Five months before the start of the Vendée Globe, the 17 solo sailors taking part in the New York-Vendée race will be able to validate the optimisations of their Imoca boats, but also observe each other. This will be a sort of warm-up for their circumnavigation, which will also help promote the IMOCA Ocean Masters World Championship beyond the North Atlantic.
"This new event will be the last rehearsal before the Vendée Globe and its impressive line-up of 17 skippers shows that it is very welcome! We have of course some competitors looking to qualify for the solo round the world race, but also a large number of the favorites for the next Vendée Globe. The new Imoca skippers will be rubbing shoulders with more experienced skippers, while the new foilers still in development will be taking on boats that are already proven. All of this promises a very exciting sporting scenario, after a great week in Manhattan, which I am delighted about for our international development." explains Jean Kerhoas, President of the Imoca.
For a first edition, 17 entries is a good score. Especially since we will find almost all the class leaders and 6 of the 7 Imoca boats equipped with foils, the "foilers". The sporting line-up for this first edition will therefore be varied.
By leaving New York, the skippers will be able to train before the Vendée Globe. They will have to enter the downwind flow of the lows that cross the Atlantic, at the right time, at the right place, to slide with them towards the east. This will be exactly the same next winter between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, or nearly two thirds of the round the world voyage. These 3050 miles should be sailed mostly downwind, a point of sail that will perhaps allow the "foilers" to to demonstrate their ability.
"All scenarios are possible: it is difficult to know if the weather will be favorable to the foilers. And if it is, it will be a great opportunity to see what their advantage really is." explains Vincent Riou (PRB without foils).
"We are looking forward to this race, it will be a great time to test the reliability and consistency of our choices." says Jean-Pierre Dick (StMichel-Virbac with foils).
The Imoca boats will all be in Vendée Globe configuration on this New York-Vendée course, so the performance of the boats should be the same as in the Vendée Globe.
"This race will be an opportunity to take a good look at the forces at work" explains Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire).
"It's going to be interesting to look for confrontation! And to observe how each one manages to push his boat over the 8 to 9 days of racing" says Yann Eliès (Quéguiner - Leucémie espoir).
Conrad Colman, the only American skipper in the race (although he is a New Zealander by birth), is counting on this "home" start to show that ocean racing is an extraordinary discipline. And if he manages to get a partner on the other side of the Atlantic, he'll be happy.
List of registrants for the New York-Vendée (Les Sables d'Olonne)
- Fabrice Amedeo - NEWREST MATMUT (France)
- Jérémie Beyou - MAITRE COQ (France)
- Conrad Colman - NC (New Zealand - USA)
- Bertrand de Broc - MACSF (France)
- Tanguy de Lamotte - INITIATIVES C?UR (France)
- Sébastien Destremau - FACE OCEAN (France)
- Jean-Pierre Dick - STMICHEL VIRBAC (France)
- Yann Eliès - QUEGUINER-LEUCEMIE ESPOIR (France)
- Nandor Fa - SPIRIT OF HUNGARY (Hungary)
- Pieter Heerema - NO WAY BACK (Netherlands)
- Morgan Lagravière - SAFRAN (France)
- Armel Le Cléac'h - BANQUE POPULAIRE VIII (France)
- Stéphane Le Diraison - NC (France)
- Paul Meilhat - SMA (France)
- Vincent Riou - PRB (France)
- Alex Thomson - HUGO BOSS (Great Britain)
- Ari Huusela - NC (Finland)
Program of the New York-Vendée (Les Sables)
may 17 : Arrival in Newport
may 21-22: Newport-New York Prologue
may 27: Pro-am race in New York
may 29: Start of the race
june 5/6: First possible arrivals in Les Sables d'Olonne
june 11: Pro-am race in Les Sables d'Olonne / Closing evening and proclamation of results
