Vendee Globe - Acciona 100% Ecopowered ready for battle

by Acciona Sailing on 11 Oct 2012 In just thirty days’ time, the Acciona 100% Ecopowered, a unique world-beating project in the field of renewable energies and eco-efficiency, will take on its long-awaited challenge: the Vendée Globe.

Javier Sansó and the ground-breaking Imoca 60 Acciona 100% EcoPowered are edging towards the starting line of the world’s most demanding sailing event, the Vendée Globe, which gets under way shortly in the French seaport of Les Sables D’Olonne.

The Majorca-born skipper, who took his first shot at this race back in the year 2000, is among this year’s competitors, backed by Acciona and at the helm of the IMOCA 60 Acciona 100% EcoPowered, the world’s first and only 100% eco-efficient racing sailboat. The aim is twofold: to be the second Spaniard ever to cross the finish line and to showcase renewable energies as the way ahead towards a cleaner future.

These two challenges are quite clear and frayed nerves are understandable, as Sansó points out.

'The boat is ready for the off and so am I. Everything’s under control, with just a few loose ends that need tying up. We’re in a better position than I’d initially thought a year ago. The power systems are completely reliable and we have many ways of showing that eco-efficiency is possible in a high-caliber, large-scale event like the Vendée Globe. I’m in peak condition mentally and physically, and I’m really focused. The team has done a fantastic job! It’s a real dream team, the best. Everyone’s worked extremely hard and that makes me hugely Acciona website