Vendée Arctique Les Sables-d'Olonne: The Imocas are loose: Lightning start for Burton, the favourites follow

The second edition of the Vendée Globe's little sister is underway! The starting signal for the race from Les Sables-d'Olonne around Iceland and back was given in the late afternoon of 12 June at 5 pm on the dot. Tens of thousands of fans lined the legendary canal of Les Sables-d'Olonne to see their heroes off on the challenging 3,500 nautical mile course. 25 soloists prepared their Imocas for the test and quickly disappeared over the horizon in a light to moderate breeze from the north-east.

With a lightning start, Louis Burton on "Bureau Vallée" took the lead of the field. The skipper from Saint-Malo defended this lead on his Sam Manuard design around four hours after the clean start ahead of the "usual suspects": Thomas Ruyant on "LinkedOut", Jérémie Beyou on "Charal" and Charlie Dalin on "Apivia", who had triumphed in the Guyader-Bemudes race last month, followed - close together and changing positions quickly. The first non-top favourite to impress at this early stage of the race was Benjamin Dutreux in fifth place. With him and his boat, Robert Stanjek's Offshore Team Germany has confirmed its participation in the Volvo Ocean Race from January. Click here to go directly to the live tracker and the interim results (please click!).

The fledgling Vendée Arctique summer race, which takes its challengers into Arctic waters, is now managed by the Vendée region, which is also the namesake of the Vendée Globe. The Vendée Arctique is the first possible qualifying race for sailors wishing to take part in the Vendée Globe 2024/2025. After a week of bliss in Les Sables-d'Olonne, where the heroes of the last Vendée Globe were celebrated once again and both familiar and new teams were visited and marvelled at by 40,000 visitors on the race pontoons, the start of the race took place on a wave of emotion.

Despite initially unstable winds, the leading group of fast foiling Imocas reached speeds of more than 27 knots within an hour. The not-so-small group of co-favourites initially seemed to agree that they wanted to gain space quickly to the west. On a slightly more northerly course, a few outsiders were travelling towards the first important mark before turning north towards Iceland. The front field is expected to reach the eastern tip of Iceland on Friday. Whether Burton's full scow bow, which serves as an exemplary blueprint for many current designs of the new generation, will then still be in front remains to be seen on the course. The first weather obstacle looming is a ridge of high pressure creating a zone of light winds. The leading skippers are spoilt for choice as to where they want to cross it. The option of heading further west may require more miles to sail. The reward could be a more solid, consistent south-westerly wind for the long, fast leg to Iceland. The eleven non-foilers are likely to stay further east.

"It's a bit like the Vendée Globe, but in summer," Manuel Cousin ("Sétin Group") said with a smile before the start on the dock in Port Olona, where the atmosphere was reminiscent of the Vendée Globe times in November. Only the warmth and the sunshine gently pointed out that this was a summer race with a Nordic loop.

The British sailor Pip Hare was eleventh in the evening and sailed her new foiling "Medallia" at a speed of 20 knots. She said before setting off: "I think this race is really about analysing and improving all my own techniques as a sailor. I will be watching the other boats of a similar generation and measuring my performance against them. For me, the race is a great learning opportunity. I obviously want to finish the race and take my first qualifying step for the next Vendee Globe." Kiwi Conrad Colman also had a good start on his previously sponsorless non-foiler "Imagine", finishing 16th in the evening: "I'm just happy to be in the race, happy to be sailing around Iceland. This is completely new for me and for everyone else. And as you know, it's pretty exciting for a New Zealander from the far south of the world to be travelling to the north of the world." Boris Herrmann will not be at the start, as he has to wait until July for his new Imoca to be completed, but will then be back in action with a full regatta calendar.