A race of 3?600 miles between France and Iceland
On 4th July, a brand new ocean race reserved for IMOCA boats, the Vendée-Arctique - les Sables-d'Olonne, will start. This single-handed ocean race of 3?600 miles will take place on a new route with a start and finish in Les Sables-d'Olonne via the north of the Azores and the west of Iceland, on the edge of the Arctic Circle. A route chosen deliberately to confront the fleet with a variety of conditions and situations and to get the best out of the winter conditions they will have in the Vendée Globe.
Organised by the IMOCA class, in collaboration with the company Sea to See, and sponsored by the Vendée and the town of Les Sables-d'Olonne, it was created at the request of the racers. Indeed, it will serve as a prologue to the Vendée Globe and will replace the two single-handed deckchairs that could not be held in the spring
"This will be the only single-handed ocean race, both sporting and technical, that the skippers will be able to take part in before the start of the Vendée Globe on 8th November and, for that reason, it was very important that it took place," explained Jacques Caraës, Race Director for the Vendée-Arctique-les Sables-d'Olonne and the Vendée Globe. "In sporting terms, the sailors need to sail in single-handed configuration. Technically, they need to validate the modifications made this winter in the yard. Finally, it will give 11 skippers * the opportunity to qualify for the single-handed round the world race.
It's an ambitious journey," continues Jacques Caraës. "On this great triangle of 3?600 miles (a distance equivalent to that of a transatlantic race), the idea is to seek out active weather systems in the North Atlantic and to get the boats sailing at different speeds and in different conditions. With the presence of ice in the west of Iceland, we'll have the same kind of constraints as in the Deep South: we'll have to set up an exclusion zone to avoid drifting pack ice banks."
Qualifications and development
The skippers will have different goals. For some, this new race will serve as training before the big round the world race, especially those who have just launched brand new boats. But for others, it is essential as it will enable them to qualify for the Vendée Globe. 7 skippers must complete a single-handed course of 2?000 miles, validated by the Race Directors (Alex Thomson, Nicolas Troussel, Sébastien Simon, Sébastien Destremau, Didac Costa, Conrad Colman and Louis Burton) and 4 must race and finish the equivalent of a single-handed transatlantic race (Kojiro Shiraishi, Armel Tripon, Isabelle Joschke and Clément Giraud). The final list of competitors will be known at the beginning of June.
With this date of 4th July, the skippers will on the one hand be able to test their boats after a long winter refit, but will also be able to keep some technical room for manoeuvre in view of 8th November
In compliance with health measures
In order to respect the health and safety rules related to Covid-19, there will be no departure village in Les Sables-d'Olonne nor reception of the public. Sailors will be invited to go directly to the start line from their home ports, without passing through the pontoons. Before departure, they will have to undergo a serological test and follow a strict 5-day confinement. On arrival, if the situation permits, the system could be more flexible.
