On 8th November 2020, the Vendée Globe, a single-handed, non-stop, non-assisted round the world voyage reserved for IMOCA boats, will kick off. This record-breaking edition welcomes 33 participants and will be a little unusual, as it is taking place in the midst of the health crisis for Covid-19.
However, the competitors will have to reach Port Olonna, in Les Sables-d'Olonne on 16th October (3 weeks before the start of the race). And though the wanderings on the pontoon are more than uncertain for the visitors, each skipper has already been allocated a place in the port.
It is by means of a draw under the control of a bailiff that the pitches are allocated. However, the majority of the last boats in the fleet are installed at the end of the pontoon, on the shelf. Indeed, in the allocation of places, it was also necessary to take into account the width of the boats, a large part of which is now equipped with foils. These appendages increase the width and it then becomes difficult to take up space between the catways, where the IMOCA boats are stowed in pairs.
But does the site assignment change anything when you start course?? Absolutely not since the start line is anchored off Port Bourgenay. So it's just a media story. At the head of the pontoon, the sponsor will have more visibility with the general public, especially during the TV broadcasts in the period before the start. But it is also the boats at the other end of the pontoon that will be the first to leave the famous channel in Les Sables d'Olonne...
