After the emotional farewells on the dock, the final goodbyes were an undignified scramble for most teams, with shore crews despatched to RIBs at the very last minute.

With one minute to go it was Foncia who was closest to the line, but at the gun Mike Golding on Ecover 3 was ahead — too early, he was called OCS and returned. Vincent Riou on PRB pulled away into an early lead, with Aviva on his hip — Dee Caffari having got a great start on the far right-hand side of the course. Seb Josse's BT, Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss, and Jérémie Beyou's Delta Dore were all in the front row of the main pack.

The fleet are being chased by a flotilla of RIBs, spectator boats, and yachts, with 60 Zodiacs marshalling the race area.

The breeze is keeping the sailors guessing in the final approach to the start of the Vendée Globe - currently it is about 12 knots, but very up and down. All the skippers will be trying to get the boats set up for the conditions they expect while they still have support crew on board to hoist headsails etc.

Mike Golding and Alex Thomson are currently sailing under full main, but Cheminées Poujoulat,  Delta Dore, Gitana, BT, and the majority of the fleet have opted for one reef. Headsail choice also varies – Norbert Sedlacek is one of the 'adventurers' in this fleet who have opted for a deep reefed main and staysail, clearly taking a long-term view on the expected conditions for the next 12 hours and setting up for safety.

Half an hour to go and most of the boats are milling close to the start area with nearly full main up and the few remaining members of the team still on board are being transferred to waiting RIBs — a tricky test of timing in these waves!

French Vendée legend Catherine Chabaud — who became the first woman to sail around the world alone when she completed the race in 1996-97 — is providing commentary on board the media boat. She points out that although these sailors are about to spend three months afloat, it's not unknown for them to suffer from seasickness in the opening hours due to their severe stress levels, tiredness, and messy, choppy seas in close to shore.

The 30 yachts have now made their way along the coast towards Port Bourgenay, to the restricted start area, approximately three miles offshore. A large confused sea is running, with a swell of 2-3 metres - some of the support and media RIBs have been getting airborne over some of the larger waves at speed! Most of the skippers have deep reefs in the mainsail and several are down below going through final weather updates with their meteo teams — after the 10 minute gun they will be on their own!

Michel Dejoyeaux on Foncia settled into a groove early on, sailing with nearly full main and their solent up. Moments ago an 18-knot squall passed through, bringing rain with it, and poor visibility. The wind is currently 12-15 knots from 205 degrees, and expected to be 20-25 knots at the start time.The countdown begins at 12h54, with an eight-minute sequence until the start the start at 1302. The Race Committee boat, "Le Tenace," a French navy tug, is already in place out on the start line.
 

Everywhere you look in Les Sables d'Olonne there are thousands and thousands of people. It's standing room only along the waterfront, the beach-side balconies are packed to bursting, and the keenest spectators have clambered onto every conceivable vantage point to get a glimpse of their heroes. The predicted crowds of 300,000 look set to be surpassed as the French public turn out in force to celebrate the Vendée Globe.
Despite some gloomy weather, the crowd’s enthusiasm seems unabated – there are Mexican waves, flags, a huge banner proclaiming ‘YES YOU CAN’, and people have been cheering themselves hoarse each time an Open 60 makes its way past.
Out on the sea it's not much quieter, with each team's spectator craft bearing the team colours — bright pink for VM Matériaux, yellow for Cheminées Poujoulat and so on. Seb Josse's BT distinctive supporters' boat has a sea of purple waterproofs, while another BT support craft is sporting a donkey and banners saying 'GO JOJO GO - give it some coal!'
Anyone who hasn’t managed to get a great viewpoint can watch the build-up on several huge screens, which are broadcasting live coverage.
 

At eleven, Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) became the final competitor to leave Port Olona cheered on by a huge crowd on the waterfront in Les Sables d’Olonne. The French newsreader, Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, who will signal the start of the sixth Vendée Globe at 13h02 (French time) came to wish the sailors well. Since early this morning, the emotion has been running high in the harbour, while the competitors are celebrated as heroes, as they prepare to set out on their circumnavigation.  Out on the water, the crowds are expected to turn up in force too, as more than a hundred passenger vessels have been chartered for the start, without counting the boats from the teams and the many smaller craft.