Damien Seguin's waking dream about a giant of yesteryear

After conquering the oceans in Class40 and IMOCA boats, Damien Seguin is about to fulfill a childhood dream. For his fifth Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe, the skipper has chosen to revive a sleeping legend: the former Fujicolor II. A "Vintage Multi" project supported by Crédit Mutuel Arkéa and Handicap International, where the poetry of the past meets the challenges of tomorrow.

Waking up a carbon giant

It all began with a yearning for something different, a need to broaden one's horizons after the solitude of the 2024 Vendée Globe. Damien Seguin could have built a brand-new, cold, and meticulously designed vessel. He preferred to follow an intuition, one of those that transforms a technical project into a captivating adventure.

By finding the former Fujicolor II (a 1990 Nigel Irens design) in the south of France, he didn't just buy a boat. He acquired a piece of sailing history, a trimaran that captivated an entire generation under the command of Mike Birch and Loïck Peyron.

"A stupid idea or a childhood dream?"

Before embarking on this project, Damien consulted the "old guard," the guardians of the tradition. From Franck Proffit to Marc Guillemot, the response was unanimous: reviving this multihull was a brilliant idea. "They reinforced my belief that this boat still had something to offer racing ," he confides.

To transform this vintage dream into a competitive reality, a monumental project was orchestrated in Les Sables d'Olonne:

• A €600,000 refit to restore the structure to its former glory.

• A modern suit of armor: Cutting-edge electronics and sails made of natural fibers (linen and nettle).

• Faithfulness to origins: No foils, no flying. Here, we sail the old-fashioned way, in contact with the water, in the purity of the lines of yesteryear.

Damien Seguin devant l’ex-Fujicolor

A trail of solidarity and sustainability

This project is not just a personal quest; it's a message sent to the world. By choosing renovation over new construction, Damien Seguin and Crédit Mutuel Arkéa are advocating a form of joyful simplicity.

Under the colors of Handicap International, the skipper proves once again that limits only exist in the minds of those who do not dare to dream.

© Damien Seguin/ Eole performance: entry of the ORMA 60 under construction at Port Bourgenay.

The rendezvous with the horizon

On November 1, 2026, Damien Seguin, a candidate in the 13th edition, hopes to come full circle. Having grown up in Guadeloupe, nurtured by images of Florence Arthaud's victory in 1990—the very year his boat first touched the water—he is preparing to live his own epic journey.

Rumors are already circulating that a legendary duel awaits him against Francis Joyon. Two pioneering candidates in 2026, two lovers of "beauty", for a journey that promises to be more dreamlike than ever.