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Friends reunited Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Damien Seguin

Ocean Fifty
Village départ Le Havre  |  19 October 2025 - 10h30
Theirs is a pretty unique story, one which passes literally from the school classroom together to the ocean, Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Damien Seguin are one of the closest duos in the race. They are linked by a friendship which was first forged over 25 years ago. They grew up together on the water in Guadeloupe before joining up again, years later, on the same Ocean Fifty. Now here thet are in Le Havre at the start of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L’OR preparing to write a new chapter by crossing the Atlantic to reach the Caribbean sun, where it all began.

The story of Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Damien Seguin (Solidaires en Peloton, Ocean Fifty) began in their shared schoolrooms in Guadeloupe. At the time, Thibaut was looking for a sailing partner. Between doodling in their English notebooks, a chemistry was born. "We said to each other: 'Hey, why don't we go sailing together?'" recalls Thibaut. A friendship was born and a shared history.

Life at the helm

On the waters of the Caribbean, the two young sailors hit it off. They performed well on sport catamarans and ended up flying to Australia in 1998 for the Hobie Cat World Championship. "We raised money by selling T-shirts," recalls Seguin, "that allowed us to finance the trip." And it went well as they won the silver medal.

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The duo then headed forFrance, where their courses eventually separated. "We spent two years together," Damien continues, "and then we went our separate ways. We've always followed each other from afar. We've crossed paths at events, whether in sport catamarans or ocean racing. But we'd never sailed together again until this year."

Like a (happy) story repeating itself, at the beginning of the year, Thibaut was looking for a co-skipper again. Damien had just finished his second Vendée Globe campaign and was thinking of moving to a multihull. "I had created a shortlist with six names and specific criteria," explains Thibaut. "We've changed our class rules and so routing is no longer allowed in double-handed races in the Ocean Fifty, so I needed someone with solid experience in sailing and weather analysis. Damien ticked all the boxes. Even though we make the final decisions together, he has greater finesse in this area than I do."

Trust is the cornerstone of safety

The pair of friends reunited, as if it were a given. "I think it was always in the back of my mind, as if it were a given", confides Damien. "And then, the planets aligned." Despite their impressive careers, the two sailors prefer to remain humble. They see their strength above all in their complementary skills. "What we quickly rediscovered was that trust in each other," continues Damien. "Thibaut knows the boat. We have a wealth of experience between us, and this respect for each other as well; we quickly shifted our focus to performance." Concurring Thibaut is convinced that their complicity is their greatest asset. "I find it interesting to have the touch of someone who has just completed two IMOCA races and three Paralympic campaigns. But trust remains essential because you can have the two best sailors on a boat, but if they don't match up on a human level, it doesn't work. With Damien, I know I can go to sleep without question. He has a good understanding of the boat, of what he has in front of him to find the right set up and risk."

 

"I'm waiting for my own turn"

Two years ago, Thibaut won with Quentin Vlamynck in the bay of Fort-de-France. "When you've shown you're capable of winning, people are waiting for you," confides Thibaut. "I'm waiting for my own turn!"

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But since then, the Ocean Fifty class has grown and been partially renewed, welcoming several skippers from IMOCA and Class40. The level has gone up a notch. More than half the fleet can aim for victory.

"The field is strong, we've had different winners throughout the season," Thibaut analyzes. "Let's take Edenred: the sailors are good, the boat is good, as good as ours. We can say that they might have some problems inherent to the project being relatively new but they won the first time they race, without it being beginner's luck. The game is really open, and that's perhaps what will take some of the pressure off us as the defending champion, to share it with all the competitors." Damien shares this interpretation of this more even field. "We know it will come down to details. We've seen it clearly in previous races: the boats are ready, the duos too. The difference will be made by the weather, strategy, or tactics to create gaps. It's going to be a hard battle until the end." 

And ocean racing is far from being an exact science, the class had the painful experience of this in 2023 when half the fleet had to abandon even before and pass Portugal. "We know the risk involved in a motorsport like ours," Thibaut admits. "Three-and-a-half-second pit stops don't exist here. You can quickly lose everything over a small detail. The challenge is to set off with peace of mind on a reliable boat, to know how to control it, and not create unnecessary "risks." Fate takes care of itself."

 

Interview : Thibaut Vauchel-Camus & Damien Seguin - Solidaires en Peloton

TCO25_Portraits_Solidaires en peloton