For fans of ocean racing (count me in), the Vendée Globe Race is kind of like the Super Bowl, World Series, and Olympics, all wrapped into one. The competition is the pinnacle of the sport, the venue spans the globe, the lead changes are riveting, and the rate of attrition is always a wild card factor. What’s not to love?
For the skippers who embark on this endeavor, there can not be a starker contrast between the intense festivities surrounding their departure from Les Sables d’Olonne, France, and the very idea that they’ll be spending the next three months alone at sea. So it was on Sunday, November 10, 2024, when the record 40 skippers started the race in light winds aboard their tricked out IMOCA 60 class yachts.
In the space of a couple of hours they enjoyed a unique and enormously emotional experience among crowds of family, team members, supporters and spectators. Farewells to loved ones at the pontoons were followed by the intensity of descending the legendary Les Sables d’Olonne canal, which was lined by hundreds of thousands of spectators, many of whom had been waiting since the early hours of the morning.
At this point, the skippers were on stage and many played to the crowd. Fabrice Amedeo (Nexans – Wewise) crossed the pontoon like a boxer, Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur — DUO for a JOB) took out a portable speaker and hilariously started dancing to the rhythm in front of a raucous audience. Some dressed for the occasion: a chic coat for Antoine Cornic (HUMAN Immobilier), a Corto Maltese cap that Alan Roura (Hublot) kept for special occasions, and even a pirate costume with a parrot on the shoulder for Damien Seguin (APICIL Group). Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori) put on a dark and sober kimono, and Xu Jing Kun (Singchain Team Haikou) donned a traditional blue and gold garment.
For others it’s an intensely emotional experience, with male and female skippers alike unable to hold back their tears. Arnaud Boissière (La Mie Câline) struggled to find the words in front of the cameras, Violette Dorange (Devenir) bursts into tears in the mixed zone, Maxime Sorel (V and B —Monbana — Mayenne) did the same in his brother’s arms. It spread like a wave on the cheeks of one of Yannick Bestaven’s daughters (Maitre Coq), on the reddened face of Sébastien Marsset’s wife (FOUSSIER) and even on Jérémie Beyou’s right cheek.
“The start is bigger and more intense each time,” says Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée), while Pip Hare (Medallia) talked about an “incredible experience,” Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) spoke of “a pride,” Oliver Heer (Tut Gut) declared it “very special and very intense” moment. “The next victory will be to be at the finish,” assured Denis Van Weynbergh (D’Ieteren Group). Charlie Dalin’s wife (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) tells him a little differently: “You come back here; I don’t want to see you before!”
And everywhere possible, a crowd of unprecedented size packed the spaces around Port Olona, the embankments of the canal, the piers and even the beaches in an amazing display of sharing, emotion and excitement.
I, for one, sure am excited to follow all these racers as they round the globe.
You can follow the race tracker at: www.vendeeglobe.org/en/tracker.
