NEW YORK, USA - MAY 28, 2024 : VULNERABLE skipper Thomas Ruyant (FRA) is pictured before Manhattan while leaving Brooklyn marina to join start of the New York Vendee sailing race, in Brooklyn, USA, on May 28, 2024. (photo by Mark Lloyd / Alea)
After a night at sea alone and an accident that led to one sailor sharing his spare parts with another, the New York Vendée-Les Sables d’Olonne skippers started their transatlantic race, pacing each other perfectly on this final chance to gain valuable qualifying miles for Vendée Globe selection
NEW YORK (May 29, 2024) — A live, digital race tracker, on board cameras and skippers using mobile phones to give tours of the glassy North Atlantic were the only ways to watch Wednesday’s start of the New York Vendée-Les Sables d’Olonne, as the fleet of 28 slid southward in this final test before the 2024 Vendée Globe.
With a six-mile starting line equally 90 miles from host cities New York and Newport, Rhode Island, this unusual beginning to a transatlantic race saw skippers crossing this imaginary line precisely at 2 p.m. local time after a night waiting alone at sea.
Many off the skippers must finish this transatlantic race to reach their qualifying miles for the Vendée Globe, the legendary solo, unassisted, nonstop around-the-world race that sets sail in November. The NY Vendée is especially important as it is worth 1.5 miles for each mile sailed, fast-tracking teams that finish to qualification.
Despite this pressure, the sailors were relaxed as they slowly wound up winches and checked sail trim, all while eyeing each other’s performance. This is the closest they will get before the boats spread out across the Atlantic over the next week, dodging light winds and seeking the positive currents of the Gulf Stream to take them 3,200 miles to the home of the Vendée in Les Sables d’Olonne.
Even though the IMOCA 60s are capable of covering more than 600 miles in 24 hours in heavier winds and moderate seas, this week’s trip across the Atlantic will be more tame and should take around 10 days. After three hours today, the boats were all within four miles of each other pushing for every knot of boat speed.
“Charal is going four knots and I am going 5.5,” said Boris Herrmann aboard Malizia in a voice memo. Onboard footage showed him flowing seamlessly between winches and keel controls, poking his head swiftly out the window, gauging his performance adjustments against the tightly packed group and going right back to his orchestration. In total, he mentioned more than 10 boats, using each as a data point in his decisions. “Violette Dorange (Devenir) is going quite fast. This is prime time for the non-foiling boats. They like the light winds and flat seas. All is pretty peaceful out here.”
Despite the calm seas and sunny skies, a dramatic accident Louis Burton had with an unidentified object overnight put his race in jeopardy. A call to the fleet for support was quickly answered and the situation showcased the strong bond these solo adventurers share.
“I hit something and it damaged my downwind furler,” said Burton (Bureau Vallée) in a quick video message this morning as Yoann Richomme’s boat Paprec Arkea could be seen over his shoulder. The boat’s bowsprit that reaches nearly 10 feet in front of the boat took the brunt of the collision and the furler sat right on the tip. “I called the fleet and Joann took a few minutes to lend me his emergency furler.”
The pair waited for the calm winds of this morning to transfer the part which Richomme placed in a bag and trailed from his boat with a long line. Though the sea was flat, Burton risked slipping into the water as he scurried out onto one of the slick, curving foils to grab the bag. Falling into the sea is every sailor’s worst nightmare and Richomme was there for support and saved his French countryman’s race.
“Sincerely from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” said Burton in his video message. “Well done for this sportsmanship. I owe you one.”
Across the fleet the sailors looked refreshed from their whirlwind tours of New York City. With photo shoots along the grand 5th Avenue, in eclectic Times Square and on the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge, the presence of these adventurers in the Big Apple left the indelible mark of the Vendée Globe on U.S. soil.
The desire to sail free of concentrated groups of marine life drove today’s start line offshore. The unforeseen byproduct of the sailors having to spend 18 hours alone at sea before the start was that they had a buffer between the flash of New York and life on land, and the solitude they must embody for their transatlantic race.
“It was very unusual but very cool,” said Rosalin Kuiper, a team member on Holcim PRB and co-commentator for the NY Vendée start. “They get to ease into their race. It’s such a shock when you start or finish a race. The smells, the noise, so many people. I felt strange leaving the boat yesterday but this is good for them.”
The fleet will reach the Share the Ocean waypoint 170 miles southeast of the starting line sometime by daybreak tomorrow. The GPS (global positioning system) point was created to allow the fleet to clear waters protected from high speed boats to preserve marine life. But the navigation is perfect for the fleet that wants to get into the Gulf Stream’s warm river of ocean water that can add three to five knots of boat speed as they turn and head northeast towards Europe.
For now the sailors are deciding between speed and safety every hour of each day. The harder they push their boats, the greater the chance of breakage. With their hopes of being selected for the Vendée Globe on the line, there’s a palpable pressure on sailors to, as Richomme said, “put the cursor in the right place,” find that perfect balance and arrive in Les Sables d’Olonne in one piece and keep their Vendée dreams alive.
About The Vendée Globe
The Vendée Globe is the biggest sailing race round the world, solo, non-stop and without assistance. The event launched in the wake of the Golden Globe which had initiated the first circumnavigation of this type via the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn) in 1968. Only one out of the nine pioneers who had set off in 1968 succeeded in returning to Falmouth, the major port of British Cornwall. On November 26, 1989, 13 sailors took the start of the first edition of The Vendée Globe, which lasted over three months. Only seven returned to Les Sables d’Olonne, France. Over nine editions to date, only 89 of 167 contenders have managed to cross the finish line of what is now called the “Everest of the Seas.”
SEVERAL PENALTIES AFTER THE START
Race direction announced that some competitors had crossed the line too early after studying their tracks. These are Benjamin Dutreux (Guyot Environnement), Éric Bellion (Stand as One), Maxime Sorel (V and B – Monbana – Mayenne) and Oliver Heer (Oliver Heer Racing). They have to complete a three-hour penalty. Maxime Sorel, Éric Bellion and Benjamin Dutreux have announced that they will do so tonight.
To learn more, visit vendeeglobe.org
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