How many sailors will be taking part in the next Vendée Globe?
Bruno Retailleau: “So far 13 skippers have registered for the next Vendée Globe and around a dozen are still looking for partners and we hope to see them on the starting line, with people like Jean Le Cam, Yann Eliès, Dee Cafari, Erwan Tabarly, Jérémie Beyou, Sam Davies, Steve White, Juan Merediz, Alex Pella, Raphaël Dinelli and a few others. This all leads us to believe that in all we can expect between 15 and 20 sailors setting sail in the seventh Vendée Globe.”
 
Is the current crisis having an effect on the Vendée Globe?
Bruno Retailleau: “It is clear that the economic crisis affects sponsoring in general and more specifically the area of sailing. That is the reason why I personally have had discussions with a certain number of sponsors in order to lend support to the skippers. We are in contact with several firms, who may possibly invest in sailing. I should add that two meetings, one in Paris on 8th September and another in Nantes on 28th November, were set up with the aim attracting new potential sponsors.”
 
What effect does that have on the number of boats setting off in 2012?
Bruno Retailleau: “The number of boats does not directly influence the quality of the adventure itself. The Vendée Globe has always come up with between 15 and 20 sailors, with the exception of the last edition, which in this matter was rather exceptional. What is important is managing to achieve that perfect combination of boat performance and the skill of the sailors. The line-up for  2012-2013 will include some very experienced skippers like Armel Le Cleac’h and Marc Guillemot (2nd and 3rd in the last race), as well as Jean-Pierre Dick and Vincent Riou, and they represent a solid base for this race, but alongside them there will be some young guns like François Gabart. It is only logical and healthy that there is an ongoing rotation in the competitors taking part. As in each edition of the race, there will be some real adventurers like the Italian, Alessandro di Benedetto, who has already sailed around the world aboard a small 6.50 m boat and there’s also the Spaniard, Juan Merediz.”
 
Your desire is to make the event as international as possible?
Bruno Retailleau: “What is interesting about major events is that they can have an influence beyond our borders, which is a key goal for our department (Vendée). All that implies competitors coming from a wide range of backgrounds, and we have particularly targeted Spain and Britain and concentrated on them. Meetings have been held in Barcelona and London to make the media, sponsors and skippers aware of what the Vendée Globe has to offer. Based on the people who attended and the media coverage, I think this first step has been a success.”
 
What innovations are planned for 2012?
Bruno Retailleau: “It is still a bit too early to reveal everything, but we really want to open up and share this exceptional experience of the Vendée Globe with everyone. Firstly, at the start, with an even bigger village in Les Sables d’Olonne, in order to welcome even more people to the event. We also want to put on a bigger show in Paris, where we would like to set up the HQ once again at the foot of the Montparnasse Tower. We are looking at all the possibilities to ensure that the general public will be able to experience the event even more deeply, with new technologies allowing us to be even more creative than in then past.”