Vendée Globe president confirms he will announce biodiversity zones for 2024 race
In an opening press conference for the Vendée Globe 2024 – due to start on 10 November – Alain LeBoeuf, president of the Vendée Department, has announced that he will soon announce new biodiversity protection zones on this, the round the world sailing race’s, tenth edition.
“It is important for us to protect our sailors and we couldn’t imagine having collisions with marine mammals and I want to respect the biodiversity that we speak so much about,” says LeBoeuf. “This is why we are going to publish some exclusion zones to protect biggest animals and mega fauna and biggest fish. We want to protect this sport field which is the ocean.”
Vendée Globe 2024 biodiversity protection zones to be announced
Biodiversity Protection Zones will be determined before the start by the Share the Ocean scientific consortium in conjunction with the Vendée organisation. This consortium is supported by the Vendée Globe Foundation endowment fund. The zones will be identified as important breeding and feeding grounds for cetaceans. Avoidance systems are also being studied on the boats. The IMOCA Class, together with PIXEL sur MER, SEA.AI and ENSTA Bretagne, is working on the development of a solution that will automatically detect, identify and avoid obstacles in order to reduce the risk of collisions. Plus, the MMAG (Marine Mammals Advisory Group) recently introduced the Hazard Button, an onboard warning system that allows skippers to alert the race directors in the event of a collision with, or avoidance of, a marine mammal on their course. The information is then relayed to the other skippers in the race, who can then avoid the area and the collision.
Vendée Globe recipe: one boat, one skipper, one globe
The theoretical distance of the route is 45,000km, or 24,300 miles. The time record to beat was set in 2016 at 74 days and three hours.
LeBoeuf says that: “The course is very simple, one boat, one skipper and a globe. That’s the recipe for this extraordinary race which will keep us busy for many weeks.”
200 skippers have tried to go around the world solo as part of this race, only 114 have been able to finish. It is difficult and demanding. “This competition is reserved for heroes of the seas,” says LeBoeuf.
“It’s unmissable in the sporting landscape and follows what Paris has been living for last few weeks.”
Olympics and Vendée Globe catalysts for energy
Patricia Brochard, co-president of Sodebo (a race partner for some 20 years) says the French summer has been incredible with the Olympic and para-Olympic games.
“People were united, it was very stimulating for everyone and like the Olympic Games the Vendee Globe generates positive emotions and catalyses energy and is also an event of diversity,” says Brochard.
11 nationalities and six women are taking part. “It’s not perfect but we are progressing and there are also two skippers with disabilities. So it’s not surprising of the public loves this race. There is an incredible ambience.”
Brochard notes that some teams and sailors have tech difficulties and budgetary problems. She says she is ‘hoping’ to see them on the starting line.
Level playing field for Vendée Globe
“This line-up [of skippers] is incredible,” says LeBoeuf. “This race has something unique. It is a race that is completely inclusive. It’s the only race with so much difficulty where on the same line you have men, women, young talents – you will see 15 rookies in the edition and some old timers too. We have 25 skippers taking the start for their second, third or more Vendee Globes.
“There will be the same ranking for everyone. There are differences between smaller budgets and bigger teams but everyone will face each other on this ocean. We are lucky to have sailors that are committed for different causes either for the environment, medicine or social actions. Thirty causes will be supported.”
“We have a huge opportunity to give to the public around the world,” LeBoeuf address to the skippers concluded. “In our country where sometimes we doubt, you make us dream. You make us discover what this globe can be. In these immense oceans that can also be fragile, you have those opportunity to go beyond that we discover from the beach. You make us realise what it is to go beyond yourself, to go towards the unknown to the surprising seas and perspectives.”
Pip Hare hopes to inspire other UK teams to compete in Vendée Globe
“We are solo sailors but we are nothing without the hard work and expertise of our teams,” Pip Hare stated in the introduction of most of the competing skippers. In May she told MIN of her crusade for funding as she sought sponsors to get her to the start line. “For the last three and a half years I’ve created a brand new team in the UK and it has been hard because we don’t share the collaboration and experience that you do in France but we do have a lot of great talent in the UK and that’s why I chose to build my team in the UK, to be nurtured and to show they potential and perhaps we will inspire other teams to join us in the future.”
Clarisse Crémer also introduced her campaign. Her journey to the stage hasn’t been smooth after erroneously being accused of cheating during the previous edition and also being dropped by her previous sponsor in April 2023.
Specifics on the Vendée Globe 2024 IMOCAs
The boats of the Vendée Globe all measure 18.28m.
With a large sail area, they are the most powerful monohulls on the planet led by a solo skipper. They can nearly reach 40 knots downwind at top speed. The gauge of these race animals is defined by the IMOCA class (International Monohull Open Class Association), founded in 1991 and supported by World Sailing, the International Sailing Federation. The gauge requires that the mast, sails, keel ram, but also (and this is a new feature) the boom, J2 forestay and runners be common to all boats. The rest is up to the architects. In addition, the volume of the foils – these appendices which allow the hull to lift in upwind conditions – is limited by the rule (limited to 8m3). The foils save a lot of drag (water friction) and allows better performance.
“Each IMOCA is the result of hard work and boundless creativity, reflecting the dynamic evolution of our sport. Our skippers and their teams are constantly improving, continually raising the level of their game, both in terms of their skills at sea and by integrating cutting-edge technologies,” says Antoine Mermod, president of the IMOCA Class.
“The IMOCA Class is much more than a simple association of competitors; it is a veritable floating laboratory where innovation and adventure meet.
“The single-handed round the world race is a major challenge, with the level of competition between the boats and the solo sailors at an all-time high. The Vendée Globe is our playground for pushing back the boundaries of what is possible.”
Vendée Globe introduces mascot
Also new for this edition is the inclusion of a mascot: Adélie, the penguin. Endemic to Antarctica, the South Pole continent that sailors circumnavigate on their round-the-world voyage, the Adélie penguin is directly threatened by global warming. Adélie has been chosen to be the spokesperson for the Vendée Globe’s commitment to ocean preservation.
“To convey messages in favour of preserving the oceans, it was obvious for us to choose French manufacturing,” explains Leboeuf. Not only has the Adélie mascot been designed and manufactured in France, the plush toy version (also made in France) is available for sale in limited quantities on the official store. It’s a shame it’s just so hideous.
Main image courtesy of Olivier Blancher : Alea : VG2024. Penguin mascot image courtesy of Jesus Renedo : Sailing Energy : Word Sailing. Pip Hare’s Medallia image courtesy of Vendée Globe 2024 press.
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