, foils and secrets of the trimaran](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/gitana-18-caudrelier-new-trimaran-route-du-rhum), and the scale of budgets in [how much an offshore racing boat costs](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/offshore-racing-boat-price-ultim-imoca-class40).

## 2018: seven minutes between two generations

![Francis Joyon](https://www.offshoreraces.app/skippers/francis-joyon.jpg)

*Photo: Francis-Joyon-IDEC.jpg: cotevaroise.com derivative work: Badzil (talk), [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Francis-Joyon.jpg)*

The finest head-to-head came in the 2018 Route du Rhum. On one side, **François Gabart** on **Macif**, an Ultim designed by VPLP and launched in 2015. On the other, **Francis Joyon**, 62, on **IDEC Sport**, the former Groupama 3 launched in 2006, in what the press called a "clash of generations" ([Paris Match](https://www.parismatch.be/actualites/sport/2018/11/16/route-du-rhum-francis-joyon-et-francois-gabart-le-choc-des-generations-W6Z5WHAYD5AHJGLQCH6WOZ5E4A/)).

After more than 3,500 miles of Atlantic, the two trimarans met off Guadeloupe, a tenth of a mile apart ([North Sails](https://www.northsails.com/blogs/north-sails-blog/idec-sport-set-a-new-record)). Joyon crossed the line in **7 days 14 hours 21 minutes 47 seconds**, a new race record, **7 minutes and 8 seconds** ahead of Gabart ([Wikipedia, 2018 Route du Rhum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Route_du_Rhum)). That benchmark is put in context in [Route du Rhum: the history of the record](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/route-du-rhum-record-history).

## 2021: Jean Le Cam's Renault 4

![Jean Le Cam](https://www.offshoreraces.app/skippers/jean-le-cam.jpg)

*Photo: jakez29120 from PONT L'ABBE, FRANCE, [CC BY-SA 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/), [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jean_Le_Cam_VG2012_%282%29.jpg)*

The 2020-2021 Vendée Globe was the first dominated by foils: 18 of the 33 skippers had them. **Jean Le Cam**, 61, set off on Yes We Cam!, a 2007 IMOCA with straight daggerboards. In a twist of history, it was Michel Desjoyeaux's former Foncia, the 2009 winner ([Sailing Scuttlebutt](https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/11/20/vendee-globe-a-well-tuned-renault-4/)).

Le Cam led the race in the first week. On 1 December, in the South Atlantic, he picked up Kevin Escoffier, whose boat had broken apart. He crossed the line in 8th place on 28 January 2021; a 16 h 15 min time compensation granted by the jury for that rescue put him **4th overall** ([Figaro Nautisme](https://figaronautisme.meteoconsult.fr/actus-nautisme-courses/vendee-globe/2021-01-28/58243-jean-le-cam-8e-sur-la-ligne-4e-au-general-%28avant-jury%29)). At the finish, he described the foilers as "puzzles, computer software" and said he was happy to have shown "that it is possible to race the Vendée Globe with limited means" ([Yacht.de](https://www.yacht.de/fr/vendee-globe/vendee-globe-le-skipper-de-yes-we-cam-le-cam-quatrieme-ca-me-fait-ricaner/), translated from French).

## 2026: the old boats keep going

In 2026, both trimarans from 2018 are back on the start line in Saint-Malo, under other names. Macif has become **Armand Thiery**, sailed by Louis Burton in his first Ultim race ([Bateaux.com](https://www.bateaux.com/article/51708/louis-burton-en-ultim-les-raisons-d-un-virage-majeur-vers-la-route-du-rhum-2026)). IDEC Sport is sailed by **Alexia Barrier**, the first woman to race an Ultim on the Rhum ([her profile](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/alexia-barrier-first-woman-ultim-route-du-rhum)). And **Guirec Soudée**, the adventurer who sailed around the world with a hen before turning to racing, skippers **Liamm**, built in 2014 with the floats and beams of Géronimo, Olivier de Kersauson's trimaran ([his profile](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/guirec-soudee-backwards-round-the-world-route-du-rhum)).

The first three days were hard on the newest boats. Charles Caudrelier's Gitana 18, the defending champion, retired on 3 November with foil damage ([France 3 Bretagne](https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/bretagne/morbihan/lorient/route-du-rhum-2026-cette-edition-2026-ne-sera-pas-celle-du-double-espere-charles-caudrelier-abandonne-apres-une-avarie-de-foil-3443892.html)). Anthony Marchand (Actual Ultim 4) had to stop as early as 2 November after damaging his central rudder ([Figaro Nautisme](https://figaronautisme.meteoconsult.fr/actus-nautisme-flash/2026-11-02/93763-route-du-rhum-anthony-marchand-contraint-de-stopper-actual-ultim-4-apres-une-avarie)). On the morning of 4 November, Armel Le Cléac'h, then second, capsized Maxi Banque Populaire XI off the Azores; he was picked up in good health by a cargo ship ([Banque Populaire](https://www.voile.banquepopulaire.fr/news/route-du-rhum-armel-le-cleach-a-ete-secouru/)).

| Ultim | Skipper | Status on 6 Nov. at 6 pm |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SVR-Lazartigue | [Tom Laperche](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live/tom-laperche) | 1st, 482 miles from the finish |
| Sodebo Ultim 3 | [Thomas Coville](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live/thomas-coville) | 2nd, 911 miles |
| Armand Thiery (ex-Macif) | [Louis Burton](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live/louis-burton) | 3rd, 1,014 miles |
| Liamm | [Guirec Soudée](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live/guirec-soudee) | 4th, 1,090 miles |
| IDEC Sport - CIC | [Alexia Barrier](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live/alexia-barrier) | 5th, 1,283 miles |
| Maxi Edmond de Rothschild | [Charles Caudrelier](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live/charles-caudrelier) | retired, foil |
| Maxi Banque Populaire XI | [Armel Le Cléac'h](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live/armel-le-cleac-h) | retired, capsize |
| Actual Ultim 4 | [Anthony Marchand](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live/anthony-marchand) | retired, rudder |

Distances taken from our [live tracker](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live) at the 6 November position report, 6 pm Paris time.

It would be wrong to draw a law from this. The leader, **Tom Laperche**, sails a flying trimaran launched in 2021, the pure product of a design office, and he is more than 400 miles ahead. Old boats break too: Francis Joyon, 70, capsized on 2 November in the Vintage Multi class ([the list of retirements](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/route-du-rhum-2026-retirements-list-causes)). But the sea is a reminder of a rule adventurers know well: to finish first, you first have to finish. In Vintage Multi, the leader is Damien Seguin, on the former Fujicolor II from 1990, restored without foils ([the second life of legendary boats](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/route-du-rhum-2026-vintage-second-life-legendary-boats)).

## A porous border

Most great sailors borrow from both families. Desjoyeaux's Foncia, an engineer's boat if ever there was one, became Le Cam's Renault 4. Le Cam himself, the most hands-on of them all, is racing this year on a 1986 Swan 59 restored under his direction over four years ([Figaro Nautisme](https://figaronautisme.meteoconsult.fr/actus-nautisme-flash/2026-07-27/90799-route-du-rhum-2026-jean-le-cam-et-christophe-rateau-navigueront-pour-gustave-roussy)). Guirec Soudée, who came from adventure, had never sailed an Ultim alone before setting off on his backwards round-the-world voyage, which he still completed in 94 days ([Route du Rhum](https://www.routedurhum.com/en/post/guirec-soud%C3%A9e-the-first-man-to-sail-around-the-world-backwards-in-a-multihull)). And Alexia Barrier is racing the very boat on which Joyon beat Gabart.

The gap in resources, though, is real. In the Class40, the largest class on the Rhum, Sailorz reported in 2026 the case of a skipper who set off with €80,000 in total, while others aim for up to €500,000 ([Sailorz](https://sailorz.com/class40/class40-le-rhum-entretient-la-dynamique/)). That is probably what makes offshore racing so unusual: few sports put an amateur on a tight budget on the same start line as the best professionals, on the same course. To follow both all the way to Pointe-à-Pitre, head to the [live tracker](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live) and the [estimated arrivals](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/arrivals).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is an "engineer" sailor?

A skipper who approaches racing through technology: a scientific education, work with naval architects and design offices, and optimisation of sails, foils and navigation data. François Gabart, an INSA Lyon graduate, is an often-cited example.

### Can an old boat beat a new one?

Yes. In 2018, Francis Joyon won the Route du Rhum on IDEC Sport, launched in 2006, 7 minutes and 8 seconds ahead of François Gabart's Macif, launched in 2015. In 2021, Jean Le Cam finished 4th in the Vendée Globe on a 2007 IMOCA without foils.

### Who won the first solo non-stop race around the world?

Robin Knox-Johnston, on the ketch Suhaili, on 22 April 1969. He was the only one of the Golden Globe's nine starters to finish, after 312 days at sea.

### How many Ultims retired from the 2026 Route du Rhum?

Three out of eight as of 6 November: Charles Caudrelier (damaged foil), Anthony Marchand (rudder) and Armel Le Cléac'h (capsize).

In this article

1. Two families, one sea
2. 1968: the electronics engineer and the merchant seaman
3. 1978: the little yellow trimaran
4. The engineers take the helm
5. 2018: seven minutes between two generations
6. 2021: Jean Le Cam's Renault 4
7. 2026: the old boats keep going
8. A porous border
9. Frequently asked questions

## Keep exploring

Read next

- [Route du Rhum 2026 Vintage Monos: the boats and skippers · October 2, 2026](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/route-du-rhum-2026-vintage-mono-skippers)
- [Route du Rhum 2026: the Vintage Multis and their skippers · October 2, 2026](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/route-du-rhum-2026-vintage-multi-skippers)
- [Route du Rhum 2026 Ultim results: Tom Laperche wins · November 8, 2026](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/blog/route-du-rhum-2026-ultim-results)

Races in this article

- [Route du Rhum · Racing since Nov 1](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum)
  [Live](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/live) · [Standings 2026](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/standings) · [Estimated finishes](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum/arrivals)
- [Vendée Globe · Next start: Nov 12, 2028](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/vendee-globe)
- [Golden Globe Race](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/golden-globe-race)

Topics

[Charles Caudrelier](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/skippers/charles-caudrelier) · [François Gabart](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/skippers/francois-gabart) · [Michel Desjoyeaux](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/skippers/michel-desjoyeaux) · [Thomas Coville](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/skippers/thomas-coville) · [Jean Le Cam](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/skippers/jean-le-cam) · [Tom Laperche](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/skippers/tom-laperche) · [Francis Joyon](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/skippers/francis-joyon) · [Bernard Moitessier, Joshua](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/voyages/bernard-moitessier)

## Races in this article

- **[Route du Rhum](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/route-du-rhum)**
  The solo transatlantic race from Saint-Malo to Guadeloupe.
  Start: Saint-Malo · Finish: Pointe-à-Pitre · 3,542 nm · Racing since November 1, 2026
  [Ultim](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/ultim) [IMOCA](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/imoca) [Ocean Fifty](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/ocean-fifty) [Class40](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/class40)
- **[Vendée Globe](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/vendee-globe)**
  The solo, non-stop, unassisted race around the world.
  Start: Les Sables-d'Olonne · Finish: Les Sables-d'Olonne · 24,300 nm · Next start: November 12, 2028
  [IMOCA](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/classes/imoca)
- **[Golden Globe Race](https://www.offshoreraces.app/en/golden-globe-race)**
  The solo, non-stop round-the-world race, sailed with 1968 technology.
  Start: Les Sables-d'Olonne · Finish: Les Sables-d'Olonne · 30,000 nm