France's Violette Dorange, the youngest Vendee Globe finisher, is a social media sailing sensation
LES-SABLE-D'OLONNE, France (AP) — Anyone watching the celebrations at the end of Violette Dorange's solo circumnavigation would have thought she won the Vendee Globe.
Tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans turned out at Les Sables d'Olonne on Sunday to welcome Dorange, who at 23 years old became the youngest ever finisher of the round-the-world non-stop race. Dorange crossed the finish line after 90 days at sea, almost one month after fellow Frenchman Charlie Dalin, who set a new race record in less than 65 days.
But the celebrations that greeted Dorange's arrival at the port on the Atlantic coast of western France were so massive that there was no doubt about the popularity the young sailor has achieved during her odyssey.
'I am still in shock, stunned by the size of the crowd when I arrived,' she said.
Dorange's 25th place finish earned her the front page of French sports daily L'Equipe, with the headline: 'Violette Dorange, The People's Choice Award.'
Dorange became a social media sensation during her perilous journey.
According to race organizers, she had 50,000 followers on Instagram before the start of the race. By Sunday that number had increased more than tenfold. She also has legions of fans on Tiktok and Facebook, which is unusual in the world of sailing.
Dorange documented her journey with short videos that were handled by her communication team on shore. She competed in the Vendee Globe after buying Jean Le Cam's boat, now called DeVenir.
'For three months, I was in my own bubble, without access to social media,' said Dorange, who previously sailed across both the English Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar in an Optimist dinghy, aged 15. 'I became aware of the enthusiasm thanks to the messages from my family and my team. It was incredible. I did not expect so much support.'
The Vendee Globe takes sailors around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin in western Australia and South America's Cape Horn, over some 24,000 nautical miles (about 44,500 kilometers).
Dorange, who honed her skills in the Figaro class. said she will now take time to rest and promised to return to the race with loftier ambitions.
'The adventure side is ticked off, but the top performance is still to be achieved,' she said. 'There is still a lot of work to do. But it's exciting: a new adventure begins, and I trust in the future.'
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