Vendée Globe

A Brazilian environmental protection area, which is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the islands of Fernando de Noronha are in the path of the Vendée Globe competitors, as they head back up the Atlantic to les Sables d’Olonne.

On Sunday evening, Michel Desjoyeaux passed within 14 miles of this little paradise for scuba divers and nature lovers. Unfortunately for him, there was no time for any tourism. No time to go and admire these magical islands with their extraordinary range of flora and fauna. Tuna, marlin, dolphins, sharks, whales and tortoises are among the islands’ protected species. The islands are also home to the largest concentration of tropical sea birds and flowers that cannot be found anywhere else in the Atlantic. The Rocas atoll is a real-life aquarium, which is why Darwin came here to study some of the endemic species in the 19th Century. To preserve the environment, tourism has been wisely managed.

Discovered in 1500 by the Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos, who was part of the expedition that went on to discover Brazil, the islands of Fernando de Noronha were described for the first time by the Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, who later gave his first name to the whole of the newly discovered continent. Abandoned by the Portuguese, the islands were annexed in the 17th Century by the Dutch, then the French, who called them Delphine Island. Its strategic importance interested the Portuguese again and they regained possession in the 18th Century.
Made up of 21 islands, they stretch out over 26 square kilometres, two-thirds of which make up the main island of Noronha. Of volcanic origin, they form part of the South Atlantic ridge less than 200 miles north-east of Natal, the nearest Brazilian city. Throughout the year, these islands benefit from the SE’ly trade winds from the St. Helena high, which enabled Michel Desjoyeaux to speed by them yesterday at more than 15 knots. The currents are also favourable for those on the way back up the Atlantic heading towards the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne.

Loïc Le Bras

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