Thirty boats at the start, half of which were built specifically for the sixth Vendée Globe. There were at least 15 serious contenders for victory. It was like an A to Z of sailing stars – Loïck Peyron, Michel Desjoyeaux, Roland Jourdain, Jean Le Cam, Vincent Riou, Marc Guillemot, Jean-Pierre Dick, Kito de Pavant etc.; a strong British contingent of seven boats including Mike Golding, Brian Thompson, Samantha Davies and Dee Caffari; young guns like Armel le Cléac’h, Sébastien Josse, Yann Eliès and Jérémie Beyou; a real battle in terms of the boats themselves, with the leading designers from around the world involved. It was clear that this 2008-2009 Vendée Globe was the extreme race. This Everest of sailing was indeed the Race of the Century that the media and the general public talked about… More than a million people attended the Race Village in the three weeks leading up to the start of the race. And there were 100,000 in front of their computer screens taking part in the online Vendée Globe game.

Damage brought everyone together
The exit through the harbour channel was remarkably emotional. But very soon after that the sailors looked much more serious: the swell in the bay of Les Sables was an indicator of what lay ahead in the Bay of Biscay. A SW’ly storm was on its way. But even before the worst weather hit the fleet, some boats were already heading back to port: on the afternoon of the start, Dominique Wavre returned to les Sables to deal with an electrical problem. When he set off again at around 2130 hrs GMT, he met Bernard Stamm, whose Cheminées Poujoulat had collided with a cargo vessel. On dry land, everyone pulled together to repair the bowsprit that was broken. Out on the water, the first night was hell: 40-knot winds, steep 6m high waves and cross seas. On 10th November, the day after the start, everyone was bewildered. The British sailor, Alex Thomson (structural problem) and then Michel Desjoyeaux turned back. The engine on Foncia was flooded and could not start and it was impossible to sail around the world without power. His pit stop only lasted 4h30, during the night of the 10th-11th November.

Unfortunately it was much more serious for Kito de Pavant, Yannick Bestaven and Marc Thiercelin. After crossing through the first front, the violent wind shift from SW to NW put pay to their rigs and hopes, with a series of dismastings. The race was over for them. The tearful night-time picture of Kito and Yannick suffering together is one that will not be forgotten. This sport can be very cruel at times, but the solidarity of those who go to sea is something that is clear in the Vendée Globe. In Les Sables d’Olonne, everyone did whatever they could to help out and lend a hand or a shoulder to cry on… Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (structural damage) and the Canadian sailor, Derek Hatfield (series of damage) also had to turn back.

All part of the legend
Two days into the race with 50-knot gusts, the race had already become one for the history books. On 11th November, Jean-Pierre Dick summed it up, “In France, it’s Armistice Day, but at sea we have been through hell.” Getting across the Bay of Biscay without too much damage was already a victory of sorts. Off Cape Finisterre, it was the very same Jean-Pierre Dick, who was in the lead ahead of Loïck Peyron, Roland Jourdain, Vincent Riou, Armel Le Cléac’h and Sébastien Josse.

For Michel Desjoyeaux, the maths were simple, but it was a daunting task: he was behind the leaders by the equivalent of the Bay of Biscay… At the front, the skippers pushed hard, as if this was merely a leg in the Solitaire du Figaro. The pace was amazing, and the change of leaders incredible, when they finally picked up the Portuguese trade winds. The Battle of the Atlantic was tremendous. For the time being, Desjoyeaux was still losing ground. And a lot.
On 13th November, Bernard Stamm set off again from Les Sables d’Olonne. On 16th it was Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty’s turn to set off again a week behind the leaders.

On 17th November, the frontrunners were getting ready to deal with the Cape Verde Islands. Jérémie Beyou summed up the situation, “It all makes you dream back on dry land. You’re thinking of palm trees and coconut trees? Personally, it scares me: it is a hurdle and we have to deal with the wind shadow.” Jean Le Cam tried to get around via the east of the islands and grabbed the lead for a while. On 17th November, 10 boats, all grouped together passed to the south of the Cape Verde Islands. Michel Desjoyeaux at that moment was in 19th place, more than 600 miles behind the leading trio comprising Jean Le Cam, Loïck Peyron and Sébastien Josse. The future winner was by then the equivalent of two Bays of Biscay behind... The cavalcade was to get underway and you know what happened in the end...