The Vendée Globe, 100 days and counting!

This Friday 29 July, there are exactly 100 days until the start of the eighth Vendée Globe, which will set sail from Les Sables d'Olonne on France’s Atlantic seaboard on 6 November at 13:02pm local time. Thirty sailors have signed up for this eighth edition, 28 of whom have already qualified. We get the low-down.

As 13:02pm French time ticks by this Friday, we’ll be down to just double figures to indicate the number of days until the start of the upcoming Vendée Globe. Less than 100 days to go then. Fourteen weeks and forty-eight hours, a mere drop in the ocean in relation to the four years between each edition. If a number of the skippers are allowing themselves a few days’ respite this summer, it’s also because they know that it’s the last opportunity to take some time out before the final rush for the start. Indeed, September will be very hectic with the sailors obliged to be present in Les Sables d’Olonne with their boats on the eve of the opening of the race village, which equates to a noon deadline on 14 October 2016 at the latest.

Dates to remember:
. 8 and 9 September: Skippers’ briefings
. 14 September: Press Conference in Paris
. 14 October: Presence of the skippers and boats in Les Sables d'Olonne
. 15 October: Official opening of the Village in Les Sables d'Olonne
. 6 November: Start of the Vendée Globe
. 7 November: Opening of Race HQ in Paris

More information