Alex Thomson was the next of the British skippers to leave the dock. The emotions of the day were clearly visible as Thomson fought to hold back the tears as his father cast off Hugo Boss's lines, with but was smiling and waving to the crowds lining the canal as he sailed out of port with Sir Keith Mills and Shirley Robertson onboard.

The ever-professional Mike Golding was clearly itching to get on with the job in hand, and calmly set off with Ecover 3, assisted by Bruno Dubois of North Sails France and the Ecover shore team. The team even had time to retrieve an errant bottle of Ecover product which had dropped into the sea!

Before leaving, Brian Thompson enjoyed some relaxed time with his family, playing with his children in the cockpit of Bahrain Team Pindar. Family and friends have decorated the coachroof of the boat with messages for Brian, whilst his children have added their handprints to accompany him on his journey

British skipper Dee Caffari is the first sailor to cast off the dock at Les Sables d'Olonne. She and Aviva were sent off by Race Director Denis Horeau and Philippe De Villiers, president of the Vendée region, as well as a host of supporters.

While Dee Caffari and Mike Golding were doing some final interviews with the BBC, with over three quarters of an hour to go before they cast off, Derek Hatfield was giving the deck of his 60-foot one final brush, while Jean-Pierre Dick was welcomed like a rock star by a crowd of supporters wearing the blue colours of his sponsors. So many different ways to get ready for a three month voyage around the world.

From first light, several hundred thousand people started to gather around the harbour entrance in Les Sables d’Olonne. On foot or by bicycle, by road or along the beach, this long procession stretches out for several kilometres. It is not easy to get a good seat in the harbour, so many turned up at six, while the first competitors will not be leaving until 9.30. Meanwhile the cameras are busy taking one more picture of the boats before they head out to sea. The magic of the Vendée Globe...

Charles Berling, the French actor, who is the godfather of Marc Thiercelin's DCNS came to wish his sailor well.

Jean-Pierre Dick before the start this Sunday: «I'm starting to feel the butterflies. The pressure is gradually but surely building. You say goodbye to your close ones trying to reassure them, You take a look at the latest weather charts. It's a strange day, as we're somewhere between the shore and the ocean. I'll be up early to get to my boat by eight. At 9h47,I'll be leaving the pontoon with four members of my shore crew. We'll be heading out through the harbour channel. That is a magical moment with thousands of people applauding, singing, chanting your name. It's going to highly emotional. A few minutes before the start, I'll be hugging my shore team before they go ashore on their Zodiac. Then, I'll be alone for the next three months... »