The New York Vendée, the qualifier race for many to make the start of the Vendée is vital for some skippers if they are to make the selection of boats to make the start line for November’s Vendée Globe race, a solo unassisted circumnavigation of the globe.
The course for the start on May 29th is set for eighty miles offshore so there will be no spectator fleet for the start. This is all done for good reason. It’s breeding season for whales, and they tend to be out in large numbers right off the coast of New York where the Hudson flows into the Atlantic. It’s better to start slightly offshore than risk a collision that could injure marine life or cause damage to boats and skippers right at the start of the race.
The New York Vendée is important in many ways and this year’s event added an additional cultural link between The USA and France. Before the skippers set off on May 29th from New York to Les Sables d’Olonne, France Vendée Liberty Show was held on the May 24th on Governors Island.
Collective Governors Island was the site for guests to enjoy a day of watching the IMOCA 60’s race with a view of the boats racing, The Statue of Liberty and Manhattan Island. It was New York but not New York with Governors Island feeling like a small bit of nature among the tall buildings and industries surrounding it in Manhattan and Brooklyn in one direction and the New Jersey shoreline on the Hudson on the other. This was an oasis in the middle of all of them.
There was an inclusion of French culture with ten of the top French chiefs from NYC highlighting their flavorful foods. It was a hit. There were dishes made with a Vendée flavor, incorporating foods usually made locally in the Vendée region of France and wines made from French vineyards. There were sardines on toast, lamb, and various rich and delicious desserts. The chefs were a wonderful addition to the event and outdid themselves with the quality, flavor, and diversity of foods they offered.
William Christie, famed conductor, and Juilliard School students provided the guests with The Arts Florissant, a concert of classic baroque French music. The talented musicians played throughout the afternoon with a selection of French classics.
The day gave 30 skippers a chance to show off their boats and skills in front of the Statue of Liberty. They race gave the spectators an exhibition race with time trials on a one mile course that cruised from just off the tip of Manhattan to past the Statue of Liberty.
While they were sailing the IMOCA 60’s in the Hudson River guests were treated to a day of activities on Governors Island at the Vendée Liberty Show.
The wind didn’t completely cooperate for the fleet in the speed trials in upper New York Harbor on May 25. It’s a shifty part of the Hudson in the upper bay so some skippers were winners and others not so much depending on the course chosen.
Romain Attanasio, Team Fortinet/Best Western, from the first heat of the day, sailed toward the Statue of Liberty then foamed off in a blast of breeze to capture the fastest run of the day at five minutes and 55 seconds.
The IMOCA class is building on the success of transatlantic and other ocean races originating from the U.S. East Coast by inviting the latest American talent to join the NY Vendée. Rising ocean sailing star and social media phenom Cole Brauer, the first American woman to complete a solo around the world race this year, teamed up this week with Malizia skipper Boris Hermann. This will help raise her profile with Americans and the world and hopefully bring others into the exciting world of ocean circumnavigations by sail.
Topics during the three round table discussions included partnerships in preserving our oceans, the intersection of art and offshore racing, and connecting the cultures and businesses of France and America.
The sailors arrived at the awards and savor the last few hours of comradery and relax with family and friends before putting their heads down and thinking of nothing but what lies ahead at the start on Wednesday, May 29th, 2024. Tomorrow and every day until Wednesday’s Transat start there will be preparations made and checklists finished before the skippers’ head out solo across the Atlantic. For some it’s a last chance to prove their skills and guarantee a spot in November to go around the world in the pinnacle race for solo skippers, The Vendée Globe, a solo, unassisted, nonstop race around the world also known as “The Everest of the Seas.”
All of the skippers taking off are ever hopeful and I am sure slightly tense. In fact, every solo-sailor must first sail thousands of recorded miles in sanctioned events and then be selected by the race committee before being allowed to race in the Vendée Globe. Here is wishing good fortune and a safe transatlantic crossing for all those entered in this qualifier race.
SPEED RUN RESULTS
Pool A :
Romain Attanasio Fortinet – Best Western – 5min 55s
Pool B : Jérémie Beyou – Charal – 6min 56s
Pool C : Manuel Cousin – Coup de Pouce – 6min 7s
Pool D : Szabolcs Weöres – New Europe – 12min 34s
Overall best time: Romain Attanasio Fortinet – Best Western – 5min 55s
#VG2024