At just less than five months before the start of the Vendée Globe, twenty IMOCA skippers set off today (Saturday 4^th July) to compete in the first race of the season: the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne. The race course is unprecedented for the IMOCA class and major ocean races, taking the fleet on a northwards loop to a mark south of Iceland then passing the Azores then returning to Les Sables d'Olonne. There will be no shortage of challenges for the skippers and their craft.

He came to ocean racing from teaching sailing at Glénans, he discovered the sea as others did their religion and dreams of albatross: meet Armel Tripon!

Twenty solo skippers will take the start line of the Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne this Saturday following a totally new ocean racing course from Les Sables d’Olonne to the south of Iceland back around the Azores to finish back into the famous Vendée haven.
At four months before the start of the Vendée Globe, the new Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne race will now be the only real benchmark for the IMOCA fleet skippers to test themselves and their boats after what has proven to be a difficult winter and spring. It will be the first and only chance to evaluate performance in proper race mode, to validate the winter’s choices and ensuing work and to see if further improvements still need to be made before November’s pinnacle event.