Vendée Globe

To each ocean its own music: in a minor key we have the voyage down and back up the Atlantic; the crashing crescendos of the southern sea, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. In order to be the perfect conductor, each Vendee Globe competitor has his or her own method and tempo. We look here at four very different characters, who each present one movement of this major opus.

Here is our quartet: the current title holder, Vincent Riou, a newcomer to solo racing, but with two circumnavigations under his belt, Yann Elies, a rookie as far as the Vendée Globe is concerned, Derek Hatfield and an old hand, Roland Jourdain… From the harbour in Les Sables d’Olonne to the southernmost tip of Tierra del Fuego, they will each be trying to find the ideal route and will be experiencing joys and disappointments, as they sail their way through this epic voyage… We asked them to offer us their personal vision of what they have experienced on the world's oceans.

Heading down the Atlantic by Yann Elies (Generali): the stage is set for the first eliminations
«This voyage down is a bit like a roller-coaster ride: at one point you have the wind, you are zooming along, and then it all slows right down to a snail's pace. Moreover, it is a winding route to get down to the forties, so we'll all be watching each other. The sail down will be very technical and tactical. Who knows, it may even be in this section that the Vendée Globe is decided for some of the competitors? We're going to have to be very cunning and be up with the leaders, as they hop on to the weather system. Those who don't make it to the train (of lows) on time will find it hard to recover the lost ground.»

The Indian Ocean by Roland Jourdain (Véolia): a different world
«The Indian Ocean marks the start of the grey weather, the first albatrosses and the storm petrel. It is never easy here. There are cross seas because of the lows circling the globe, gales hitting you one after another and the coastal effects off the tip of Africa. Here you can move away from tdriving the boat to the theoretical polar speeds… You always feel that you can go faster: However, as soon as you hoist too much sail area, you pay a high cost.»

The Pacific by Derek Hatfield (Algimouss – Spirit of Canada): a permanent danger
«For me, the Pacific is the most dangerous of all of them. The voyage down to Cape Horn, is often very tricky with the coast of Chile to leeward. You are far from everything. Cape Horn is the moment of deliverance, but the difficulties are not over yet. During my single-handed round the world voyage, I suffered eighty knot winds and I capsized… The Horn is a bit like a mountain peak. Even if you have suffered getting there, beyond it's like a downward journey.»

Climbing back up the Atlantic by Vincent Riou (PRB): long and stressful
«This is an interesting stretch, but it is long, very long… When you round The Horn, you think it's all over, while you still have 7000 miles left to sail. Even if the homeward stretch is interesting, the climb back up is very stressful: you know that the boat is tired; as soon as the conditions ease off, you give the boat a thorough check-up. It's very tiring and tough on the nerves, because the air masses are very unstable and you can win or lose all here. It should be said that in my own case, I have some great memories of this, as it is here I achieved my victory. This year once again, we can well imagine that the leader at Cape Horn won't be the leader at the finish… »

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