/ 
How do you qualify for the Vendée Globe?
The Vendée Globe is THE flagship race of the IMOCA circuit. The Holy Grail for sailors! However, the limited number of participants can leave some out in the cold... And that's the case for this 2024 edition, which limits the number of sailors to 40, one of whom will benefit from a Wild Card, i.e., an invitation from the organization.
To take part, skippers must qualify according to a number of criteria. Skippers must qualify on the boat with which they will circumnavigate the globe, and take part in 2 single-handed qualifying races of the Globe Series Championship. The Vendée New York served as the final qualifying race. Sailors now have until July 1 to finalize their registration and budget. Although qualified, sailors without the necessary funds are forced to throw in the towel.
If the number of participants exceeds 39, as is the case for this edition, then other criteria are taken into account. The first 13 skippers with a new boat to start a qualifying race are automatically selected. The remaining 26 skippers are selected on the basis of the number of miles raced, accumulated from the Transat Jacques Vabre 2021 onwards. The New-York Vendée is all the more crucial as for every 1 mile sailed, the sailors have accumulated 1.5 miles! Over a course of 3,200 miles, the sailors have added 4,800 miles to their total.
Skippers of new boats already qualified
New" boats are those whose construction began after the last Vendée Globe campaign, i.e. the 2020-2021 edition. Their skippers are therefore guaranteed to take part in the round-the-world race, as long as they meet the aforementioned conditions. Like Jean Le Cam, who only crossed the start line of The Transat CIC for family reasons, crossing the line is enough to qualify.
