29 skippers are at the start this time, one of the strongest fields in terms of numbers after the record year 2008/2009 with 30 racers. However, this time the performance density is not quite as high as then, and there are fewer boats capable of winning. This can be attributed to the generational leap to foiling, which on paper should favour the seven boats equipped with foils.
But it's not quite that simple after all. At least the foiling "No way back" of Dutchman Pieter Heerema is brand new, but the 65-year-old skipper probably has no chance of a podium finish. His Open 60 is a top boat, designed by the Verdier/VPLP design team and built by Persico, but due to a lack of long-term optimisation and training, as well as the skipper's age, you shouldn't expect too much.
Age is a key word at this year's Vendée anyway. Never before have so many "silverbacks" entered the race. With Rich Wilson ("Great American IV"), Nandor Fa ("Spirit of Hungary"), Pieter Heerema ("No Way Back") and Enda O'Coineen ("Killcullen Voyager"), there are four skippers at the start, some of whom are well over 60. In view of the physical exertions and their sometimes very old boats, they are probably more likely to be categorised as "Taking part is everything!" But the Vendée has always been a playground for adventurers who want to fulfil a lifelong dream.
Some younger starters, for whom participation with old boats or too small a budget is a chance to shine with a good performance, have similarly little chance of podium places. These include the Swiss Alan Roura, 23 ("La Fabrique"), the Spaniard Didier Costa, 35, on Ellen MacArthur's old "Kingfisher", now "One Planet one Ocean", or the Frenchmen Romain Atanasio, 39, or Sébastien Destremau.
The strong midfield is led by old warhorses:Yann Eliès with "Queguiner-Leucémie", who sails one of the Top Open 60 without foils on the old "Safran". OrKito de Pavantwho should also be fast with "Bastide Otio", the old "Hugo Boss", which finished third in the last race. Third in the group isJean Le Cam, a piece of Vendée history with four participations, who sails the Open 60 with "Finisterre Mer Vent", which Jörg Riechers occasionally sailed as "Mare". The youngster in the midfield is the newcomerPaul Melhat ("SMA"), who skippered François Gabart's winning boat in the last edition of the Vendée. The 34-year-old is coached by Michel Desjoyeaux's team, which has always been good for a surprise.
Who are the top favourites?
The main hot contenders for victory areArmel le Cléac'hon "Banque Populaire", who has already finished second twice, finishing just a few hours after winner François Gabart in the last edition. He comes from one of the two mega-teams with the highest budgets, who can afford Open 60, Maxi-Tris and other classes and have large in-house design departments. He is considered aggressive, but also level-headed enough not to overload the boat. The Frenchman is hungry for victory, the only problem could be the high pressure of expectation.
His biggest opponent on paper is probablySébastien Jossewho sails the "Edmond de Rothschild" in Baron Rothschild's second top team "Gitana". Experienced, versatile (two Vendée Globes, Volvo Race, Maxi-Tris ...) and controversially fast. The two could have a tough battle on their hands. These two boats are considered to be the most advanced.
The company would also like toJean-Pierre Dick "St Michel-Virbac" will have a say in the race. The Frenchman and qualified vet, who could more or less finance his team out of his own pocket, has one of VPLP's top boats, but has not yet been able to shine in the preparation races and has had technical problems. He has won the Barcelona World Race twice and several double-handed transat races. However, he has yet to achieve major success in single-handed racing, most recently dropping out of the Vendée due to a breakage. It will be interesting to see whether he is good for a surprise.
And then there is the only non-Frenchman who wants to - and probably can - fight for victory: the BritonAlex Thomson with his jet-black "Hugo Boss". Fourth participation, third place last time, now it should finally work out to take the trophy from France. As always, his boat is radical, with the longest foils and probably the most extreme lightweight design. He used to have a reputation for pushing too hard and overloading the material. But he has matured in recent years, has become more patient, has focussed more on technique and has clearly improved in terms of tactics and weather, once a weak point. His boat was almost lost in 2015 after capsizing and breaking its mast, but now everything should be ready for the start. The only fly in the ointment: the Generation 2 foils on his boat broke shortly before the start, so he is racing with the old profiles. It remains to be seen whether he can be a threat to the two top skippers. But he is always good for a surprise.
This could alsoMorgan Lagraviérebe. The Frenchman sails a top boat in "Safran", which is also coached by Open 60 legend and famously excellent team manager Roland Jourdain. The 29-year-old is regarded as a huge talent, but does not yet have much single-handed round-the-world experience - but that did not stop François Gabart from winning last time. But he is certainly a skipper to keep an eye on.
Difficult to calculate isJérémie Beyouwho, with his "Maitre Coq", sails the only older Open 60 that has been retrofitted with foils. He is regarded as fast, ambitious and now also experienced enough. At the Transat a few months ago, his boat was extremely fast and probably surprised all the teams with new boats. The foils are a design by the New Zealanders' AC foil specialist.
Last but not least, the old master and only Vendée Globe winner at the start:Vincent Riou with his "PRB". She is by far the fastest non-foiling Open 60 in the fleet. Riou is one of the best all-round skippers in the field, and the boat is now more mature and technically perfect than any other. He recently said that his "PRB" is the least tiring to sail in the entire field, alluding to the stresses and strains reported by foilers: extreme movements in heavy seas, sometimes deafening noise from the foils. He decided against them because his boat seemed even faster than the foilers in 2015. But in 2016, the team with the foils caught up in leaps and bounds and left the orange racer behind. Alex Thomson told YACHT that he had an advantage of 50 miles per day over "PRB" in good foiling conditions. So it remains to be seen whether he is on a par in terms of boat speed.
In any case, the fans can look forward to a top race on Sunday afternoon, the weather looks stable and will bring ideal conditions with around 15 to 20 knots from the north-west - especially for the foilers.
From the starting signal on 6 November, YACHT online will be covering the race in the Vendée Globe section. More information about the race can also be found in the current YACHT, issue 23/2016.
Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
