| Age | 45 (9/3/79) |
|---|---|
| Top performance | 3-time Paralympic Games medalists in 2.4mR, 5 world titles |
| Joined Imoca on | 2018 |
| Team | 4CAD - LA MIE CALINE |
| Base | Lorient (FRANCE) |
| Partners | Groupe APICIL, Mutuelle Intégrance, Mutuelle MBTP, Gresham, Intencial, Veralti, One Life |
| Commitment | Founder of Feet and Hands for more access to water sports for people with disabilities |
Born without his left hand, Damien Seguin still manages to combine two careers: one in Paralympic sailing, the other in offshore racing. Triple Paralympic medallist in the 2.4 mR (gold medal in Athens and Rio and a silver in Beijing) and fifth-time world champion in this discipline, Damien first got into offshore racing in 2005 via the Figaro.
The skipper then moved on to the Class40 (12-metre long monohull) and took part in a number of races: transatlantic races as well as two Route du Rhum races in 2010 and 2014... Determined and constantly looking to improve, the skipper, who for years has been able to convince people that his disability was not a hindrance to his immersion in the world of able-bodied sports, is now tackling a major challenge: the Vendée Globe.
Damien Seguin will have had a remarkable Vendée Globe in the 2020-2021 edition. The first to complete his round the world voyage in a straight daggerboard IMOCA boat and sixth in the general ranking, at the finish, the double Olympic champion declared: "I have always wanted my race to be a form of symbol, being a top level sportsman means, for me, being the showcase for his sport."Mission accomplished for Damien, who has proved that it is no longer a question of whether a disabled athlete can race in the Vendée Globe.
In 2022, Damien continued his good results on the IMOCA circuit, finishing 9th in the Vendée Arctique and the Guyader Bermuda 1000 Race. Unfortunately, during the famous Route du Rhum at the end of the year, Damien Seguin dismasted after being hit by a cargo ship, so he was forced to retire.
The skipper and the APICIL Group team then embarked on a major refit of the 2016-generation IMOCA to make her more competitive with a fleet that is constantly evolving technologically.
At the beginning of 2023, while his boat was being refitted, Paul Meilhat called him to take part in The Ocean Race on his IMOCA Biotherm. He accepted and sailed the first 3 legs, covering three quarters of a circumnavigation, from Alicante to Itajaí via the Deep South. The experience he gained was enormous, but the sailor didn't stop there. He will be sailing with Sam Davies, on the IMOCA Initiatives-Coeur, in the Guyader Bermuda 1000 Race, before putting his IMOCA back in the water in July and racing the season double-handed on his Groupe APICIL with Laurent Bourgues. He finished the season brilliantly in the Retour à La Base, where he finished 5th.
In 2025, Damien announces that he will be the new co-skipper of Thibaut Vauchel-Camus for the season, before launching his own Ocean Fifty project.
At the same time, he joins 4CAD - LA MIE CÂLINE for the Course des Caps!
2018: Bermudes 1000 Race - 3rd
2017: Tour de France à la Voile - 1st
2016: Paralympic Games (Rio) 2.4 mR - Gold
2012: Paralympic Games (London) 2.4 mR - 4th
2008: Paralympic Games (Beijing) 2.4 mR - Silver
2004: Paralympic Games (Athens) 2.4 mR - Gold
5 World Champion Title in 2.4 mR (2015, 2012, 2007, 2005 and 2019)
22 World Cup victory titles in 2.4 mR
| Name | 4CAD - LA MIE CALINE |
|---|---|
| Sail number | FRA 9 |
| Architect | VPLP Verdier |
| Construction | 2015, Green Marine, Southampton |
| Former names | Hugo Boss, 11TH HOUR RACING – ALAKA'I, Guyot environnement - Team Europe |
| Length | 18,28 m |
| Beam | 5,50 m |
| Draught | 4,50 m |
| Weight | 7,5 tonnes |
| Mast height | 29 m |
| Mast type | Mât-Aile |
| Foils | Yes |
| Sail area max. | |
| Upwind | 340 m2 |
| Downwind | 570 m2 |
Eleven crews will set sail next Sunday at the start of the Course des Caps – Boulogne-sur-Mer – Banque Populaire du Nord. For this first edition, they will face off in challenging seas — the northernmost ever sailed by t…
•••In one week, the Course des Caps – Boulogne-sur-Mer – Banque Populaire du Nord will bring together eleven boats manned by exceptionally high-level crews. For this new event on the IMOCA Globe Series calendar, the top sai…
•••What effect does racing alone around the world on a high performance IMOCA yacht have on the human body and mind? It’s a question you might well ask, as our sailors put themselves through one of the biggest tests in extr…
•••
