| Age | 34 (10/13/91) |
|---|---|
| Top performance | 2nd of the Mini Transat 2019 |
| Joined Imoca on | 2025 |
| Team | CAFÉ JOYEUX |
| Base | Lorient (FRANCE) |
After starting his career in consulting, Nico d'Estais decided to change course and turn his lifelong passion into a profession by becoming an offshore racing skipper.
After racing in the Mini and Class40 circuits, Nico is now joining the IMOCA Class with the goal of competing in the Vendée Globe 2028!
2023: Transat Jacques Vabre – 18th (Class40)
2022: Route du Rhum – 12th (Class40)
2021: Transat Jacques Vabre – 13th (Class40)
2019: Mini Transat – 2nd
2018: Les Sables d’Olonne / Azores / Les Sables d’Olonne – 3rd
2015: Mini Transat – 9th
© Gauthier Lebec
| Name | CAFÉ JOYEUX |
|---|---|
| Sail number | FRA 30 |
| Architect | VPLP - Verdier |
| Construction | 2010, CDK Technologies |
| Former names | MACIF, SMA, BANQUE POPULAIRE X, MONNOYEUR - DUO FOR A JOB |
| Length | 18,28 m |
| Beam | 5,40 m |
| Draught | 4,50 m |
| Weight | 7,7 tonnes |
| Mast height | 29 m |
| Mast type | Wing mast |
| Foils | No |
| Sail area max. | |
| Upwind | 250 m² |
| Downwind | 530m² |
After two and a half days of being thrown around in every direction, the sailors competing in the Vendée Arctique – Les Sables d’Olonne are finally enjoying a little respite.
•••Nico d’Estais has been waiting all his life to sail solo in an IMOCA race and this weekend, when the Vendée Arctique leaves Les Sables D’Olonne for the Arctic Circle, he will be on Cloud 9.
•••The face of the race changed within a few hours. After more than 24 hours trapped in a stubborn calm, the competitors in the 1000 Race found wind again last night, with a north-easterly flow setting in.
•••
