For its fourth edition, the Vendée Globe has surpassed the success of the other editions. 13 skippers
took to the start for the first edition in 1989, 13 again in 1992, 15 in 1996, and now 25 competitors
have prepared themselves for the 2000 edition.
Truly an unprecedented international event.
Single-handed offshore races have always seemed to be on the whole a French affair, however this
domination is now over as half of the fleet here come from other countries. 12 skippers from 6
countries (United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Russia, Belgium) will be on the start line at Les
Sables d'Olonne on 5th November, all with a real chance of victory.
The media success and popularity of the Vendée Globe comes down to a simple, but extremely
compelling concept: one skipper, one monohull, single-handed, non-stop around the world without
assistance. This is a sporting event heightened by the story of the most extreme human adventure.
No other competition lasts for so long: none of the skippers will rest for a moment, any hour of the
night or day, to push the performance of their boat safely, to beat the record of 106 days.
Each competitor should be accomplished sailors with years of navigation and thousands of miles
already under their belt. This experience of the oceans will serve its purpose as they head out to face
every kind of situation at sea. The Doldrums, the Southern Ocean storms, the screaming winds of the
50 & 60 degree parallels. Each skipper must at the same time be the expert in weather, mechanic,
electrician, sail-maker, doctor, computer technician, as well as journalist, cameraman, photographer,
to give the public total access to follow this modern day epic adventure. It is in this extreme and yet
exposed side of the adventure, I believe, where the success of this race lies.
In the Vendée Globe, there are no short cuts, it is the real thing and everyone is heading into the
unknown. Nothing short of a thorough preparation is necessary to conquer this unknown with a strong
probability of success. The experience of the last three Vendée Globe races is precious to us. For the
start of each race edition, we have analysed and dissected every problem or incident in order to
understand their cause and to prohibit their reprisal.
The last Vendée Globe in 1996/7 was certainly rich in accidents, capsizes, rescues and sadly the tragic
loss of Gerry Roufs.
A number of solutions have been drawn up out of these findings, in conjunction with the skippers,
architects, rescue services in Australia, which have been applied to the rules for the Vendée Globe
2000.
Among the major amendments in the matter of safety, it is worth noting the following improvements:
Maximum floatability: each boat must possess at least a floatability of 130% of their
displacement. Eg: a boat which weighs 10 tons should have an internal floatability (partitions,
hull if in sandwich, compartments) of 13000 litres. The boats cannot sink.
Auto-righting: all the boats must be auto-righting without the aid of an airbag. To achieve
this, the angle of capsize has been pushed back to 125 degrees and the deck layout has
been modified (deck and coach-roof) to create reverse instability.
Tests in the natural environment are obligatory: in a port, the boat - without its mast - is
turned over with the aid of a crane so that the keel is in the air, and the skipper is inside. The
skipper must show that he or she can right the boat themselves.
Survival compartment: at the back of the boat there is a special survival compartment, with an
escape hatch built in to the back of the stern. This hatch should be easy to access both for
entering and exiting whatever position the boat is in. There must be several handles fixed on
both sides as well as systems for fixing the Argos beacon, Sarsat, VHF antennas, radar
transponder…
Visibility and means of communication:
our friends in the Australian rescue service have told
us how difficult it is to locate and then to communicate with a competitor who is in distress.
Following this, all the rudders and keels as well as a part of the deck must be painted in
fluorescent orange and the competitors must be equipped with a radar transponder, and a
portable watertight VHF radio. Each boat must be equipped with 2 liferafts of the highest
standard.
All these improvements for the sake of safety are especially important for the older boats. The major
shipyards have been occupied in the costly enterprise of modifying these boats to conform to the new
standards. Never for a start of a Vendée Globe have the boats been so well prepared and so reliable.
In the Southern Ocean, where the most extreme conditions reign, safety is paramount with the
presence of icebergs, large blocks of ice, which can measure several kilometres long and hunderds of
metres wide. Only 1/8th of the height of an iceberg is visible above the surface. Even if the icebergs
are detectable by the on board radar, the little blocks of ice (growlers), which break off and float
more quickly than the iceberg itself, will transform the ocean into a veritable mine-field. Moreover, as
one gets nearer to the Pole (following the orthodromic route is the quickest route between the Cape
of Good Hope and Cape Horn), the greater the risk is of encountering these icebergs.
For the first Vendée Globe in 1989, there were no limits. We were a few, wanting to follow the shortest
route and we found ourselves around 63 degrees South amongst an ocean of icebergs, which
measured several miles long. I remember the moments of anguish that we have known. For 9 days,
Credit Agricole's radar displayed permanently the echo of at least 5 icebergs.
At the worst moment, I counted nearly 17 icebergs in a range of 15 miles. It became less of a race,
less even of navigation, and instead became a matter of survival. One had to calculate the necessary
time it would take to reach the next iceberg and to reduce sleep time to the minimum. If the iceberg
was 4 miles away, and the boat was going at 14 knots, one had 17 minutes to reach it. That left 14
minutes to sleep and immediately get on deck to manouevre round the iceberg and above all
negotiate around the mass of growlers surrounding it (these ice blocks could truly weigh many tons).
As soon as one passed the iceberg, it was the time to get ready for the next and so we gave
ourselves again only 10 - 20 minutes of sleep. For 9 days, I was only able to allow myself a rest
period of 25 minutes at the most. Between all the competitors stuck in this iceberg trap, a real
solidarity arose. Every 4 hours, we called each other on the radio, gave our position and a report on
the icebergs.
One was fully aware that if one of us were not at the radio rendez-vous, it would be because they had
collided with an iceberg and we were ready to go and look for them. We had all prepared our survival
As the Vendée Globe should be a difficult course but not a dangerous one, so the course should not
be turned into some Russian Roulette.
Therefore, in updating the new rules, I decided to put in marker points around the 60 degree
parallel, which one could not pass under. In the third edition of the race, these points were held
again. For the fourth edition, the points have been distanced further from the South Pole, forbidding
the competitors to descend South of 57 degrees. At the same time as bypassing the high density
area of icebergs, the route is now nearer to the Australian coastline (at the request of the Australian
rescue service). This has reduced the time for them to intervene in a rescue, and above all allowed
for reconnaissance aircraft to operate in the area of the course (their range is 1,000 miles from
base).
The course covers vast, desert-like areas of ocean from the Indian to Pacific, and here the skippers
find themselves completely alone on an immense sea, empty of maritime traffic or passing
aeroplanes (in the case of Gerry Roufs).
It is with this in mind that I have pushed to install a system for assistance which is internal to the
race and doesn't weigh heavily on the course's neighbouring countries. This year, the boats must be
unsinkable, auto-righting and possess the highest standard of communication. The skippers have all
had to do a survival and medical course. I think that the Vendée Globe, from past experience, holds
its own sense of camaraderie in the matter of assistance between the boats. We are doing the most
to manage the safety issue internally. The Australian rescue services know what progress we have
made and have welcomed these changes, as well as assuring us still that we can count on them if the
internal mechanisms are insufficient.
The performance of the boats has not been altered, even if sometimes lead has had to be added to
the keel, or a furler drum has been taken out to improve the angle of capsize. The weight gain can
be obtained and the records should still continue to fall.
Often it is thought that the safety regulations imposed on the boats reduce performance. Not at all.
Vendée Globe 89 : Titouan Lamazou, 109 days 8 hours.
Best day : Philippe Jeantot 309 miles/24 H
Vendée Globe 92 : Alain Gautier, 110 days 2 hours.
Best day : Yves Parlier 325 miles/24 H
Vendée Globe 96 : Christophe Auguin, 105 days, 2 hours.
Best day : Yves Parlier 325 miles/24 H
During the Around Alone, Marc Thiercelin on 'Somewhere' beat the 24 hour record 8 times, which was
previously 374 miles/24 hrs, held by Christophe Auguin, to finally establish the record which still
reindexs to be beaten today: 396.5 miles/24 hours between two Argos position points.
Marc Thiercelin said to me " These 396.5 miles between 2 Argos points are a straight line, as the
boat advances with some wavering from that route. So I think I actually totalled 405 miles in 24 hrs
at an average speed of 16.86 knots, with regular surfing at 32 knots. 'Somewhere' had the potential
to reach further, but during the night I had to slow up a little to sleep. My objective was to win the
race, not beat records. It was pretty hellish, even if incredibly exciting."
Since, only English skipper Mike Golding on Team Group 4 has, during the double-handed Transat
Jacques Vabre bettered this : 412 miles in 24 hrs
Both these boats, 'Active Wear' and 'Team Group 4' will be at the start of this Vendée Globe. Prepare
to see the speed limit being broken.
10 of the 24 competitors are past Vendée Globe entrants, Yves Parlier on his third time round. Others
have done other Around the World races, either solo with stop-overs, or in crews. Thomas Coville
(crew for Olivier de Kersauzon, record holder for Jules Verne Trophy), Mich Desj (crew in the
Whitbread), Mike Golding (Around Alone; past holder for the round the world record, the 'wrong' way,
recently beaten by Philippe Monnet), Roland Jourdain (Whitbread crew), Fedor Konyoukhov (a solo
round the world sail and Aruond Alone), Ellen MacArthur (1/2 around the world on maiden voyage,
half solo), Dominique Wavre (3 Whitbreads as crew), Josh Hall (Around Alone on a 50ft boat and
Around the World race on a 60ft boat, in which he dismasted), Javier Sanso (Several expeditions
around Cape Horn and the Antarctic). The total together between all the skippers makes 30 Around
the World trips.
Everything has come together to ensure that this race, which crosses into the next Millenium, will be
exceptional. Visit www.vendeeglobe.com where the organisation team will be working daily to bring to your screen all the experiences and emotions of these modern day adventurers.
A good wind to all!
Philippe Jeantot
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