A Vision for Collaborative Offshore Racing

Yannick Bestaven, teh celebrated victor of the 2021 Vendée Globe, is embarking on an exciting new chapter in his offshore racing career.Bestaven is setting his sights on both crewed competitions in the Ocean Race and mentoring a future skipper for the Vendée Globe 2028. His established racing stable, YB Sailing, is actively seeking partners to join him in these ambitious endeavors.

A Multi-Year Programme of Global Challenges

Based in La Rochelle, YB Sailing, bolstered by a dedicated and seasoned team, is channeling its efforts into securing sponsorships for a comprehensive five-year sports program. This program includes two circumnavigations and nine major races scheduled between 2025 and 2029. Key events include the Transat Café L’Or double race commencing in October 2025, participation in the Ocean Race with a crewed leg from New York to Barcelona, the Route du Rhum 2026, and a full Ocean Race crewed world tour in 2027.

Beyond personal competition, Bestaven is committed to nurturing the next generation of sailing talent, aiming to mentor a promising skipper for the Vendée Globe 2028. This dual focus highlights Bestaven’s dedication to both competitive excellence and the long-term health of offshore racing.

We want to create a synergy that benefits everyone. My team is ready to take up new challenges. The majority of my team has been the same for 8 years. I like to work in confidence, and together we are able to surpass ourselves, like my last two Vendée Globe. We are ready to wear the colors and messages of a new partner high, with a team already in place, a proven and reliable boat, all in our Rochelle site
Yannick Bestaven

Team Dynamics and the Allure of the Ocean Race

Marine Derrien, Team Manager, emphasizes the significance of the Ocean Race, highlighting its demanding nature and its potential for showcasing partners on a global stage.

I embarked on the adventure alongside Yannick with a clear goal: to participate in the next Ocean Race. It is a race that I have already experienced twice, and which remains for me one of the most demanding and inspiring. Beyond the sporting challenge, it is also a great showcase to enhance our partners and their commitments.
Marine Derrien, Team Manager

The Ocean Race, a grueling test of skill and endurance, attracts top sailing teams from around the world. The 2023 edition saw intense competition, with teams pushing the limits of both human and technological capabilities. Bestaven’s participation promises to add another compelling chapter to the race’s storied history.

Seeking Partners with Shared Values

Bestaven and YB Sailing are actively seeking one or two key partners who share their core values: team spirit, resilience, innovation, and excellence. Thay believe that sports sponsorship offers a powerful platform for conveying meaningful messages and engaging employees, customers, and partners around a shared vision.

Anne Combier, Director of YB SAILING sponsorship, underscores the unique visibility and strong relationships that sailing sponsorships can foster.

Only sailing and cycling offer such visibility to sponsors when the team or the boat bears the names of the partner companies, but the relationship is generally stronger between the partner and its skipper. The discipline embodies the adventure sport par excellence. And then it is indeed not only the visibility marks, it is also a great vector of internal communication.
Anne Combier, Director of YB SAILING sponsorship

Supporting offshore racing projects also aligns with broader corporate social responsibility goals, allowing businesses to champion causes related to environmental sustainability and social impact. For example, initiatives focused on ocean conservation are increasingly popular among sailing teams and their sponsors.

Yannick Bestaven: Sailor and Innovator

Beyond his sailing achievements, Yannick Bestaven is a prosperous entrepreneur. His entrepreneurial journey began with the design of the hydro-generator through his company, Watt & Sea. Driven by his engineering background and a passion for renewable energy,Bestaven,in collaboration with Matthieu Michou,developed a hydro-generator in anticipation of the 2008 Vendée Globe.

This innovative device, featuring a submerged propeller that harnesses the boat’s movement to generate electricity, revolutionized energy management at sea. Watt & SEA hydro-generators quickly gained recognition, becoming standard equipment for Vendée Globe skippers. By the 2024 Vendée Globe, Watt & Sea equipped all participants. Watt & Sea also supplies 80% of boaters and continues to innovate, securing patents for applications such as equipping sailing cargo ships. Bestaven also leads YB Sailing, a team of a dozen professionals managing the technical, sporting, and communication aspects of his projects.

Commitment Beyond the Race

Yannick Bestaven is deeply committed to social causes, supporting organizations such as Echo-Mer, dedicated to ocean conservation, and La Halte du Coeur, a food aid association. This commitment reflects his values and his desire to make a positive impact beyond the world of competitive sailing.