At sea, the return to competition has gone out for sailing monohulls of 60 feet. Saturday, 4 July, 15: 30, 20 skippers of the Imoca class will go to the assault of the Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d'olonne, one of the first sporting events to resume from the déconfinement.

Long of some 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km), this test is a triangle, original who will lead the fleet on the outskirts of the arctic circle before sliding back up off the Azores. An excellent opportunity for solitary navigators in quest of preparation and qualification for the Vendee Globe 2020 (8 November).

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A race unique to the polar circle

Loop between les Sables d'olonne, Iceland and the Azores, the route of the Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d'olonne is also requiring that attractive. This triangle will lead the browsers first to the north, to reach a crossing point located close to the arctic circle, or beyond 60° north between the south of Iceland and the southern tip of Greenland, in the sea of Irminger. Then, the skippers will come down south to go off the Azores, before returning to les Sables d'olonne, the conclusion of a loop in the north Atlantic 3 556 nautical miles (6 585 km) as the fastest expected to complete in ten days.

Route of the Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d'olonne.

in Order to ensure the achievement of the race, and to convince the competent authorities, the Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d'olonne has adapted its organization scheme for the health conditions that remain in force, in order to protect the skippers, their teams and the public. Thus, as early as Friday, the 20 Imoca have left the pontoon crew, from their home port. In Port-la-Forêt, La Trinité-sur-Mer, Lorient, Les Sables d'olonne, La Rochelle, the same ritual took place : before you join the boat in two, three or four sailors, all have passed a test PCR, which can detect in less than 24 hours the Covid-19.

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preparation for the Vendée Globe

This first edition of the Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d'olonne, organised to replace the New York-Vendée-Les Sables d'olonne, which would have had to start on the 16th of June last, is also an essential step for the skippers in their preparation of the solo round the world race which will start on 8 November. The browsers who are preparing for the Vendee Globe 2020 have obviously had to deal with the health crisis that forced everyone to stop all activity for two months. For some, this race represents the last chance to fulfill the conditions of qualification for the world tour.

Imoca Charal © GauthierLebec/Charal

indeed, the health crisis has severely disrupted the schedule of the sports teams, as explained Jérémie Beyou (Charal) : "It was necessary to be able to work differently to meet the athletic goals that remain the same despite a time well reduced. Everything was timed to the arrival of the Transat Jacques Vabre in late 2019 at the start of the Vendée Globe end of 2020 and it was necessary to rework the entire schedule. "Five of the eleven skippers who are still in search of qualification sport for the Vendée Globe will try to use it to fulfill their prerequisites sports : Clément Giraud, Isabelle Joschke, Kojiro Shiraishi, Sébastien Simon and Armel Tripon.

Imoca Banque Populaire X © Jeremie Lecaudey/Banque Populaire

For others, the time is rather to the réacclimatation. This is particularly the case of Clarisse Crémer (Banque Populaire X), rookie enthusiastic of the Imoca Class : "The Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d'olonne will be my first lone race in Imoca, this is not a small step ! Even if I have to go fast and make a nice path, I'm going to mostly be focused on my ship and me. I'm going to attach myself to take to my first start line all alone, to manage my boat, well think about my moves and my strategy. This race is a big goal for me which was not predestined to integrate a good team, I feel, necessarily apprehension. Finish the race, do honour to my team and not be made to default as a navigator are already good goals. "Only four months before the start of the Vendee Globe 2020, the skippers approach the bar.

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