Michel Desjoyeaux: “I don’t understand” after Vendy Globe jury decides to clear Clarice Kramer

What is your opinion on the verdict given by the jury?

I am having difficulty understanding this decision. It’s hard to understand that a jury would accept that data was sent from land to a boat, when the rule simply says you don’t have the right to access the information. The rule does not specify whether this information is used or not. So I am very surprised that the jury ruled that there was no fraud. Receipt of any calculations for the purpose of improving performance or optimizing the route on a computer not on board is prohibited. This is written in the 5th paragraph of article 4.3.3 of the race instructions for the Vendée Globe 2020 – 2021.

Does such an exchange between land and sea bother you?

I have seen the documents and I do not understand the position of the jury. If these exchanges are authorized by the jury, when in my opinion, they are not by rule… I’m not here to defend the interests of X or Y, I’m just saying that I don’t understand. And I’m not the only one who thinks so, I’ve discussed it with other riders and they tell me that having information on board is already helpful. When alone, you are constantly in doubt. There is, clearly, no right for you to receive such information. Whether you use them or not isn’t the issue, it’s just that you don’t have the right to receive them. If Tengu wanted to be reassured about the path his wife was going to take, she had to be the one to send him what she wanted to do. Not the opposite.

What should be done to avoid such suspicion of rooting in the next Vendee Globe?

First of all, you have to know that you can always cheat: anyone who wants to cheat can. There are plenty of technical solutions, as we saw on Solitaire du Figaro this summer. Now, do we still need to amend the existing rules? There is already enough of it and it is too thick.