Vendée Globe entrants list unveiled

by Sabina Mollart-Rogerson on 12 Jun 2012

* The 19 Entrants - Vendée Globe 2012 Vincent Curutchet / DPPI

The Vendée Globe 2012-2013 gets underway from Les Sables d’Olonnein in five months, on November 10, 2012. The entrants list, unveiled by Vendée General Council President Bruno Retailleau on Tuesday - 150 days before the start - in Paris, is growing longer and, as of today, 19 skippers have confirmed they will be on the start line. The upcoming seventh edition of the race doubtlessly promises to be a riveting one.

With three weeks to go before the end of the pre-registration period (July 1st), the Vendée Globe entrants list is taking shape as 19 skippers have already confirmed their participation and a few others have expressed their will to be at the start of the race but are still working on their budgets.

In a particularly difficult economic context, this exceptional entrants list is the fruit of an outstanding joint effort by the skippers, the IMOCA and SAEM Vendée President Bruno Retailleau. About twenty yachts will eventually cross the start line of the Vendée Globe seventh edition.

The 19 Entrants:
Jean-Pierre Dick (Fra/Virbac-Paprec),
Vincent Riou (Fra/Prb),
Kito De Pavant (Fra/Groupe Bel),
François Gabart (Fra, Rookie/Macif),
Jérémie Beyou (Fra/Maître Coq),
Armel Le Cleac’h (Fra/Banque Populaire),
Dominique Wavre (Sui/Mirabaud),
Samantha Davies (Gbr/Savéol), Alex Thomson (Gbr/Hugo Boss),
Mike Golding (Gbr/Gamesa),
Marc Guillemot (Fra/Safran),
Arnaud Boissieres (Fra/Akena Vérandas),
Bernard Stamm (Sui/Cheminées Poujoulat),
Javier Sanso (Esp/Acciona),
Alessandro Di Benedetto (Fra-Ita, Rookie/Team Plastique),
Jean Le Cam (Fra/Synerciel),
Tanguy De Lamotte (Fra, Rookie/Initiatives Cœur),
Louis Burton, (Fra, Rookie/Bureau Vallée),
Bertrand De Broc (Fra/Votre Nom Autour Du Monde)

From October 20 to November 11, Les Sables d’Olonne will doubtlessly be the world’s sailing capital city. The new race village will be larger and mostly devoted to the race presentation as well as the the protection of the sea depths and shores. It will spread over more than 10,000 square metres (107,000 square feet) and will be open to all visitors.

French actor François Cluzet will be the patron of the Vendée Globe seventh edition. On November 10, with SAEM Vendée President Bruno Retailleau by his side, he will officially give the starting signal of the race. Cluzet will also star in a film about the single-handed sailing race around the world, along with Belgian actress Virginie Efira and French actor Guillaume Canet. This feature film will be directed by Christophe Offenstein and is the result of a partnership between the SAEM Vendée and Les Films du Cap. Vendée Globe website

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