Son and brother of a sailor, Antoine was born with his feet in the water. His path towards sailing seems to be all mapped out. But this is without counting on the atypical character he is. His career path, although unusual - French judo champion then restaurant owner on the island of Ré - is leading him today towards one of the craziest challenges in the history of sailing: the Vendée Globe 2024!
His ocean racing experience began in 2001 with his first Mini-Transat, where he finished tenth in the proto class.
He then put sailing aside to set up his first restaurant on the Ile de Ré. He did some kitesurfing and cruising but stopped sailing competitively altogether. Eventually, ocean racing caught up with him, as his history with this discipline was not over. He sold his first restaurant in 2016 and returned to the water. In 2017, Antoine took part in the Mini Transat again, sixteen years after his first participation, and finished eleventh across the Atlantic.
The Vendée Globe became the grail for him for which he no longer wanted to give up. Antoine convinced one of his secondary partners in the Mini 6.50, Ebac, to follow him in this adventure and started looking for a boat.
He set his sights on an Owen-Clarke design launched in 2007, the ex-Spirit of Canada of skipper Derek Hatfield. In November 2021, Antoine entered the competition with the greatest skippers in the Transat Jacques Vabre. He finished 20th and then went on to the Guyader Bermuda 1000 Race, which he finished in the same position. After a Vendée Arctique and a Route du Rhum where he finished 16th and 22nd respectively, the IMOCA boat returned to the shipyard in La Rochelle before the 2023 double-handed season, which Antoine will do with Jean-Charles Lurot, his faithful co-skipper.
In 2022, Human Immobilier has committed to Antoine Cornic until the 2024 Vendée Globe.
2023 : Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race - retired
2022 : Route du Rhum - 22nd
Vendée Arctique - 16th
Guyader Bermudes 1000 Race - 20th
2021: Transat Jacques Vabre - 19th
2017: Mini Transat - 11th
2003: North Atlantic record attempt in Mini
2001: Mini Transat - 10th