The Vendée Globe Village opens on Saturday

by Vendée Globe on 14 Oct 2016 The pressure is mounting and the excitement building in Les Sables d’Olonne. In four days at 10 a.m. on Saturday 15th October, the Vendée Globe Village will open its doors until Sunday 6th November, when the 29 sailors will head out to sea.

Open every day from ten in the morning until eight in the evening with late opening until ten on Saturdays, the Vendée Globe Village offers three weeks of events, celebrations and there will be plenty to discover.

The town of Les Sables d’Olonne is very busy. They are putting the final touches to the installation of the Vendée Globe Village; the organisers are down there too and some boats are already moored up at the pontoon in Port Olona. The competitors all need to be present in Les Sables d’Olonne by Friday 14th October, the eve of the opening of the Village.

Port Olona is getting ready to welcome the 29 skippers and their teams, but also the media, partners and, of course, the crowds. For three weeks from 15th October to 6th November, the Vendée Globe Village will be the place to be to talk and meet people and discover the world of ocean racing and those involved. Exceptional arrangements are being put in place, which match the popularity of this major sporting event.

“The inauguration of the village on Saturday 15th October will be a highlight. It marks the start of the Vendée Globe, as all of the boats must be moored up at the pontoon,” explained Yves Auvinet, President of the SAEM Vendée at a press conference that took place this morning (Tuesday) in Les Sables d’Olonne. “The village will be spread out this year with a total surface area of 25,000 m² to allow everyone to discover the world of racing and sailors. The SAEM Vendée, as has always been the case, intends to make this as big an event for the general public as possible with free entry to almost all the areas.”

The 2016 Village has three goals: you can discover the boats, discover everything you need to know about the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe, with lots of activities for youngsters and the promotion of Vendée know-how. To give you a taste, here’s what you will find in the Village.

The legendary Vendée Globe pontoon
The pontoon on which the 29 IMOCA 60s will be moored will be at the heart of the village. The public will be able to stroll up and down and observe these boats from different generations, launched between 1998 and 2015. Some boats are legendary biats from the history of the Vendée Globe, having taken part in several editions. Others are brand new and will set off around the world for the first time. Visitors will in particular be able to admire the seven IMOCA 60s fitted with foils. The Vendée Globe pontoon will be accessible every day from Saturday 15th October to Friday 4th November from 10 in the morning to eight in the evening. On Saturday 5th November, it will be reserved for the skippers and their teams so they can finish their preparation before the start.

Vendée Council: the Vendée Globe exhibition
This 1200 square metre special display area has been fitted out by the Vendée Council to present the race and the skippers in an interactive and highly original way. You will also be able to discover their environment and way of life. Large format photographs, videos, “optical theatres,” a 360° immersive environment… Special events and displays have been developed to allow you to discover this eighth edition using the latest technologies.

Mixed area: Inside the Vendée Globe
A stage dedicated to those involved in the Vendée Globe will be where they come to talk and share their experiences. Those involved, teams and sponsors will be here each day to present the many different facets of a Vendée Globe project. This stage will also welcome many artists. A way to offer the general public a look at themes related to the race: the jobs, the environment, weather data, commitments, etc. Presented by Vincent Balard, many artists will go up onto the stage.

Visit a real IMOCA 60
Among the new features this year, a guided tour of a 60-foot IMOCA configured for solo sailing. The public will be able to discover the living space and the sort of onboard conditions that the competitors can expect. This helps convey the difficulty of the task that lies ahead for the 29 skippers registered. Visitors will also be able to visit the work area and get close up to see the shore teams preparing the boats before the big day. The boat in question is a legendary Vendée Globe boat as it is the former Aquitaine Innovations aboard which Yves Parlier completed the race in 2000-2001 under jury rig.

An exhibition to celebrate the 140 years of Gitana
Named “Gitana, enter the legend,” this 200 square metre display will be present in the Vendée Globe Village in Les Sables d’Olonne. Artistic and with lots of fun and games, the exhibition is a real invitation to travel and is based around themes that are accessible to young and old alike. Old objects, design parts, ancient and modern photos, but also a lot of multimedia content will be displayed. The exhibition will be free and open to all and in English as well as French.

A lot of special events

Sodebo’s dream box
Sodebo, loyal partner to the Vendée Globe since 2004, will be setting up a dream box. This is an 18 square metre container, which visitors can enter and see their dreams come to life. What this entails is wearing a 360° immersive helmet. Five extraordinary videos will be available on the following themes: flying, exploring, sailing, gliding and surfing.

Bars and Restaurants
The VOG, the Vendée Globe bar open to the public will once again be a place which brings people together and where they can talk and share their experiences. On the programme, there are shows, round tables, concerts, DJ Sets… With seating for 200, a bar that is more than 18m long, a fantastic sound system and a lot of things going on in a festive atmosphere, the VOG will be the ideal place for people to get together, including the general public, skippers and partners. Open every day from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., along with its restaurant the VOG will offer a place to relax, a children’s area and many other surprises... The Village will also have two other restaurants: “Le Bistrot” (gastronomic restaurant) and “Les Pontons” (a brasserie). There will also be a lot of takeaway food available including a Sodebo Food Truck.

Exhibitors’ area
Several hundred exhibitors come together here to present their products and new ideas to the general public. There is an area for partners and race sponsors, which will also be accessible to the general public. This area stretches out over almost 2500m². It is here in particular that you will find the official Vendée Globe store.

Promoting Vendée

The tourist office
This unit will highlight tourism in Vendée. Thanks to a lot of stands, the public will find many good reasons to spend their holidays in Vendée. There will be special events, like “Les Toqués du Vendée Globe”: every day from 15th October to 5th November from 11.30 to 1.30 p.m., the public will be able to watch a meal being made using local produce from Vendée, before tasting it.

Another event organised in the Tourism Centre from 5 to 6 in the afternoon on weekends: a talk show called “One woman, one skipper.” Mothers, wives, sponsors, friends and daughters of the skippers will reveal the hidden side of the sailors, but also tell us what it is like to remain ashore, while experiencing this adventure.

Official opening of the Village at 10 a.m. on Saturday 15th October
Yves Auvinet, President of the SAEM Vendée will officially cut the ribbon in the presence of Bruno Retailleau (Président de la Région des Pays de la Loire), Didier Gallot (maire de la Ville des Sables d’Olonne), Pascal Cadorel (Sodebo) and the 29 skippers in attendance. Then, all the sailors will get together at 12.30 for the traditional group photo down on the pontoon in Port Olona.

Three boats will be officially named on the Vendée Globe pontoon:
-At 4 p.m. on 29th October: Christening of Famille Mary-Etamine du Lys, Romain Attanasio’s monohull in the presence of his partner, Samantha Davies, and Catherine Chabaud, the boat’s godmother (2 of the 7 women, who have taken part in the Vendée Globe).
- 3rd November: naming of La Fabrique, the monohull that will be raced by the Swiss sailor, Alan Roura, the youngest competitor in the history of the Vendée Globe (23).
- At 7.30 p.m. on 4th November: Naming of Initiatives Cœur, the monohull sailed by Tanguy De Lamotte, 10th in the last edition and who is competing in the Vendée Globe for the second time.

“In the Streets of the Globe”
An urban and marine production from Dans les Rues du Globe, which invites the public to join them to discover around a hundred illustrations created for this eighth edition of the Vendée Globe. This special event includes two major highlights, which were extremely complicated to put in place. A gallery of portraits of each of the skippers from the 2016-2017 race printed on a 180 m long canvas (visible from the Vendée Globe Village), led to a very wet background for the 29 photos. A huge wave representing the Southern Ocean will be displayed on the silos that dominate the fishing harbour, illustrating the harsh conditions they can expect in this race.

Special activities for children
The new Children’s Museum, which opened in July 2016 around the theme of the sea in the Vendée History Museum and the Local Arts and Crafts School in Port du Bec, will all be putting on special activities in addition to those that can be found in the Village.

Press Centre
Race HQ, the press centre (open from 9 to 8 in the evening), the TV Compound and the business area (B to B) will only be accessible to those who have accreditation.

Useful info:
- Address: Port Olona – 85100 Les Sables D'Olonne
- Dates and opening times: From 15th October to 6th November every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Late openings until 10 p.m. on Saturdays (15th October, 22nd October, 29th October and 5th November). On the 6th November the Village will open at 7 a.m. to allow everyone to watch the boats leave the harbour and make their way out of the entrance channel from 8.50 a.m. (start at 1202hrs UTC)
- Free entry