An unprecedented dynamic
The IMOCA euros, the class association that manages the 60-foot Open 60 monohulls (18.28 meters), keeps repeating that the IMOCA class is very active. " The current dynamics of the class are totally unprecedented." underlines Jacques Caraës. Indeed, the Route du Rhum brought together an unprecedented line-up (20 sailors entered) and the Transat Jacques Vabre (end of 2019) should bring together between 25 and 30 duos!
Objective Vendée Globe!
The same applies to the Vendée Globe 2020 to date, a dozen racers have validated their selection for the IMOCA single-handed round-the-world race. If the notice of race limits entries to 30 participants, 35 projects will be active in 2019!
"This is the first time that there have been so many requests for the Vendée Globe, explains Jacques Caraës. " As the selection is based on the number of miles sailed in the race, there will be a real competition to be able to take part in the start. Sailors who have not finished the Route du Rhum no longer have a wild card. As well as those who sign up with later projects."
How to validate your participation in the Vendée Globe?
According to the notice of race for the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe, only 30 skippers will take the start of the non-stop solo round the world race without assistance. If this number is exceeded, "a selection will determine the 30 starters".
To qualify, the skippers who finished the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe, will have to have finished, at least one of the following races and start again with the same boat:
- the Route du Rhum euros Destination Guadeloupe 2018,
- the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre, double-handed,
- The Transat 2020,
- New York euros Vendée Les Sables-d'Olonne 2020,
- Or any other single or double-handed ocean race in the Globe Series Championship incorporated by endorsement to this AC."
Four sailors can already claim their place: Fabrice Amedeo, Romain Attanasio, Arnaud Boissières and Alan Roura who have just finished the 2018 Route du Rhum.
Finally, an additional 2,000-mile qualifying course, single-handed and on the "qualified" boat, will have to be run for the qualified skippers:
- On a double race,
- On the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe,
- On a solo race, but on a boat other than the one in the 2020-2021 Vendée Globe.
We have contacted the Vendée Globe organization to find out who is registered, but for the moment, they do not wish to communicate on this subject, as the registrations were opened too recently:
"For the moment, we are not communicating on the entries for the Vendée Globe. For us, the official list includes the candidates who have declared their participation. Indeed, there are projects and rumours from the pontoons and we can be sure that they will succeed, but as long as there is no official entry, we can't say that they are registered explains Stéphanie Ruchaud, from the SAEM. To sum up, it is not because a skipper has completed the Route du Rhum that he is registered for the Vendée Globeeuros
Eight new projects
For now, only one latest generation project has been launched. It is Jeremie Beyou's IMOCA Charal, launched in August 2018. But seven others are under construction and will be launched mostly in 2019, with the exception of Corum, Nicolas Troussel's boat, which has just revealed its project.
Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss, VPLP), Charlie Dalin (Apivia Mutuelle, Verdier), Sébastien Simon (Arkéa euros Paprec, Kouyoumdjian), Armel Tripon (unknown sponsor, Sam Manuard), Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG Mori, VPLP, sistership of Charal) and Thomas Ruyant (looking for sponsors, Verdier) will have a latest generation IMOCA boat for the next Vendée Globe and will have priority on the entry list.
