Vendée Globe
First held1989
Typesingle-handed non-stop round-the-world race
ClassesIMOCA 60
StartLes Sables-d'Olonne
FinishLes Sables-d'Olonne
Length24,000 nmi (44,000 km)
ChampionsMaître Coq IV
Yannick Bestaven
Most titlesMichel Desjoyeaux (2)
Websitewww.vendeeglobe.org

The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop round the world yacht race.[1][2] The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989,[3] and since 1992 has taken place every four years. It is named after the Département of Vendée, in France, where the race starts and ends. The Vendée Globe is considered an extreme quest of individual endurance and the ultimate test in ocean racing.[4][5]

The race

History

The race was founded as "The Globe Challenge" in 1989 by French yachtsman Philippe Jeantot.[6] Jeantot had competed in the BOC Challenge in 1982–83 and 1986–87, winning the 60-foot class ("Class I") both times. The BOC Challenge was sailed in stages with sailors being given the chance to rest and repair their boats at ports around the world.[6]Unsatisfied with the race's format, he decided to set up a new round-the-world non-stop race, which he felt would be the ultimate challenge for single-handed sailors.[7]

The first race was run in 1989–90, and was won by Titouan Lamazou; Jeantot himself took part, and placed fourth.[8] The next race was in 1992–93; and it has since then been run every four years. The inaugural race included 11 Frenchmen, one South African (Bertie Reed) and one American (Mike Plant).[9]

Yachts

Hommage au Vendée Globe by Raphaël Toussaint, 1999

The race is open to monohull yachts conforming to the Open 60 class criteria. Prior to 2004, the race was also open to Open 50 boats. The Open classes are unrestricted in certain aspects, but a box rule governs parameters such as overall length, draught, appendages and stability, as well as numerous other safety features.

The race presents significant challenges; most notably the severe wind and wave conditions in the Southern Ocean, the long unassisted duration of the race, and the fact that the course takes competitors far from the reach of any normal emergency response. A significant proportion of the entrants usually retire, and in the 1996–97 race Canadian Gerry Roufs was lost at sea.[10]

Course

The race starts and finishes in Les Sables-d'Olonne, in the Département of Vendée, in France; both Les Sables d’Olonne and the Vendée Conseil Général are official race sponsors.[11] The course is essentially a circumnavigation along the clipper route: from Les Sables d’Olonne, down the Atlantic Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope; then clockwise around Antarctica, keeping Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn to port; then back to Les Sables d’Olonne.[12] The race generally covers approximately 24,000 nautical miles (44,000 km) and runs from November to February, timed to place the competitors in the Southern Ocean during the austral summer.[13]

Ice Exclusion Zone

Additional waypoints may be set in the sailing instructions for a particular race, in order to ensure safety relative to ice conditions, weather, etc.[14]

The competitors may stop at anchor, but may not draw alongside a quay or another vessel; they may receive no outside assistance, including customised weather or routing information. The only exception is that a competitor who has an early problem may return to the start for repairs and then restart the race, as long as the restart is within 10 days of the official start.

Qualification

To mitigate the risks, competitors are required to undergo medical and survival courses. They must also be able to demonstrate prior racing experience; either a completed single-handed trans-oceanic race or the completion of a previous Vendée Globe. The qualifying race must have been completed on the same boat as the one the sailor will race in the Vendée Globe; or the competitor must complete an additional trans-oceanic observation passage, of not less than 2,500 miles (4,000 km), at an average speed of at least 7 knots (13 km/h), with his or her boat.

Race Editions

1st Edition: 1989–1990

2nd Edition: 1992–1993

3rd Edition: 1996–1997

4th Edition: 2000–2001

5th Edition: 2004–2005

6th Edition: 2008–2009

7th Edition: 2012–2013

8th Edition: 2016–2017

9th Edition: 2020–2021

10th Edition: 2024–2025

Results

Overall winners

Overall winners' times

EdYearSkipperBoat Name24hr RunEquatorCape of Good HopeLeeuwinCape HornEquatorFinish Line
11989–1990 Titouan LamazouÉcureuil d'Aquitaine II304 nm 109d 08h 48m
21992–1993 Alain GautierBagages Superior339 nm 110d 02h 22m
31996–1997 Christophe AuguinGeodis 105d 20h 31m
42000–2001 Michel DesjoyeauxPRB 2 93d 03h 57m
52004–2005 Vincent RiouPRB 2 10d 12h 13m24d 02h 18m36d 09h 48m56d 15h 13m72d 11h 24m86d 32h 13m
62008–2009 Michel DesjoyeauxFoncia466 nm 13d 15h 41m27d 00h 34m37d 31h 23m56d 15h 08m71d 17h 12m84d 03h 09m
72012–2013 François GabartMacif534 nm 11d 00h 20m23d 03h 43m34d 10h 23m52d 06h 18m66d 01h 39m78d 02h 16m
82016–2017 Armel Le Cléac'hBanque Populaire VIII 09d 09h 56m18d 03h 30m28d 20h 12m47d 00h 32m61d 12h 21m74d 03h 36m
92020–2021 Yannick BestavenMaître Coq IV481.8 (7th) 35d 01h 25m55d 00h 22m69d 13h 16m80d 03h 44m

Farthest distance covered in 24 hours

EditionYearSkipperBoat Namenautical miles/24h
11989–1990Titouan LamazouÉcureuil d'Aquitaine II304
21992–1993Alain GautierBagages Superior339
31996–1997Yves ParlierAquitaine Innovations374
42000–2001Dominique WavreUnion bancaire privée430
52004–2005Roland JourdainSill et Veolia439
62008–2009Michel DesjoyeauxFoncia466
72012–2013François GabartMacif534
82016–2017Alex ThomsonHugo Boss 6536
92020–2021Thomas RuyantLinkedOut515

Winners' participation and equipment

Skipper Previous Participation and Boat Information
YearSkipperPrevious
Start/Finish (Best)		Name of BoatSail No.DesignerBuilderYear LaunchedNotesRef.
1989–1990 Titouan Lamazou (FRA)N/A Écureuil d'Aquitaine II Luc Bouvet
Olivier Petit		Chantier Capitaine Flint1989 [15]
1992–1993 Alain Gautier (FRA)1 / 1 6th Bagages Superior Finot-ConqCDK Technologies (FRA)1992Aluminum Construction [16]
1996–1997 Christophe Auguin (FRA)Never Geodis Finot-ConqJMV Industries (FRA)1994 [17]
2000–2001 Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA)Never PRB 2FRA 85 Finot-ConqMag (FRA)1999 [18]
2004–2005 Vincent Riou (FRA)Never
2008–2009 Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA)1 / 1 (1st) FonciaFRA 101 Farr Yacht DesignCDK Technologies (FRA)2007 [19]
2012–2013 François Gabart (FRA)Never MacifFRA 301 Verdier / VPLPCDK Technologies (FRA)
Green Marine (GBR)		2011 [20]
2016–2017 Armel Le Cléac'h (FRA)2 / 2 (2nd) Banque Populaire VIIIFRA 18 Verdier / VPLPCDK Technologies (FRA)2015 [21]
2020–2021 Yannick Bestaven (FRA)1 / 0 Maître Coq IVFRA 17 Verdier / VPLPCDK Technologies (FRA)2015-03-02Hydrofoil [22]

Starters, finishers and nationalities

1989–901992–931996–972000–012004–052008–092012–132016–172020–21Total
Finishers Overall
Total Finishers776151312111825114
First Time Finishers756131095111884
Start/Finish Percentage54%50%40%62.5%65%40%55%62%75.8%56%
Male775141110111821104
Male - First Time75512875111474
Female--11220-410
Female - First Time--11220-410
Starters
Total131415242030202933198
First Time13101215121651418115
Male131413221828192927183
Male - First Time13101013101441413101
Female00222210615
Female - First Time00222200513
Starter Age
Youngest27*30*2824292527232727
Oldest46*64*5759495857666166
Mean38*39*3839394142444340
Starters' Nationality
AUS10.51.5
AUT112
BEL112
CAN10.512.5
ESP1111116
FIN11
FRA118.51112.512.51712.52022127
GBR2243731426
GER1.51.5
HUN1113
ITA120.514.5
IRL11
JPN112
NED11
NZL0.50.5
POL11
RSA11
RUS11
SUI0.52.51221110
USA1111.54.5

Note * Some sailors' dates of birth unknown

See also

IMOCA races
Other races
Former races including
Other speed sailing records

References

  1. ↑ SSN Staff (13 November 2016). "Vendée Globe: Thomson Leads into the Doldrums". Scuttlebutt Sailing News. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  2. ↑ VendéeGlobe.org Staff (13 November 2016). "Home Page, Vendée Globe 2016–2017 [race]". vendeeglobe.org. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  3. ↑ BBC Staff (27 January 2013). "Vendee Globe 2012–13: Francois Gabart Breaks Solo Record [BBC Sport: Sailing]". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  4. ↑ Museler, Chris (9 November 2008). "Racers in Vendée Globe Start Nonstop Solo Quest". New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2008. Compared with other global ocean races […] the Vendée Globe is considered the most extreme sailing event in the world
  5. ↑ "Vendée Globe: Sailing's Everest". The Independent. 11 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 The Museum of Yachting (14 November 2016) [1990]. "Philippe Jeantot, 1952–". The Single-Handed Sailors' Hall of Fame. Newport, RI: The Museum of Yachting. Retrieved 14 November 2016 – via Windlass Creative [Sally Anne Santos]. [Quote:] Inducted to Single-Handed Sailors' Hall of Fame, 1990.
  7. ↑ "Introduction". Vendée Globe. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Edition 1989/1990 : Une grande course est née". Vendée Globe (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2004. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "Vendée Globe 1989–90". Vendée Globe. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  10. ↑ Evans, Jeremy (1 April 2008). Sailing. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. p. 317. ISBN 978-1-4053-3472-3. Tragically, another life was lost as French Canadian Gerry Roufs was lost at sea
  11. ↑ VendéeGlobe.org Staff (13 November 2016). "Partners – Vendée Globe 2016–2017". vendeeglobe.org. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  12. ↑ Nielsen, Peter (11 May 2016). "Inside the Vendée Globe". Sail Magazine. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Vendee Globe: The race to the end of the world". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  14. ↑ Laven, Kate (3 December 2012). "Vendee Globe 2012–13: Dicing with ice as fleet heads into desolate Southern Ocean". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  15. ↑ "Boat History Page". Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  16. ↑ "Boat History Page". Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  17. ↑ "Boat History Page". Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  18. ↑ "Document sans titre". Histoiredeshalfs.com. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "Boat History Page". Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  20. ↑ "Boat History Page". Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  21. ↑ Thierry Tazé-Bernard (15 January 2015). "Armel Le Cléac'h dévoile son novateur Banque Populaire VIII". francetvsport.fr. Retrieved 20 January 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  22. ↑ "IMOCA Class Website Boat Profile". IMOCA Class Association. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
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