Benjamin FERRÉ

IMOCA Globe Series52th
Points54.50 pts
Age35 (10/31/90)
Top performance3rd place on the Mini Transat 2019
Joined Imoca on2022
TeamBenjamin envoie le pépin
BasePort-La-Forêt (FRANCE)
CommitmentTARA Océan

Profile

Benjamin Ferré is a Breton sailor and entrepreneur, in love with life... and crazy challenges. After a transatlantic sail with a sextant, a solo round-the-world hitchhiking trip and a crossing of Morocco in a 4L, he launched IMAGO in 2017; the first adventure incubator in France, dedicated to hatching sports, ecological and solidarity exploration projects.

In 2017, he took his first step into the completely unfamiliar world of offshore racing. Two years later, he landed on the podium of the 2019 Mini Transat aboard Pile Poil, the former Mini of Clarisse Crémer, and finished as the top rookie.

That’s when he realized someone had put everything he loved in life into one box—and called it: OFFSHORE RACING!

After a conversation with Jean Le Cam, the idea of sailing solo around the world, non-stop and without assistance, began to take root. He gave everything he had to take part in the 2024 edition. In 2022, he took the helm of Banque Populaire, just back from its round-the-world voyage with Clarisse Crémer, and entered his first solo IMOCA race: the Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race, where he finished in 11th place. He was then joined by Groupe Monnoyeur and the non-profit Duo for a Job for the rest of the 2022 season.

In 2023, Benjamin Ferré teamed up with Pierre Le Roy for the double-handed season, which they dominated brilliantly among the daggerboard IMOCA boats, with their sights firmly set on the 2024 Vendée Globe.

On February 3, 2025, Benjamin Ferré crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe in Les Sables-d'Olonne in 16th place—but most notably as the first daggerboard IMOCA, just minutes ahead of his closest rival, Tanguy Le Turquais.

The Biotherm team has announced that Benjamin Ferré will join the crew alongside Paul Meilhat this summer for The Ocean Race Europe 2025.

Sailing Highlights

2025 : The Ocean Race Europe - Winner
2024-2025 : Vendée Globe - 16th
2024 : The Transat CIC - Abandon
2023 : Retour à La Base - 13th
2023 : Transat Jacques Vabre - 13th
2023 : Défi Azimut-Lorient Agglomération - 14th
2023 : Rolex Fastnet Race - 15th
2023 : Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race - 9th
2022 : Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe - 15th
2022 : Défi Azimut-Lorient Agglomération - 11th
2022 : Vendée Arctique - 4th
2022 : 1000 Race - 11th
Other highlights

2019: Mini Transat 2019 - 3rd
2019: Mini Fastnet 2019 - 5th with Kévin Bloch
2019: Mini Pornichet Select 6.50 2019 - 5th
2019: Mini GRAN PREMIO D'ITALIA 2019 - 4th with Titouan Sessa
2019: Championnat de France 2019 - 7th
2015: Crossing the Atlantic with a sextant

Boat

Name CAFÉ JOYEUX
Sail numberFRA 30
ArchitectVPLP - Verdier
Construction2010, CDK Technologies
Former namesMACIF, SMA, BANQUE POPULAIRE X, MONNOYEUR - DUO FOR A JOB
Length18,28 m
Beam5,40 m
Draught4,50 m
Weight7,7 tonnes
Mast height29 m
Mast typeWing mast
FoilsNo
Sail area max.
Upwind250 m²
Downwind530m²
© Jean-Louis Carli