The Vendée Globe is a single-handed race around the world, non-stop and without assistance. This circumnavigation by the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn) of a distance of 25,000 miles (more than 46,000 km) on the orthodromic (direct route). The record is today held by Armel le Cléac'h with a course completed in 74 days and 3 hours in the 2016 edition. Nicknamed by the general public "Everest of the Seas" This round-the-world trip is also a climatic journey as the departure and arrival are from Les Sables-d'Olonne in autumn and winter. The skippers then have to sail down the Atlantic, cross the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific and then up the Atlantic again.
Since 2016, the race management has delimited a zone forbidden to sailing, the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (AEZ), which circles the Antarctic between 45°S on the Crozet Islands side and 68°S off Cape Horn. Sailors are not allowed to enter this zone in order to avoid the risk of collisions with icebergs.
Solitary persons are not entitled to any assistance. That means that even for the weather, they won't be allowed to have any contact with their router. This work will have to take place before the race and they will be alone on board to choose their route according to the weather files they receive.
The key passages of the Vendée Globe
1. The Bay of Biscay
The start of the Vendée Globe can be complicated, especially in November, when conditions can be difficult for the skipper and his boat, if a low pressure system sweeps across the Bay of Biscay. There are many lows in the middle of winter in the North Atlantic. But there is also a risk of collision with the many boats sailing in the area.
"Sometimes you have to do the round back at the beginning. Historically, there have been a lot of retirements in the early days of the race. Sailors come out of three weeks with a lot of stress, they're a bit tired and not in tune with their boat." details Marcel van Triest, router and meteorologist.
2. The Trade Winds
With the trade winds, the wind becomes much more regular and this is the moment when the solo sailors are "really" entering their round the world voyage. " We cross the first islands at the level of Ecuador, islands that make us dream and are a bit part of our garden, because we greet them at every transatlantic crossing. But we must be wary of their pebbles and their winds." explains Jean-Pierre Dick, who has taken the start of the Vendée Globe four times.
3. The Doldrums
The Doldrums, or the intertropical convergence zone between the trade winds of the northern and southern hemispheres, is an unstable zone where violent squalls alternate with calm zones. It is here that the two trade winds collide, which creates quite a few waves and a very unstable wind. According to the weather files, the skippers will choose the longitude at which to approach this zone. " It's an anxiety-provoking zone." .
4. The descent of the South Atlantic
After crossing the Equator, they will have to negotiate the rounding of the Saint Helena High before heading east to join the downwind conditions which will take the skippers towards the Cape of Good Hope and the Indian Ocean. This zone will enable the sailor to enter summer temperatures, as it is the austral summer, with a fairly irregular wind. " It's a real sweet moment before the brutal arrival in the Indian Ocean."
5. Antarctic Exclusion Zone
This zone is defined according to the melting of the ice, to limit the risk of collision with an iceberg. The skippers will have to take a slightly more northerly route, under penalty of sanctions, but "the ice will be melting That's a good thing. There's no point in taking risks in these isolated latitudes."
6. The Indian Ocean
This area is particularly difficult with storms, gales and temperatures dropping more than 10°. " It's a very special ocean, a bit like a big kettle where the winds and waves change quite suddenly." . It is in this zone that the big gaps are starting to widen and we must remain vigilant.
7. The Pacific Ocean
This is the most committed part of the race. The elements are of a rare violence and you have to be doubly careful as the sailors are isolated from everything and far from help. " For a month we live in extreme conditions, with huge waves and strong winds."
8. Cape Horn
The approach to Cape Horn is difficult with often strong winds. It marks the exit from the Deep South, but it's not all over yet, even if the skippers feel a kind of deliverance. They may encounter an area where the currents can raise very rough seas. " The equation is often difficult to solve when choosing which road to take".
9. The Ascent of the South Atlantic
In this zone, conditions can be tricky with strong winds and predominantly upwind points of sail, before reaching the trade winds. " In my opinion, this is the most difficult part of the Vendée Globe." explains Marcel Van Triest. We'll then have to negotiate the Saint Helena High and the Doldrums, even though it should be narrower to the West at this time.
10. The Ascent of the North Atlantic
This is the last stretch and the place where you should not relax after about 2 months at sea. Fatigue is being felt, but you have to remain vigilant knowing that it is winter in the northern hemisphere and that there can be big lows. " Usually, it's in the Azores that we encounter the last gale that brings us back to Les Sables-d'Olonne." concludes Jean-Pierre Dick.
