Desjoyeaux picks his crew

Fellow Open 60 sailor to join Le Professeur in this autumn's Transat Jacques Vabre

Michel Desjoyeaux has announced that he will be taking fellow Open 60 skipper Jeremie Beyou with him in this November's doublehanded Transat Jacques Vabre aboard his Vendee Globe winning Foncia.

Aside from the Open 60, Desjoyeaux has regularly competed against Beyou in the Figaro class and while Desjoyeaux has won this event three times and this year is back again, hoping to be the first person ever to have won it four times, Beyou has won the Solitaire once, in 2005.

"Jeremie is a very natural choice," says Desjoyeaux. "We have long believed that we should sail together either on IMOCA or Figaro circuits. He is someone I like - rather reserved, quiet, but talented and hard working and he knows the 60 fleet intimately. It will also be an opportunity to sail with someone different, with another culture, to have new experiences because we always need to learn.

"We now have five months to prepare and be ready for 8 November at the start in Le Havre. Until then, we will undergo a training program for Foncia while we will also have the opportunity to cross swords on the water in the Solitaire du Figaro this summer, when we can also work on certain aspects."

Beyou commented: "It is a great pleasure to compete in the next Transat Jacques Vabre on board Foncia. It is also a great honour to sail with Michel, the most successful solo sailor. I am glad he thought of me."

Aside from the TJV, Foncia will compete in the Trophee SNSM record in June and then the IMOCA European Pro-Tour in September.