Who are the favorites? Who are the outsiders? Who might spring a surprise? Forty solo sailors set off on Sunday November 10 here’s a look at the line up and who might do what…

THE FAVORITES. A gang of seven
This super seven are most regularly tipped as the favourites. An unmissable, unquestionable favourite is Charlie Dalin. He crossed the finish line first in 2021 and finished second overall after time compensation that several sailors, including the winner, Yannick Bestaven, benefited from. Since then, Dalin has won the Vendée-Arctique (2022), the Rolex Fastnet Race (2023) and the New York-Vendée Les Sables d'Olonne (2024). He has a new Verdier boat, MACIF Santé Prévoyance, which has impressed since its launch. "I feel like I've made a lot of progress and am stronger than last time," he confides. "But I'm not the only one!"

So too, though, Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) who has been just as impressive since the last edition. The sailor from the north of France won the last two Transat Jacques Vabre two handed races(2021, 2023) and the solo Route du Rhum (2022). He also reckons he  "has a boat that can win". But then there is also Jérémie Beyou who is preparing to set off for a fifth consecutive Vendée Globe campaign. "I feel like I've experienced everything in this race except actually winning", admits the skipper of Charal who launched his new Manuard boat in 2022 and who has really benefited from the expertise of Franck Cammas to help make it fast and reliable.

TWO NEWCOMERS  
Added to this trio are two newcomers: Yoann Richomme and Britain’s Sam Goodchild. Yoann Richomme is flying the colours of PAPREC ARKÉA  racing a close sistership of VULNERABLE. Double winner of the Solitaire du Figaro and the Route du Rhum (in Class40), he has already won two transatlantic races in IMOCA (Retour à la Base in 2023, The Transat last spring). Sam Goodchild, for his part, took over the ex-LinkedOut (VULNERABLE) from Thomas Ruyant and scored two podiums (3rd in the Transat Jacques Vabre and Retour à la Base) and is IMOCA Globe Series champion.

This list of favourites must also include Germany’s Boris Hermann (Malizia -Seaexplorer) and Briton Sam Davies (Initiatives-Cœur), two of the skippers who have sailed the most nautical miles since the last Vendée Globe. Herrmann has podiumed in The Ocean Race (3rd), The Transat CIC (2nd) and New York-Vendée Les Sables d’Olonne (2nd). Sam Davies has been on the podium for the first time in the IMOCA last spring (3rd in The Transat CIC) and is out for a kind of revenge, four years after her enforced retirement into Cape Town.

THE OUTSIDERS. A tightly matched ‘top 10’
There are many who hope to be in the ‘top 10’,  and dream of a ‘top 5’. In this category, there are those who are used to the top ten places in previous races. This is the case for Switzerland's Justine Mettraux who has the ex-Charal1 (TeamWork – Team Snef), Sébastien Simon who benefits from the ex-11th Hour winner of The Ocean Race (Groupe Dubreuil) or Benjamin Dutreux (GUYOT-environnement-Water Family) one of the revelations of the last edition. 

Many are very experienced: the defending champion Yannick Bestaven (Maître Coq V), Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée) on the podium of the last Vendée Globe, Franco German Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) and Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian). Paul Meilhat (Biotherm), is back after a first participation in 2016, and Nicolas Lunven (HOLCIM-PRB) are super experienced and will be in the match for sure. Maxime Sorel (V and B – Monbana – Mayenne) and Damien Seguin (Groupe APICIL), whose relationships with their sponsors ends at the end of the Vendée Globe, will be keen to shine. Romain Attanasio (Fortinet -Best Western), Switzerland’s Alan Roura (Hublot) who races the former boat of Alex Thomson and starts his third Vendée Globe and Clarisse Crémer (L’Occitane en Provence) will also be keen to battle for the ‘top 10’ starting her second race as will the Briton Pip Hare (Medallia) who finished 9th on the New York Vendée and 11th on the Retour à La Base. Meantime Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline) who is setting off for a fifth Vendée Globe and Japan’s Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG MORI Global One) who is taking part in his third race.

THE BATTLE OF THE DAGGERBOARD BOATS 
Alongside the foilers, 16 daggerboard boats are also setting off. While they do not have the same speed qualities as the foilers, they can often hold their own depending on the conditions. Jean Le Cam and Benjamin Dutreux demonstrated this on the last edition by finishing 4th and 9th respectively. This year, Jean Le Cam has a new David Raison designed daggerboard boat (Tout commence en Finistère – Armor-lux) which is identical to that of Éric Bellion (STAND AS ONE). Up against them, they will face the passion of Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur – DUO for a JOB), the adventurous character of Guirec Soudée (Freelance.com), the youthful energy of Violette Dorange (DeVenir), the relentless drive of Tanguy Le Turquais (Lazare) and the audacity of Louis Duc (Fives Group-Lantana Environnement).

Manuel Cousin (Coup de Pouce) and Fabrice Amedeo (Nexans - Wewise) were on the starting line during the 2020-2021 edition, just like New Zealander Conrad Colman (MS Amlin) was in 2016, also hope to have their say. We will also be following closely the first Vendée Globe of the Chinese racer Jingkun Xu (Singchain Team Haikou), the Swiss skipper Oliver Heer (Tug Gut), the Belgian Denis Van Weynbergh (D’Ietieren Group), the Hungarian Szabolcs Weöres (New Europe) and the French skipper Sébastien Marsset (FOUSSIER) and Antoine Cornic (Human Immobilier).