Sam Davies (Roxy) will be setting sail on Sunday at 13h02 (1202GMT) on the IMOCA Open 60 that won the previous two editions of the Vendée Globe: «I'm feeling fine. I know I'll feel stressed in the final hours leading up to the start. After all the excitement of the past few weeks, suddenly you find yourself alone and you don't know if you are happy, sad or nervous. In the beginning, I wanted to win, but today my goal is more personal: I want to beat the boat's record (87 days 10 hours 47 minutes and 55 seconds) held by Vincent Riou. I've written it down on the entrance to the cockpit to make sure I keep that in mind. It is a long race and there are often a lot of breakages, so we never know… »

Several thousand virtual skippers have already registered to line up for the start of the 2008 Vendée Globe. You too, can try your hand at sailing around the world from the comfort of your home or office. To register for the Virtual Regatta: http://www.virtualregatta.com/index_vendee.php?langue=EN

Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) is back in the Vendée Globe for the third time, but still remembers his retiral in New Zealand in the 2004 race: «In my head, I've already been through it all and the start in Les Sables doesn't mark the end or beginning of anything. For me, it is a continual process. I tell myself that: today, the goal is that… In the coming days there will be all sorts of other questions: how we will get out of the harbour area, make sure we don't collide with any other boats at the start line. And by then, in my head, we're already up to Monday or Tuesday. I'm trying to find the same state of mind that I was in before the start of the last Route du Rhum. You forget the most painful moments quickly enough and pick yourself up and start again… I'm also pleased to be returning to a place where it may be cold and not that easy at times, but that I really like. And there's something I haven't done for a long time that I want to do again: that is the second part of the course, even if the conditions in the Atlantic are hard on the way back… »

Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas) is able to set sail on his first Vendée Globe, not only because he is supported financially by a partner, who was already involved four years ago, but because Jean-Philippe Chomette is the owner of the boat. She is officially called Solune: «That means sunfish, but it is also the name of the son of Incal in the comic book by Moebius… »

Each Vendée Globe monohull has a number given by the Imoca class, but the skippers are able to choose their own number, which may be simply their lucky number or refer to a particular event. Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel) has chosen the symbolic 360: «We're going to be sailing around the world, returning to the same point, which means we'll be going 360°! »

Some drops of rain can be expected today (Saturday) on the eve of the start of the Vendée Globe: a low-pressure area off Ireland is deepening and a front will mean the wind will veer from the south west (15 knots) to the west and strengthen this afternoon (25 knots). We can therefore expect a rather showery day, but it will remain mild with temperatures above 12° this morning and increasing to 18° this afternoon. The low pressure area is swirling around the south of Iceland and will be deepening further tomorrow; we can expect some strong south-westerlies.

The sea will be moderate for the start of the Vendée Globe at 13h02 with a twenty-knot south westerly wind, but for the thirty solo sailors is the Bay of Biscay is going to be rough. Still not that difficult until Monday lunchtime, it will become very heavy afterwards with 35-40 knots winds later in the day on Monday veering south to south westerly and strengthening to 45-55 knots. Fortunately this rough weather will rapidly move off after the two fronts go over and by midnight on Monday, there will be a 25-knot west to north westerly breeze taking the competitors down to cape Finisterre. The boats should be passing the tip of Spain early on Tuesday morning in much quieter weather wit a ten knot wind veering north-westerly and then northerly.

Tide times
Saturday 8th November: coefficient 38 - 43
High tide: 0h33 – 12h45
Low tide: 6h07 – 18h41
Sunday 9th November: coefficient 49 - 56
High tide: 1h22 – 13h34
Low tide: 7h05 – 19h33