Vendée Globe

From out at sea or from ashore, on the harbour wall or in front of the TV, there are a number of ways of watching the thirty boats leave the harbour and start the sixth Vendée Globe.

It is now a tradition! The local fishermen will get the ball rolling at nine in the morning and lead the competitors out to sea towards the start line. Ladies first with the British yachtswoman, Dee Caffari (Aviva) leaving the pontoon at 9h15 and making her way out of the harbour on a 25-minute journey. The other 29 competitors will each follow at four minute intervals in a very precise order (see below). Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) will be the final sailor to leave the pontoon at 11h11.

Once out of the harbour, the boats will quickly hoist their mainsail and sail along the coast in a restricted area towards Port Bourgenay. The start, three miles offshore, will be signalled by French newsreader, Patrick Poivre d’Arvor on Sunday 9th November at 13h02, after start procedures lasting eight minutes. The thirty solo yachtsmen and yachtswomen will cross the 1200-metre line between the Tenace, a Naval deep-sea tug, on the starboard side and a yellow pyramid buoy on the port side. They will immediately sail out to sea towards Cape Finisterre, marking the exit from the Bay of Biscay.

At sea
As every four years, out on the water, the area will be restricted by law. We therefore recommend that all pleasure boat owners, who want to watch the start from out at sea consult their harbour master to know which zones are restricted from Saturday 8th November. Boat-owners from Port Olona will have to leave the marina before nine or after 11h45, as they will not be allowed to leave the pontoon at the same time as the competitors. To sum up, as shown on the chart, boats under 8 metres in length must remain between the coast and and the restricted area, while passenger vessels will move outside of this area. With several hundred boats expected on the water for the start, this separation is there not only for safety purposes, but also to enable small craft to have a good view of the start, instead of being hidden behind larger vessels. With thirty 60-foot monohulls, around fifty RIBs with members of shore teams, around sixty patrol dinghies ensuring safety and more than a hundred passenger vessels, that comes to around 250 boats in the area, without counting all the hundreds of pleasure craft that are expected.

On land
As always, the harbour entrance in Les Sables d’Olonne, with its length and narrow nature, offers a perfect grandstand, where the public can cheer on the solo yachtsmen for one final time. With each passing edition, this exodus has become the symbol of the union between the public and the extraordinary sailors. Emotion guaranteed!
On the Chaume side or the Sables side, in la Cabaude or Le Prieuré Saint-Nicolas, many places will afford a good view of the competitors leaving the port. A giant screen which can be seen from the embankment will be set up at the Marine Base to follow the start. The hill alongside Tanchet Lake and the Puits d’Enfer car park is another way to get a good view, especially as the 60-foot boats will be under sail. For safety reasons, the start will take place three miles from the coast. You should take some binoculars with you to get a clear view of the start.

Television
Five French TV channels will be broadcasting the exodus from the harbour and the start of the sixth Vendée Globe - Eurosport, LCI, France 3 Ouest, Planète Thalassa and TV Vendée. For the start the national TV station, France 3 and the Swiss channel TSR (Télévision Suisse Romande) will be showing the event live.

Website
The official Vendée Globe website (www.vendeeglobe.org) will be showing the TV Vendée programme live on its home page.

French radios
Europe 1, RTL, RMC, RFI and various Radio France stations will be broadcasting live from the start.

Order and times of departure from the pontoon:
9h15 – Dee Caffari (Aviva)
9h19 – Sébastien Josse (BT)
9h23 – Dominique Wavre (Temenos II)
9h27 – Mike Golding (Ecover)
9h31 – Derek Hatfield (Algimouss Spirit of Canada)
9h35 – Loïck Peyron (Gitana Eighty)
9h39 – Marc Guillemot (Safran)
9h43 – Yann Eliès (Generali)
9h47 – Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2)
9h51 – Jérémie Beyou (Delta Dore)
9h55 – Raphaël Dinelli (Fondation Océan Vital)
9h59 – Marc Thiercelin (DCNS)
10h03 – Vincent Riou (PRB)
10h07 – Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux)
10h11 – Jonny Malbon (Artemis)
10h15 – Brian Thompson (Bahrain Team Pindar)
10h19 – Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air)
10h23 – Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Maisonneuve)
10h27 – Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss)
10h31 – Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat)
10h35 – Unaï Basurko (Pakea Bizkaia)
10h39 – Steve White (Spirit of Weymouth)
10h43 – Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas)
10h47 – Rich Wilson (Great American III)
10h51 – Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport Kapsch)
10h55 – Sam Davies (Roxy)
10h59 – Yannick Bestaven (Aquarelle.com)
11h03 – Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia)
11h07 – Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel)
11h11 – Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement)

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