Route du Rhum 2026 · IMOCA
Violette DORANGE
Photo : MFonzatti · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The skipper
- Nationality
- France
- Age
- 24 years old
- Home port
- Lorient
- Lucky charm
- A dachshund soft toy
Live in the present moment
Biography
Violette Dorange has taken on one sailing challenge after another since a very young age: she crossed the English Channel in an Optimist at 15, started the Mini Transat at 18 as the youngest woman in the race, then spent three seasons on La Solitaire du Figaro. In 2023 she acquired a historic IMOCA and quickly made her mark on the circuit. In the 2024 Vendée Globe, her authenticity and fighting spirit left a strong impression despite damage and a tricky passage at Cape Horn; she was then welcomed as a heroine in Les Sables-d'Olonne. Co-skipper with Sam Davies in 2025, she leads Team Initiatives Cœur as skipper.
The boat
- Class
- IMOCA
- Sail no.
- FRA109
- Length
- 18.3 m
- Beam
- 5.3 m
- Draft
- 4.5 m
- Mast height
- 29 m
- Weight
- 9,400 kg
- Year built
- 2022
- Yard
- Black Pepper Yachts
- Designer
- VPLP/ Verdier
Photo : Jug81 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · illustration photo
Links
Information and photos: Route du Rhum organisation (routedurhum.com).