Please select your home edition
Edition
V-DRY-X

Eve of the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne Race

by Julia Huvé 3 Jul 2020 13:36 PDT 4 July 2020
Sailors prepare on the eve of the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne © François Van Meleghem

The eve of the start of the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne has been a rather strange day, punctuated by the health protocol imposed by the organisation and a delivery trip to Les Sables d'Olonne for all the boats in the fleet. An odd situation all in all, but sport is back in the frame!

This Friday 3 July will be remembered as a day unlike any other, during what is an unprecedented period. On the eve of the battle, it feels like a win for freedom thanks to sheer willpower. It has been marked by the cohesion of a Class IMOCA carried along by the urgent need to present a fleet in perfect working order on 8 November 2020, in the channel linking Les Sables d'Olonne with the sea, for the start of the Vendée Globe.

In 24 hours' time, the fleet will take the start of the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne yet, on this Friday 3 July, the solo skippers have left the dock of their port of registry in crewed configuration. In Port-la-Forêt, La Trinité-sur-Mer, Lorient, Les Sables d'Olonne and La Rochelle, the same well-oiled ritual took place in accordance with the strict protocol. Indeed, before stepping aboard the boat with two, three or four sailors including the skipper, everyone took a PCR swab test, which in under 24 hours will tell the patient whether or not he or she is a carrier of the Covid-19 virus.

There was a real buzz in Lorient since half the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne fleet is based there or stopped off there. A shed at the dock housed a temporary medical space (one table, two chairs). Two biologists, one nurse and the official race doctor, Dr Thierry Charland, hosted the skippers and their teams, all of whom had already been tested at the start of the week. "We made this pre-start test compulsory for the skippers and crews who will be making the delivery trip to ensure that everyone has a negative result, explains Thierry Charland (Association Médicale Course au Large). It's also vital in the event of damage to ensure the preservation of the emergency channels with sailors who are not contaminated."

A problem?

No problem, assures Giancarlo Pedote, skipper of Prysmian Group: "It's important for ourselves and for others that we take these tests. Our sport suffers all kinds of incidents and, should we have to disembark in a port other than our port of registry, we need to be able to say that we are healthy". The Italian sailor and his fellow skippers will get the results at around noon on Saturday, namely three and a half hours before the start of the race. Everyone hopes that this device will not become a ritual, but it proved to be such a convincing way of ensuring everyone's safety that French offshore racing has been the first to gain the right to get back down to competition.

Antoine Mermod, President of the Class IMOCA: "The story of this unusual start dates back to 19 March when we had the red carpet leading to the Vendée Globe pulled out from under us. At that point, we had to tread a rather different path and get everything and everyone back on their feet. We witnessed the initial programme crumbling around us, so we rethought things and got things going again. Getting back down to competition was difficult, because we had to secure a great many authorisations, but the level of trust that unites the members of the Class IMOCA enabled us to remove all the barriers surrounding our sport at the moment by getting everyone to agree to these restrictive and necessary health protocols."

A race with no village

For some sailors, this race with no village means that they have somehow lost their bearings in the carfully drawn up mental protocols. Indeed, for Maxime Sorel (VandB - Mayenne), "it lacks the boost you get from sharing with the public, but I know that I'm going to set sail well rested."

Nothing surprises Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group): "Our job is a story of constant adaptation, to the weather and to race situations. It's not too much of a nuisance to have missed out on the usual 'village' period to project our minds forward into the race."

Meantime, Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Cœur), intends to make the most of the hours she has ahead of her, on her boat, awaiting the start procedures: "There will be four of us aboard, including Paul Meilhat, who's supporting me with the project. I'm happy to have 24 hours to fully concentrate on the race, as my role over the past week has centred on being a mum at home, alone with my son. As such, I'm going to be able to give everything a thorough check, get some rest and get myself in skipper mode."

Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) also has a programme to keep him busy for the next 24 hours: "I'm going to do an in-depth study of the weather and make the most of the time to get some proper rest and eat well. We're going to test two or three small things on the water and fine-tune the last little details. I feel a mix of excitement and anxiety, so pretty much the same as every start."

Jérémie Beyou (Charal) is never short of good ideas: "The Pôle Finistère Course au large training cluster is preparing a weather briefing for us tomorrow morning. We're going to moor the boat beside the island of Belle-Île, in a spot where there's a signal, so we can benefit from the latest analysis from Jean-Yves Bernot (weather guru)."

Calm 'action stations' in Les Sables d'Olonne

In La Trinité-sur-Mer, L'Occitane en Provence was relaunched and is ready to race. Not even two weeks ago, Armel Tripon's IMOCA hit an unidentified floating object resulting in a massive hole in the bow and a gigantic repair operation to get the skipper from Nantes back out on the water.

In Les Sables, Race Management has also been working in a rather unique atmosphere, "it's as if the lack of routine has quashed the usual emulation, says Gwen Chapalain, head of the organisation.It's quite a special intellectual construction". Local skippers, Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline - Artisans Artipôle) and Manuel Cousin (Groupe SÉTIN) had to head out of the channel from Les Sables d'Olonne early this afternoon and wait around offshore in the hope of crossing paths with Yannick Bestaven (Maître-CoQ), who was coming up from La Rochelle. "It certainly is a strange atmosphere, smiles Arnaud Boissières. There aren't many people about, it's strangely quiet. We're certainly getting into race mode later than usual."

Competition comes in all forms though: the sports event that comes with a thousand challenges; the race that will rally together 130 volunteers eager to ensure the start runs smoothly, both at sea and on land; 20 skippers and their shore teams, logistics and communications teams, all working hard to go into battle alone along a 3,556-mile race that will take them to the south of Iceland before dropping down to the Azores on what promises to be a complex and breathtaking race. Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori), the flamboyant fifty-something, has a very good grasp of the performance: "I hope it will be an important step forward for our sport. It is a real message of hope that the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne is able to take place". As was nicely described by another organiser of sports events: "There will be fewer people, yes, but there will be just as many smiles."

Key Dates: (French Time)

  • Friday 3rd July
    All boats depart to make the delivery trip to the start line in Les Sables d'Olonne
    15:00hrs: Press briefing with Race Management

  • Saturday 4th July
    13:00hrs: Deadline for competitors to arrive at the start zone
    15:30hrs (LIVE TV): Start of the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne

  • From 14th July to 18th July
    Boats finish in Les Sables d'Olonne

Find out more at www.imoca.org/en/races/imoca-globe-series/vendee-arctique-les-sables-d-olonne

Related Articles

Everything to know about The Ocean Race Europe
One month to go to the race start in Kiel One month out from the start of the 2025 edition of The Ocean Race Europe seven mixed-gender crews made up of sailors from across 13 nations are in the throes of their final preparations for the Race start in Kiel, Germany. Posted on 10 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe Video Preview
We speak to Phil Lawrence, Peter Rusch & Pip Hare to find out more The Ocean Race Europe will take place between 10 August & 21 September, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. The racing is in IMOCA yachts, the same as the Vendée Globe, but this time with 4 crew and an OBR who will document the action on board. Posted on 8 Jul
Tom Dolan flies to the finish in Course des Caps
Irish offshore champion finishes 5th in 2,000-nautical-mile race around Britain and Ireland Irish offshore sailor Tom Dolan has completed the Course des Caps in an impressive 5th place, racing aboard the IMOCA 60 Charal alongside legendary skipper Jérémie Beyou. Posted on 7 Jul
Goodchild takes his first win in the IMOCA Class
After a dominant performance in the Course des Caps The British skipper Sam Goodchild celebrated his first victory in the IMOCA Class yesterday after crossing the finish line of the Course des Caps - Boulogne-sur-Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, a 1,800-nautical mile sprint around Britain and Ireland. Posted on 6 Jul
Biotherm has arrived in Kiel
Ahead of the Start of The Ocean Race Europe on 10th August At 1:00 am on Saturday 5 July, Biotherm came alongside in Kiel's marina, north-east Germany, following a 48-hour delivery trip across the Baltic Sea. Posted on 6 Jul
Team Malizia secures 4th in Course des Caps
After thrilling high-speed finale to Boulogne-sur-Mer After six days of intense racing around the British Isles, Team Malizia crossed the finish line in Boulogne-sur-Mer to secure an impressive fourth place in the Course des Caps 2025. Posted on 5 Jul
Holcim-PRB finishes 3rd in the Course des Caps
Despite a bowsprit failure occurring just 40 nautical miles from the finish After 6 days, 4 hours, and 26 minutes of intense sailing around the British Isles, the Holcim-PRB crew crossed the finish line of the Course des Caps Boulogne-sur-Mer – Banque Populaire du Nord, completing a route as demanding as it was strategic. Posted on 5 Jul
MACIF Santé Prévoyance wins Course des Caps Race
An exceptional performance in terms of speed and focus throughout the race This Saturday, July 5, the IMOCA MACIF Santé Prévoyance crossed the finish line of the Cape Race in Boulogne-sur-Mer in first place. After six days at sea, the crew achieved an exceptional performance in terms of speed and focus throughout the race. Posted on 5 Jul
Sam Goodchild in the Course des Caps
The final phase is full of potential pitfalls Sam Goodchild, the British skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance who has been dominating the IMOCA round Britain and Ireland race since the start of the third day, says the goal now is to focus on the complex finishing section. Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC One preview
Beyond the French legends there is plenty of international talent with podium potential With 17 editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race to his name, including five class victories along the way and an outright victory in 2015, could anyone bet against Géry Trentesaux doing it again? Posted on 4 Jul
Lloyd Stevenson - Catalyst Yacht Tender 1456x180px BOTTOMNorth Sails Loft 57 PodcastC-Tech 2021 America's Cup 728x90 BOTTOM