A record 31 skippers set for the New York Vendée

A record 31 skippers set for the New York Vendée - Les Sables d'Olonne in May

by Vendee Globe 24 Jan 21:32 NZDT 29 May 2024

New York Vendée trophy © Vendée Globe

New York Vendée Les Sables d'Olonne © Vendée Globe Media

While the IMOCA are in winter refit, the organisers of the Vendée Globe are unveiling the details and line-up of their transatlantic race, the New York Vendée - Les Sables d'Olonne, which will start off the coast of the United States on 29 May 2024 at 2pm local time.

With just a few months to go to the Vendée Globe, this final confrontation will be the opportunity for the sailors to test themselves one last time against the competitors before the solo, non-stop, unassisted round the world race in November. In terms of sport, it also represents the final qualifying and selection race for the Vendée Globe 2024. At the end of this race, the qualification course will be complete. The final line-up for the Vendée Globe will be unveiled on July 2.

The fastest transatlantic race ever?

Jérémie Beyou, winner of the first edition in 2016, reached Vendée in 9d 16h 57min52s. As boats have made great technological progress, there is a good chance that this crossing time will be significantly shortened. To beat this reference time, the winner of this 2nd edition will have to arrive before Saturday 8th June 2024, 13h. We can also expect the record for the greatest distance sailed by a single-handed IMOCA in 24 hours - currently 539.94 miles, held by Thomas Ruyant - to be beaten.

An international line-up

A record 31 skippers will be setting off across the Atlantic to reach the Vendée, more than twice the number of entries in 2016! Among them are 14 international skippers, representing over 45% of the fleet and 11 nationalities. The appeal of this race goes beyond national borders, as evidenced by the fact that it is attracting a new nationality with Scott Shawyer, a Canadian skipper who wants to take part in the Vendée Globe 2028.

Alain Leboeuf, President of the Vendée Globe, the New York Vendée - Les Sables d'Olonne and the Vendée Department is delighted: "The aim of this race, which perfectly complements our round the world race, is to make our events more international. Looking at the line-up, with almost half of the skippers international, we can say that this objective has been achieved."

There are also the favourites for the Vendée Globe 2024: Jérémie Beyou, the title holder of the transatlantic race, Charlie Dalin, Thomas Ruyant, Yoann Richomme... A rich and varied line-up which promises a very competitive race.

Reaching beyond our borders

While the sporting challenges are major, the New York Vendée Les Sables d'Olonne also aims to promote solo offshore racing and the Vendée region in the United States.

Links will be built between the regions: a business trip will be organised in collaboration with the Vendée CCI and Business France for Vendée entrepreneurs and race partners. The aim of these initiatives is to strengthen the economic links between the Vendée and New York, encouraging commercial exchanges.

The highlight of these meetings will be the Vendée Liberty Show, an exhibition race in Manhattan Bay on 24 May 2024. Through this transatlantic collaboration, ananalogy can be drawn between the "American dream" and the "Vendée miracle". While America represents the place where individual dreams prosper, the Vendée is renowned for its remarkable economic developmentand entrepreneurial culture. This meeting at the heart of the sporting competition symbolises the quest for new horizons for Vendée entrepreneurs and the convergence of two success stories.

A work of art from Vendée as a trophy

From 7 to 9 June, just a few days after the passage of the Olympic flame, a festive reception for the public and the sailors will be set up on the Vendée Globe esplanade. The trophy, created by Julien Vrignaud, an iron sculptor from Vendée, will be given to the winner at the public ceremony on Sunday 9 June at 6pm.

Keyfigures:

31 competitors
14 internationals, i.e. over 45% of the line-up
1 disabled skipper (Jingkun XU)
5 women (Clarisse CRÉMER, Samantha DAVIES, VioletteDORANGE, Pip HARE, Justine METTRAUX)
22, the age of Violette DORANGE, the youngestcompetitor in the race
5 skippers took part in the first edition in 2016(Fabrice AMEDEO, Jérémie BEYOU, Conrad COLMAN, Paul MEILHAT, Kojiro SHIRAISHI).

List of registered skippers: