Sunday, November 8, 2020. In the Vendée sunshine of the Vendée Globe, with a south-south-easterly breeze of less than 15 knots, the 33 competitors in the Vendée Globe set off westwards out of the Bay of Biscay. Behind them, they left the lighthouse in Armandèche, which marks the entrance - or rather the exit in our case - from the port of Les Sables-d'Olonne. It is the first (and last!) of the lighthouses that will be lining the round the world route of the Vendée Globe.
42 m for a range of 24 miles
The Armandèche lighthouse, one of the youngest of those we will show you since it was commissioned in October 1968.
Les Sables-d'Olonne has always been a fishing port, and since the end of the XVth century, there have been e between 80 and 100 boats. It will even be the largest cod fishing port in the 18th century e century. After a long period of decline, it is again fishing which will give a new rise to this city: the port is filled with gazelles des Sables, tuna fishermen and sardine pinnacles at the end of the 19th century e century. To indicate the entrance, the Chaume lighthouse will be the only one for a long time. It is located at the top of the Arundel tower, the keep of the Saint-Clair castle built in the XIVth century e century.
With a range of 24 miles, the Armandèche lighthouse once again provides visibility at this harbour entrance. Designed by the architect Maurice Durand, who also designed the two lighthouses on the Ile d'Yeu and the Groin du Cou lighthouse in the Vendée, it was classified as a historic monument on 3rd October 2012.
