2nd Vendée Arctique: Brutal, shortened, but valuable: the result of an unusual Imoca showdown

The classification of the second edition of the Vendée Arctique, which was shortened by a virtual gate near Iceland, is complete. Kojiro Shiraishi was the last skipper to cross the finish line at the weekend after the rough 1,300 nautical miles. In the meantime, the Imoca soloists are heading towards the start and finish harbour of Les Sables-d'Olonne as quickly as possible, like a procession. Click here for the results and the live tracker, which is still active and shows where the homecomers are at the moment (please click!). The decision to shorten the race was welcomed by the majority of the fleet. Jérémie Beyou, the hard-nosed and ever-enthusiastic fighter, also said: "It was the right decision. Even before it was made, I had already informed my teeam that I was going to seek shelter because it was just too hard." Eric Bellion also put into words on "Comme un seul homme - powered by Altavia" just how much the sailors had to fight in the North Atlantic: "My boat was often at 90 degrees. It was extremely, extremely hard sailing. I thought about giving up several times. But the reserves inside me kept me going. I managed to set off all the alarm systems at least once."

The cards are being reshuffled with the new boats

What else will be remembered from this showdown halfway to the Vendée Globe 2024/2025? Certainly Charlie Dalin, who continued to excel and dominated the second Imoca regatta this year on "Apivia", even in challenging conditions. This is Dalin's fifth victory since joining the class in 2019, and the 38-year-old from Le Havre will once again head into his second solo round the world as co-favourite after finishing second in the 2020/2021 Vendée Globe. Until then, his closest rivals Jérémie Beyou ("Charal") and Thomas Ruyant ("LinkedOut") will also have to stretch themselves if they want to seriously challenge the permanently dominant Dalin for the crown. Boris Herrmann, his team and the huge fan community will be watching with great interest to see where his new boat will rank after the christening on 19 July and the first tests. As other skippers are also getting new boats, the cards are likely to be reshuffled several times in the coming year.

Benjamin Ferré impressed with fourth place in his second Imoca regatta as a non-foiler

Out of a total of 25 Vendée-Arctique starters, 20 were able to reach the finish. Early in the race, Szabolcs Weöres ("Szabi Racing") was forced to retire one day after the start on 13 June with a hydraulic problem. Manuel Cousin ("Sétin Group") later abandoned the race in a storm to protect his boat. Arnaud Boissières on "La Mie Câline" did the same a day later on 18 June. The German-French sailor Isabelle Joschke was forced to retire due to a torn mainsail around 40 nautical miles from the finish. Denis Van Weynberg came similarly close to the line when he announced his retirement with multiple problems.

In the comparison between foilers and non-foilers, the former took the three podium places as expected. Imoca newcomer Benjamin Ferré stood out, steering François Gabart's Vendée Globe-winning boat from 2012/2013 under his current name "Monnoyeur - Duo for a Job" to fourth place in only his second Imoca regatta. It's hard to believe that this 31-year-old entrepreneur and adventurer from Saint-Malo, who has already circumnavigated the world by hitchhiking overland alone and in a highly adventurous way, only discovered offshore sailing in 2017. Two years later, he was already on the podium as the best "rookie" in the Mini-Transat. With Guirec Soudée and his "Freelance.com", the former "Omia - Water Family" of Benjamin Dutreux, another non-foiler took sixth place. British skipper Pip Hare was considerably happier than after the Bermudes 1,000 race last month, finishing 13th. "I really feel like I'm making progress now," said the "Medallia" skipper after crossing the finish line, not without pride.

The Vendée Arctique as a qualification for its big sister, the Vendée Globe

The race, which was shortened due to a strong and extensive low-pressure system, nevertheless remains valid as the first of five qualifying races on the 2024/2025 Vendée Globe course in terms of the results. In sporting terms, all those who have completed the race are now qualified for the upcoming Vendée Globe edition. However, Vendée Globe candidates who are still changing their boat because a new one is coming will have to compete in another qualifying race. Up to 40 participants will be admitted to the tenth Vendée Globe. In the event of "overbooking", a selection process has been established that takes into account the number of miles sailed by the skippers before the Vendée Globe.

And here are the predicted arrival times for the returning participants: Already onTuesdayManuel Cousin is expected on "Groupe Sétin" (abandoned) in Les Sables-d'Olonne. OnWednesday Louis Burton on "Bureau Vallée" (5th), Charlie Dalin on "Apivia" (1st), Alan Roura on "Hublot" (7th), Giancarlo Pedote on "Prysmian Group" (12th), Arnaud Boissières on "La Mie Câline" (retired) and Jérémie Beyou ("Charal"), some of the top sailors of the shortened race, arrive at the start and finish harbour. OnThursday will be Sébastien Marsset on "Cap Agir Ensemble" (15th), Louis Duc on "Fives - Lantana Environnement" (8th), Benjamin Dutreux on "Guyot Environnement - Water Family" (11th), Antoine Cornic on "EBAC Literie" (16th), Damien Seguin on "Groupe APICIL" (9th), Benjamin Ferré on "Monnoyeur - Duo for a Job" (8th), Eric Bellion (Comme un seule hom hom) (9th), Benjamin Ferré on "Monnoyeur - Duo for a Job" (4th), Eric Bellion (Comme un hom), Damien Seguin on "Groupe APICIL" (9th), Benjamin Ferré on "Monnoyeur - Duo for a Job" (4th), Eric Bellion (Comme un seule homme - Powered by Altavia" (14th) and Thomas Ruyant on "LinkedOut" (3rd) are expected in Port Olona. The others will follow fromFriday. TheAward ceremony takes place this weekend in the regatta village of the Vendée Arctique Les Sables-d'Olonne.