Arnaud Boissières carries the kind of résumé that makes most offshore sailors wince with envy. Five Vendée Globes behind him, the French skipper approaches the Vendée Arctique 2026 as another chapter in a career defined by restless ambition and an almost compulsive need to test himself against the ocean’s harshest conditions. Based from Les Sables d’Olonne—a port he’s called home for decades after cutting his teeth in Arcachon Bay—Boissières has become synonymous with the kind of methodical, long-game approach that characterises the sport’s most resilient competitors.
Nicknamed Cali, he’s never been the type to hype his own story. Instead, he lets the miles speak. Five consecutive campaigns around the world have earned him respect within the professional peloton, and his familiarity with extreme ocean conditions will serve him well on this Arctic-focused course. The route presents different challenges from a full circumnavigation: the compressed timeframe and higher latitudes demand precision navigation and tactical nous rather than endurance alone.
His new mount is the former Hugo Boss, an IMOCA 60 that carries genuine pedigree. Originally launched in 2015 by Green Marine in Southampton and designed by VPLP/Verdier, the boat has competed at the highest level under previous banners including 11th Hour Racing and Guyot Environnement. At 18.28 metres and weighing 7.5 tonnes, it’s a platform that Boissières knows intimately, having campaigned it since 2025 under April Marine colours.
What sets Boissières apart for New Zealand audiences is his measured approach to big-ocean racing. Unlike sailors chasing maiden performances, he’s already fixing his sights beyond 2026 towards a sixth consecutive Vendée Globe in 2028. For anyone following Southern Ocean racing, that kind of sustained commitment to ultra-distance offshore competition represents something increasingly rare. The Vendée Arctique becomes a proving ground, another opportunity to refine systems and validate tactics before the ultimate test returns to Les Sables d’Olonne in two years.
