For the 40 solo skippers who will start the Vendée Globe Sunday off Les Sables d’Olonne on the west coast of France, the first few hours look set to offer a relatively gentle introduction to the non-stop race around the world which takes place every four years.
Instead of the hazardous autumn storms which often buffet the Bay of Biscay in early November a benign 5-10 knots of wind is expected to send the record sized fleet of 40 IMOCA 60 footers on their way. Indeed many of the racers would prefer more wind to propel them southwards towards Cape Finisterre on the NW corner of Spain and open the giant fleet up quicker and so reduce the potential risk of collisions. The solo skippers, who variously expect to be at sea for between 70 and 110 days, will need to be on a state of high alert.
Even so the sailors are by and large pleased to be set for a slower and easier beginning to the race.
"For once, we are not going to get our butts kicked straight away ", jokes the Swiss race rookie Oliver Heer (Tut Gut). "There should be no big gusts of wind " adds fellow race rookie Guirec Soudée (Freelance.com) whilst the British skipper Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) who won the IMOCA Globe Series last year confirms that a calm start is expected.
“There should be a bit of fog in the morning. Then, we'll have a few knots of wind, from 0 to 8 knots. It could also be a bit frustrating if we have to wait for the wind to come in but we'll adapt", details the French skipper Louis Duc (Fives Group - Lantana Environnement).
Mist and fog could be a hazard early in the day. "We have to hope that it really clears before the start, it could be dangerous", estimated Paul Meilhat (Biotherm).
"Overall, it won't be very difficult it allows us to set off in a calm state of mind", explains Yoann Richomme, one of the pre-race favourites. The French skipper of PAPREC ARKÉA is enjoying being able to set off downwind, where his monohull is most comfortable. "There will be a bit of light downwind at the start which will get stronger as we move towards the South-West", explains Jérémie Beyou who is starting the race for the first time. "It's a much less stressful and engaging start than what we often experience at this time of year".
"It seems too good to be true"
Solo and double handed ocean race starts in recent years have been much less fortunate. On the Rolex Fastnet Race there were more than 40 knots of wind at the start. The start of the both the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe (2022) and the Transat Jacques Vabre (2023) were both postponed by a few days to avoid strong depressions which strafed the course.
"After these three races, the start of the Vendée Globe seems too good to be true" smiled the Hungarian Szabolcs Weöres (New Europe). "The start of the Vendée Globe rarely resembles Lake Balaton (in Hungary, Editor's note)". "It's never nice to start a 90-day race with 30 knots of wind" adds his Swiss counterpart and rival.
The start, big moments of high emotion... And a logistical exercise
These conditions will, of course, be great for spectators who can share the emotional moments as the skippers dock out from Port Olona and head down the famous channel of Les Sables d’Olonne setting off on their round the world challenge, known as the Everest of the Seas. From 0800hrs local time (0700hrs UTC) the skippers will cast off every three minutes and head for the open ocean, destination, they hope, Les Sables d’Olonne after completing the course which passes the three great Capes, Good Hope, Leeuwin and Cape Horn. Tens of thousands of fans will line the Channel, and the beaches for this final farewell to the solo sailors.
Race management and the sailors themselves are warning everyone who takes to the water to watch the start to exercise extreme caution on the water. "It will be a moment of very high tension no matter the weather" admits Guirec Soudée. "It is important to be vigilant and to take care to avoid collisions. It will be extremely intense from the start"
Once the starting gun has been fired and the first few miles have been covered, the fleet should therefore sail downwind.
"The wind should strengthen off Cape Finisterre," says the Swiss skipper Justine Mettraux (Teamwork-Team Snef). "But probably not getting up beyond 30 knots". "It will be important to have a good position during this transition.” Says Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA). “We should probably reach the trade winds with this same North-East flow," says French skipper Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée) who finished third on the last race.
Briton Pip Hare adds, “I think it is going to be kind to us. I would have preferred to have a bit more wind and I think everyone is a bit nervous about the fog. To be honest all anyone cares about is getting away safely. Down the line it looks complicated. I think we will get to Finisterre and then not 100% sure after that what it is looking like. We just need focus first and foremost on a safe start.”
Even if no winter depressions are forecast in first few days, the battle promises to be fierce. "The competition is going to be extremely intense from the start and it's quite possible that the whole fleet will make it all the way into the Indian Ocean," contends Burton. “And the conditions in the first hours and days could allow boats with straight daggerboards to be in the match.”
Kiwi Conrad Colman starting his second Vendée Globe explains “It looks light and downwind which is good for our daggerboard boats. But equally I am a little astonished about how much stuff we are taking on board. 100 days of food in boxes leaves little room for me! 100 days gives me 15 days extra which I hope not to use this time (Colman dismasted between the Azores and Portugal in 2017 and finished under a jury rig but had no food left). Despite the fact the boat is full I am still lighter than the other boats. We have less stuff dragging in the water. It will be nice. If we are well placed by Cape Finisterre that would be nice but I don’t have any pretensions it will last. We are looking at a relatively light downwind towards Cape Finisterre and then out and around the first anticyclone which is a little east of the Azores.”
They said:
Szabolcs Weöres (HUN, NEW EUROPE): "After the Transat Jacques Vabre, after the Route du Rhum, after the Fastnet Race it seems to be too good to be true. It looks good, maybe good for my boat. I think I have a good chance in light and tricky conditions. I always say when you get the weather not from the forecast but what you see around you from the boat, keeping your eyes out of the boat then I feel I can be quite good. It is not many times the start of the Vendée Globe can be a bit like Lake Balaton".
Ollie Heer (SUI Tut Gut): "For once I am very happy that we are not going out to get our butts kicked straight away and we will get some time to settle into it. It looks like a nice couple of days which will be good for my boat. And it is never nice to start a 90 days race in 30 knots of wind and so I am very happy with the forecast. Now it is all about sponsors and partners. I feel in good shape mentally and physically and happy to have these things to do to keep me a bit busy. But I want to go sailing".
Boris Herrmann (GER Malizia-Seaexplorer): "It is nice not to be starting into a big storm and so I feel a bit more relaxed about that. We should be good in the very light, we are the quickest boat in less than eight knots as I believe we have the smallest wetted surface with the round surface of the hull – theoretically the smallest would be a round sphere – and we are close to that. We have had a good build up nicely spread out over four years. It is so different to last time when I was really worried about testing positive for COVID and not being allowed to start. But I enjoy it this time being able to see people and enjoy it. But I am actually much more nervous this time, I don’t know why. I am super nervous".
Jingkun XU (CHN, Singchain Team Haikou) : "I am very excited and a little nervous. The start looks good for the spectators which is good as we have a lot of people over from China for the start. I think it will be good for them".
Kojiro Shiraishi (JPN, DMG MORI Global One) : "I feel good. I am very relaxed, very chilled we have a number of Japanese guests. And it might be a miracle because this might be the first race I start without getting seasick. I will do my best, always".
Giancarlo Pedote (ITA PRYSMIAN): “I think it will not be easy as the weather is very light. I think it is important Race Direction keep the boats clear around us. And so it will be so important to keep the eyes open and look out for everything. I am very quiet now and just very focused".