France's sailing fans once again demonstrated their enthusiasm for sailing this Sunday at the start of the Vendée Arctique. As the three female and six male skippers left the harbour of Les Sables-d'Olonne in the morning and passed through the famous canal towards the starting arena for the little sister of the Vendée Globe, both shores were packed with spectators. It was emotional, colourful and loud as the Imoca soloists took to the water for the parade.
Vendée Arctique: first light wind start, then difficult tasks
The starting signal for the Vendée Arctique was given according to plan at 1.02 pm. The never-quite-round start times are often due to agreements between the organisers and the TV stations in France, which in this way switch live to the start in the middle or at the end of news programmes that start on the hour. This allows the main news to be reported first before live images are integrated into the programme.
The small but excellent field in the Vendée Arctique then set off in a light southerly breeze with four to seven knots of wind. The start was typical for an Imoca long-distance race: rather reserved, controlled and - in this case - without incident. The first boats crossed the start line almost 20 seconds after the starting gun.
On the first night of the Vendée Arctique, the challengers will have to deal with transitional conditions. A frontal system is expected on Monday morning, which should be followed by a lively course towards Irish waters. Reliable conditions and the associated hopes of a return to routine sailing are unlikely for the time being.
We certainly won't be bored until Ireland." Nicolas d'Estais
"Café Joyeux" skipper Nicolas d'Estais, the only starter with a non-foiler, who once won the Vendée Globe as "Macif", said: "The breeze will pick up during the night. After that, the forecasts predict the strongest conditions between the English Channel and Ireland." The fleet can expect a challenging section of the course with fast and frequent changes of speed, accompanied by a constant succession of manoeuvres and sail changes.
Power play expected in the Irish Sea
The Italian "Allagrande Mapei" skipper Ambrogio Beccaria felt the same way. He - like nobody else - was not tempted to relax by the light wind start in the northern Bay of Biscay. Beccaria said: "Between the wind shifts and the gradually building swell, it won't necessarily be easy to find the right boat speed."
"Coup de Pouce" skipper Manu Cousin also reminded us of the expected traffic density, saying: "We are passing through areas with enormous shipping traffic. Cargo ships, fishing vessels and other imocas. The sleep phases will inevitably be very short." Whilst making the fastest possible progress, the soloists' attention was already focussed on the west coast of Ireland.
"That's probably where it gets really serious," predicted Sam Goodchild, the 2025 Imoca champion and winner of the 1000 Race. "We could experience wind speeds of between 25 and 30 knots and a pronounced swell. These are not exceptional conditions for our boats, but they still require a lot of attention."
New rule makes the Vendée Arctique exciting
This year's Vendée Arctique will be even more exciting thanks to its most important innovation: the soloists can pass the Arctic Circle at a point of their choice before turning back and making the fastest possible return journey. The course can thus be chosen according to the conditions. The fleet will venture into rarely visited North Atlantic waters.
Cold temperatures, fog, fast-moving low-pressure areas and an often short and steep wave will characterise everyday sporting life in these challenging and unpredictable high latitudes. But there are still a few days to go before then.
Around three hours after the start on 7 June, Corentin Horeau initially took the lead ahead of Violette Dorange, Nico d'Estais and Sam Goodchild. The first seven Imocas were still very close together within 1.9 nautical miles, with positions changing frequently. More than seven nautical miles behind, Arnaud Boissières ("April marine - Recherche Co-Partenaires") and Manu Cousin ("Coup de Puce") followed. We had all nine starters in our Preview of the Vendée Arctique presented.
REPLAY! Click here for the live broadcast of the start and finish of the Vendée Arctique Les Sables-d'Olonne with English commentary:
A preliminary discussion with Francesca Clapcich, who is contesting her first major solo race on the Vendée Globe with the Vendée Arctique on "11th Hour Racing" (ex-"Malizia 3"):
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
