Fourteen days to go, and as far as the world of the Vendée Globe village goes it might as well be fourteen hours. It is that busy. 150,000 visitors have been counted through the village in the first week.
The fact that there are few skippers around, that a high proportion choose this weekend to disappear and enjoy their ‘me’ time, seems not to bother the thousands of visitors who arrive to enjoy their day out.
Before ten, when the 10,000 sq foot village opens, like a summer rock festival or ‘the Sales’ at Christmas there is already a queue at the gates to be first in for the day. The focus of everyone’s attention is the long finger pontoon, home to the 28 IMOCA Open 60’s, the absentees at the moment are, of course ‘The English Patients’- Hugo Boss and Spirit of Weymouth.
The circulation of the pontoons takes the visitors past the remarkable fleet of 15 new Beneteau Antares power cruisers lined up to do their media duties on start day, and a huge rank and file armada of no fewer than 60 Zodiac RIBS likewise showcasing world renowned Vendée based companies.
The pontoon itself is a remarkable sight. The Vendée Globe is a race accomplished or at least attempted by extraordinary people but loved by ordinary people, and the key ethos has always been to bring the race to the people. Hence there is pretty much nothing but a few centimetres of airspace, water and a few fenders between the boats, skippers, shore-crews, and the legions of visitors.
If this was an F1 grand prix it would be akin to letting the public wander at will round the pit lane and into the team garages while the cars are being prepared. The skippers may be stars in this rarefied world, but there is no security. They walk down the same dock through the crowd, either reduced to a snail’s pace as they sign autographs and answer repeated questions for photos or attempting to shuffle through anonymously, sunglasses on and hats pulled down over their eyes.
And there is a wonderful, simple unanimity which permeates the races. The crowd are as interested in the low budget ‘triers’ - the adventurers out to test their personal limits – as they are the rock star presences, the Michel Desjoyeaux, Vincent Riou, Loick Peyron, Bilou, Jean Le Cam, or the Brits Golding and Thomson. Indeed, for many, the simple quest is no more than to put a ‘face’ to a boat, or more ambitiously to collect a full set of skippers’ autographs on the official poster.
Similarly there is no pole position on the dockside grid, no hierarchy. The order is ranked by who completed entry and administration first, with the caveat that having protruding deck-spreaders impose certain areas.
Shore-side just as the race entry itself is 50 percent bigger than 2004, the footprint of the race village has grown proportionately as well. There is a whole new commercial area on the west dockside, given over to companies selling products or services which must have some association with the sea: hence no hawking miracle car cleaners, no wonder tools, no get poor quick off plan property companies.
There has been a substantial rise in the space given over to interactive and educational displays. There is a big Espace Presentation Course which charts the history of the race, which has fantastic models of many of previous competing craft, a chance to celebrate and learn the rich history of the event. And there is a lovely education space where the kids get to learn, and usually meet the skippers. Over the course of the three weeks preceding the start more than 10,000 children come with their schools. The skippers have a roster to appear in the educatif area, just as they are each required to meet many groups of kids and answer their questions. The kids arrive from all schools all over the Vendée region and Brittany in organised trips, but many more come on an ad-hoc basis. There is a comprehensive education pack for the schools. It is more than an away-day from the classroom, and becomes a focal point for geography, maths, weather, studies among other things.
And in the evenings there is no shortage of entertainment in the village, with bands, light shows and video displays.
This week the autumn holidays start. The first week is mainly visitors from the local area, from Nantes, the Loire, Brittany, but now Les Sables d’Olonne starts to welcome visitors from Paris, from all over France, and an increasing number from other parts of Europe.
The lounges and bars have been extended significantly in this temporary city. The gates are named after the oceans, and there are the Kerguelen and Gascogne lounges, as well as large modular lounges more given over to corporate and institutional entertaining, the largest of which will accommodate 500 people.
The corporate entertaining side is a vital component but there are no obvious high flying VIP’s in suits muscling through the crowds, no limos drawing up at the gates. Vendée Globe champion Vincent Riou’s sponsors PRB bring more than 5,000 guests, and Jean le Cam’s supporters VM Materiaux bring 8000.
Of course the weather is important and a blocking high pressure system, just the kind that the leading skippers won’t want to see on the arrival next year, is currently nicely deflecting the bad weather to the north and is giving fantastic Indian summer sunshine and light winds.
Now that is perfect planning.
Before ten, when the 10,000 sq foot village opens, like a summer rock festival or ‘the Sales’ at Christmas there is already a queue at the gates to be first in for the day. The focus of everyone’s attention is the long finger pontoon, home to the 28 IMOCA Open 60’s, the absentees at the moment are, of course ‘The English Patients’- Hugo Boss and Spirit of Weymouth.
The circulation of the pontoons takes the visitors past the remarkable fleet of 15 new Beneteau Antares power cruisers lined up to do their media duties on start day, and a huge rank and file armada of no fewer than 60 Zodiac RIBS likewise showcasing world renowned Vendée based companies.
The pontoon itself is a remarkable sight. The Vendée Globe is a race accomplished or at least attempted by extraordinary people but loved by ordinary people, and the key ethos has always been to bring the race to the people. Hence there is pretty much nothing but a few centimetres of airspace, water and a few fenders between the boats, skippers, shore-crews, and the legions of visitors.
If this was an F1 grand prix it would be akin to letting the public wander at will round the pit lane and into the team garages while the cars are being prepared. The skippers may be stars in this rarefied world, but there is no security. They walk down the same dock through the crowd, either reduced to a snail’s pace as they sign autographs and answer repeated questions for photos or attempting to shuffle through anonymously, sunglasses on and hats pulled down over their eyes.
And there is a wonderful, simple unanimity which permeates the races. The crowd are as interested in the low budget ‘triers’ - the adventurers out to test their personal limits – as they are the rock star presences, the Michel Desjoyeaux, Vincent Riou, Loick Peyron, Bilou, Jean Le Cam, or the Brits Golding and Thomson. Indeed, for many, the simple quest is no more than to put a ‘face’ to a boat, or more ambitiously to collect a full set of skippers’ autographs on the official poster.
Similarly there is no pole position on the dockside grid, no hierarchy. The order is ranked by who completed entry and administration first, with the caveat that having protruding deck-spreaders impose certain areas.
Shore-side just as the race entry itself is 50 percent bigger than 2004, the footprint of the race village has grown proportionately as well. There is a whole new commercial area on the west dockside, given over to companies selling products or services which must have some association with the sea: hence no hawking miracle car cleaners, no wonder tools, no get poor quick off plan property companies.
There has been a substantial rise in the space given over to interactive and educational displays. There is a big Espace Presentation Course which charts the history of the race, which has fantastic models of many of previous competing craft, a chance to celebrate and learn the rich history of the event. And there is a lovely education space where the kids get to learn, and usually meet the skippers. Over the course of the three weeks preceding the start more than 10,000 children come with their schools. The skippers have a roster to appear in the educatif area, just as they are each required to meet many groups of kids and answer their questions. The kids arrive from all schools all over the Vendée region and Brittany in organised trips, but many more come on an ad-hoc basis. There is a comprehensive education pack for the schools. It is more than an away-day from the classroom, and becomes a focal point for geography, maths, weather, studies among other things.
And in the evenings there is no shortage of entertainment in the village, with bands, light shows and video displays.
This week the autumn holidays start. The first week is mainly visitors from the local area, from Nantes, the Loire, Brittany, but now Les Sables d’Olonne starts to welcome visitors from Paris, from all over France, and an increasing number from other parts of Europe.
The lounges and bars have been extended significantly in this temporary city. The gates are named after the oceans, and there are the Kerguelen and Gascogne lounges, as well as large modular lounges more given over to corporate and institutional entertaining, the largest of which will accommodate 500 people.
The corporate entertaining side is a vital component but there are no obvious high flying VIP’s in suits muscling through the crowds, no limos drawing up at the gates. Vendée Globe champion Vincent Riou’s sponsors PRB bring more than 5,000 guests, and Jean le Cam’s supporters VM Materiaux bring 8000.
Of course the weather is important and a blocking high pressure system, just the kind that the leading skippers won’t want to see on the arrival next year, is currently nicely deflecting the bad weather to the north and is giving fantastic Indian summer sunshine and light winds.
Now that is perfect planning.
