Vendée Globe

Seven Imoca monohulls due to take part in the next Vendée Globe will be lining up for the start of the SNSM record this Sunday (22nd June): A crewed voyage from St. Nazaire to St. Malo and back. This year the competitors will simply be passing St. Malo before turning around and heading back to St. Nazaire. An opportunity for some to carry out final tests with their technical team on board.

Here are the comments of some of those taking part:

Loick Peyron : «This will be the first time we have raced against some of these Imoca monohulls since the Transat Jacques Vabre. During this SNSM Record, we shall see what happens… in calm weather! However, this is going to be very interesting for the forthcoming season, as there will be several crewed races coming up. This return voyage around Brittany will enable us to check out the manoeuvres, allowing us to see if any modifications should be carried out concerning the deck layout… The route is short enough for it to be an exciting race, even if the wind is not likely to get up!»

Bernard Stamm: "There’s not a lot at stake for us, but this is an important race in our preparations for the Vendée Globe, because we shall be sailing with a crew and this is a good way of taking onboard our support team so they can see the results of the work done during the winter. It is also one of the first races of the season, which allows us to race against other Imoca monohulls… It’s also a great way of paying homage to the French lifeboat service, throwing the spotlight on these guardians of the sea."

Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux) :
«This is the first time I have taken part in the SNSM record and we’re in Saint-Nazaire, because this is the final event of the season before the Vendée Globe: We have just put VM Matériaux back in the water… It will allow us to take a look at our competitors, to test ourselves and check out the improvements we have made. The forecast is for weakening headwinds. It’s going to be slow, but that takes nothing away from the interest of the event, with seven Imoca monohulls, including some like ours that have only just been relaunched!»

Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore) :
"As I was not able to do the Transat, I only have two races on my calendar this year: the SNSM Record and the Vendée Globe. So from a sporting point of view, it’s something we couldn’t miss out on. It allows us to take part in a race and also from a technical perspective to progress against our rivals. It’s good to be able to do this in the context of a race and to be able to compare our performances."

List of participants
- Cheminées Poujoulat – Bernard Stamm
- Delta Dore – Jérémie Beyou
- Ecover – Mike Golding
- Foncia – Michel Desjoyeaux
- Paprec Virbac – Jean-Pierre Dick
- VM Matériaux – Jean Le Cam
- Gitana Eighty –Loïck Peyron

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