The 33 skippers of this 9th edition will set off at 13:02 on Sunday 8th November 2020 at 13:02 e edition of the Vendée Globe. The start is expected to take place in medium winds of around fifteen knots gusting to 20 knots from the south-south-east, due to a low pressure system off the Bay of Biscay, which was present the day before.
The sailors should have a wind on the beam, ideal for the start, with not too many rough seas, which will enable them to clear quickly to head out to sea.
From the first night, they will have to cross the front of the low, with steady winds gusting up to 30 knots. This passage of the front upwind could be quite sporty.
On Monday, the westerly wind should allow them to gain southward, before suffering a 2 e forehead on Tuesday. The sailors will have to cross the low, which looks set to be very tricky with gusts of over 30 knots, in order to find a more favourable wind from the west to reach the Canaries.
"We should set off in a medium wind of around fifteen knots from the south, which is fairly easy to handle, which will enable us to get clear of the coast quickly and make headway westwards in search of a drop in pressure coming up from Portugal. This fairly sporty passage of the front upwind is scheduled for early Monday morning. After that there will be at least one more zone of low pressure to deal with, but it's less of a stalemate. And what is happening below is even less so, because there are no trade winds" explains Jérémie Beyou, the skipper of the IMOCA Charal.
