Solo yachtswoman Clarisse Crémer and her husband Tanguy Le Turquais have been cleared of allegations of misconduct relating to the 2020-21 edition of the Vendée Globe.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the pair strenuously denied claims made in an anonymous email sent in mid-February to the French Sailing Federation (FFVoile) that Le Turquais provided outside assistance in the form of information from which Crémer plotted her route for the 45,000-race, which is strictly forbidden under race rules.

Vendée Globe president Alain Leboeuf appointed an independent jury to consider the evidence, comprising a series of screenshots of WhatsApp messages between the couple.

Five of these images includes examples of route images generated by Le Turquais, concerning various part of the race. The jury accepted that he sent these in an effort to understand Crémer’s intentions “for his own reassurance for her safety (as husband) and in order to answer media and family questions”.

The jury added that the images “did not include any detailed information about wind, wave states, time and course options that [Crémer] could adapt for her own use for routing”.

While the panel felt that Le Turquais’ sending of these route images “was not a wise or necessary thing to do”, it accepted that his intention was to get clarification of her plans rather than to give her advice.

Two images related to Crémer having a problem with her AIS, and wishing to check whether she was visible on the MarineTraffic website.

The final pictures relate to Crémer’s projected finish, in relation to severe weather conditions. “This was an issue raised by race management, which was providing competitors with advice and weather information and encouraging them to coordinate their plans with their teams,” the jury said. “For this reason, a WhatsApp group was created with the race management, the boat, the shore team and the weather consultant.

“The timing of her finish was also a relevant issue for the media and for personal arrangements. Her boat was several hours behind the previous finisher and several hours on front of the next boat.

“[Crémer’s routing program] was more sophisticated than Tanguy’s, and she was using it for many hours every day.”

The jury concluded that the screenshots “do not demonstrate that ‘routing’ took place as defined by Article 4.3.2 of the Notice of Race”, nor do they demonstrate that she received performance support as described by Article 4.3.3 of the same.

“Clarisse did not ask for routing advice from Tanguy. She never followed any of the screenshots from Tanguy. They were not useful information for her. She was always in possession of better information and had the time to work on her plans,” the jury said.

While Crémer did ask Le Turquais’ opinion about her finishing route intentions, the jury agreed that this “was for safety, and included the possibility of deliberately slowing, to avoid low tides or a night-time arrival given the bad weather. These were issues to which race management had alerted all competitors and shore teams of boats likely to be affected. She therefore did not receive outside help.”

In conclusion, the international jury said it is “completely satisfied that there was no misconduct” by either party and the allegations are dismissed.

Solo yachtswoman Clarisse Crémer has denied accusations of cheating in the 2020-21 Vendée Globe.

According to France 24, it comes on the foot of claims in an anonymous email sent earlier this month to the French Sailing Federation (FFVoile) that Crémer’s husband Tanguy Le Turquais communicated information from which she plotted her route for the 45,000-race.

The Vendée Globe strictly forbids any such outside assistance — but Crémer, who finished 12th in the race, and Le Turquais insist that their long-distance WhatsApp conversations did no such thing.

“During our chats which essentially concerned the intimacy between a couple, Tanguy never gave me the slightest bit of information that I didn’t have already,” Crémer said in a statement released by the couple.

Crémer has questioned the timing behind the anonymous email, with both her and Le Turquais among the 44 sailors vying for 40 spots in the 2024-25 edition of the race which starts in a little over three months’ time.

It’s not the first issue to beset Crémer’s Vendée Globe campaign, as this time last year she was reeling after being dropped by her former main sponsor just weeks after having a baby, though she has since secured the support of another team.

France 24 has more on the story HERE and Tip and Shaft has an editorial here