A Canadian sailor is setting his sights on one of the most demanding challenges in his sport, preparing to become only the third Canadian ever to compete in the Vendée Globe. Scott Scheuer plans to take on the solo round-the-world race aboard a 60-foot yacht, and in a profile aired by CBC News he opened up the cramped vessel that will effectively become his entire world once the race is under way.
The Vendée Globe is widely regarded as one of sailing's most punishing events, and Scheuer did not sugar-coat it, calling the race grueling and describing it as brutal and hugely demanding of physical stamina. Based in France, the competition is held only once every four years, and the next edition is scheduled for 2028, the race Scheuer says he is determined to reach the starting line for.
What sets the contest apart is its sheer isolation. The race takes roughly three months to complete, which means Scheuer will have to live aboard his boat entirely alone for the full duration, with no crew alongside him. The yacht, for all its length, offers only a tiny cabin where, he said, he expects to spend most of his time through the long months out at sea.
Sleep, in particular, becomes a luxury rather than a routine. Scheuer showed off the main sleeping area, a simple mattress with a sleeping bag, and admitted that the bed does not get much use while he is racing. On a good day, he said, he might piece together around six hours of rest across a full 24-hour period, and even that would come in stretches of roughly half an hour at a time.
The conditions outside the cabin are just as unforgiving. Competitors in the Vendée Globe must navigate often treacherous stretches of ocean, where the waves can climb as high as 15 meters in some areas. For a solo sailor with no one else aboard to share the watch, managing seas like that around the clock adds another layer of danger to an already extreme undertaking.
Perhaps the most striking part of Scheuer's bid is how new he is to it all. At 54, he is no seasoned veteran of the open ocean. He grew up sailing from the age of eight at his parents' cottage in Parry Sound, but that, he admitted, was just cottage sailing on a dinghy. When it comes to this type of racing, he said, he is completely new to it and a rookie by all measures in the sport.
His path to the race began, of all places, in front of a television during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scheuer recalled watching the skippers of the Vendée Globe walk down the docks, take off their pandemic masks, jump on their boats and set off to sail around the world. In that moment, he said, he thought to himself that the scene was the very definition of freedom, and the itch to try it never left him.
The risks are not abstract. According to the report, about a third of the competitors who have taken part in the Vendée Globe have failed to finish, and no Canadian has ever completed the race. The history carries tragedy as well: back in 1996, the first Canadian to take part was lost at sea and died, a stark reminder of just how dangerous the solo voyage can be.
Scheuer argues that much has changed in the decades since. He pointed to far better safety systems, improved life raft technology and sturdier boats that suffer fewer critical failures, as well as stronger communications. His own yacht, he noted, is carrying Starlink, keeping him in constant contact the entire way around the globe. This week he is taking the boat to Georgian Bay, where he plans to spend the summer training for 2028.