This November, Fabrice Amedeo will yet again compete in the Vendée Globe, a solo-sailing, without assistance and non-stop round-the-world-race like no other. This time, he has added another dimension to the challenge: to successfully circumnavigate the globe using only clean energy!

Every four years, the world’s most ambitious, courageous and skilled solo-sailing skippers compete in the Vendée Globe, which takes off from Sables d’Olonne in France on November 10th. Hager Group and E3/DC have been supporting Fabrice Amedeo, a French journalist turned full-time sailor and ambassador for the oceans, since 2021. Together with his technical team, our engineers have been working to adapt our buiding energy management systems to meet his boating needs. Our highly specialized  system is part and parcel of Fabrice’s quest to turn this ultra-demanding race into another race altogether: the race to show that some of the most astonishing feats can be achieved without using fossil fuels.

Boats need power

Sailing boats have always harnessed the power of wind. Racing boats, however, run a variety of instruments which require extra power, from navigational systems to computers and inertial measurement units. For the Vendée Globe, a 45,000km race, vessels like Fabrice Amedeo’s IMOCA usually carry about 200l of diesel fuel to cover energy needs. This year, Fabrice wants to show that using our expertise he can not only sail around the world without fossil fuels; he can also make great time in the most challenging of competitions and support the scientific community in their quest to understand more about the health of the oceans.


A passionate skipper with a well-matched sponsor

Fabrice Amedeo has teamed up with a team of scientists who study the impact of global warming on the oceans. Amedeo provides unique and crucial data for their research.. Three specialist monitoring devices on his boat collect samples along the way ( onCO2 content, salinity and temperature, on microplastic and on environmental DNA), adding an extra 15% of energy need to his vessel. This is not a problem for our high-performance renewable energy systems. Fabrice’s IMOCA is fully equipped for a truly groundbreaking competition. Our focus on sustainability makes us a natural partner for Fabrice, we support his Ocean Calling Fund and have started to use ocean plastic in some of our range of products, such as cubyko leaf. Together, we are now embarking on another race, taking on the unprecedented challenge of completing the toughest round-the-word sailing challenge without using fossil fuels. Our expertise and vision fuse with Fabrice’s extreme courage and sportsmanship, working towards a future of healthy oceans and human endeavour powered by courage, determination and sustainable energy sources.

Watch this space  and our social media channels for news about Fabrice’s progress, as he rides the currants with nothing but renewable power, a trailblazing attempt proudly supported by Hager Group and E3/DC.