{"id":155286,"date":"2024-11-08T18:05:51","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T18:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/?p=155286"},"modified":"2024-11-08T18:05:51","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T18:05:51","slug":"vendee-globe-skippers-prepare-for-the-most-emotional-send-off-in-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/vendee-globe\/vendee-globe-skippers-prepare-for-the-most-emotional-send-off-in-sport-155286","title":{"rendered":"Vend\u00e9e Globe skippers prepare for the most emotional send off in sport"},"content":"The final preparations are all nearly made: it\u2019s time for the 40 solo skippers<\/a> in this year\u2019s Vend\u00e9e Globe<\/a> to ready themselves for one of the most emotional moments in sport: start day.\r\n\r\nThe Vend\u00e9e Globe start,<\/a> which this year is on Sunday 10 November at 1300 (local time), is a French institution.\r\n\r\nThe host port of Les Sables d\u2019Olonne on the Atlantic coast has been full to the gunwales with sailing fans \u2013 and France has a LOT of sailing fans \u2013 for the past three weeks.\r\n\r\nThe race village saw around 360,000 people through its gates in the first week alone, and is expecting well over a million by the time the skippers cast off.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_155295\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Over 1m visitors are expected in Les Sables d'Olonne ahead of the 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe[\/caption]\r\n\r\nI\u2019ve been in Les Sables for the past few days and I can vouch that these numbers are not one of those \u2018uplifted\u2019 sports event statistics prone to exaggeration.\r\n\r\nThe pontoons are rammed 20-deep with crowds from dawn to dusk, and visiting an IMOCA<\/a> or meeting a skipper involves military logistical planning, and extremely sharp elbows to simply move through the mass of people trying to get a glimpse of their sailing heroes.\r\n\r\nBut come Sunday, things will move up a gear yet again.\r\n\r\nStart day is unadulterated bedlam. If you\u2019re not on the port walls well before the sun comes up to secure your spot, you can give up any hope of being in the front few rows. Thousands upon thousands of people will be descending on Les Sables to give the skippers the most rousing and spectacular send off in sport.\r\n

Emotional start<\/h2>\r\nThe passion this event engenders is almost unrivalled.\r\n\r\nEmotions are further heightened by the undeniable risk the skippers are about to take. It is an inescapable, but unsaid truth, that there have been sailors who motored down Les Sables\u2019 famous canal to sea, but did not return.\r\n\r\nFor the 40 solo skippers, it is a lot to handle. Not only do they have their private emotional rollercoaster of saying goodbye to their partners, parents and children, their friends, team mates and sponsors, all while managing their own fears, doubts and adrenaline.\r\n\r\nBut they also have to somehow absorb the power of the moment that is a Vend\u00e9e Globe start, without letting the emotional tidal wave overwhelm them.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_155300\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Yoann Richomme will be starting his first Vend\u00e9e Globe on the latest generation Paprec Ark\u00e9a[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve worked on it a lot, on mental preparation for the start,\u201d says Yoann Richomme<\/a>, skipper of Paprec Ark\u00e9a<\/em>, who\u2019ll be starting his first Vend\u00e9e Globe this Sunday as one of the favourites.\r\n\r\n\u201cI know that start and the emotion it carries could be a weak point for me, but i\u2019ve worked on it, I feel like I\u2019m ready, and I hope I\u2019ll manage it really well \u2013 but I\u2019m going to be very emotional for sure.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve lived it, in the last race with Damien Seguin<\/a>, but it was Covid times so almost no one came to see us.\r\n\r\n\"We know how many people we can fit on those two jetties out there and it\u2019s quite mad. It\u2019s part of the fun of it. It\u2019s a race where we get like a million people over three weeks coming to watch us, and it\u2019s cool to see that we can attract so much attention around one simple race.\u201d\r\n

Letting go of land<\/h2>\r\nPip Hare<\/a> is taking part in her second Vend\u00e9e Globe with Medallia<\/a><\/em>. \u201cI\u2019ve been here over three weeks.\r\n\r\n\"Around the middle of week one I separated myself from the team a bit. Because the intensity of the build up is stressful and I needed a bit of decompression. For about a week or nine days, I just had a nice time, went running and swimming and cycling - just breathing. Eating, sleeping, relaxing.\r\n\r\n\u201cThen in the last week it ramps back up again.\r\n\r\n\"I\u2019m taking control of the boat a bit more. For the last couple of days the team won\u2019t be on the boat any more, it\u2019ll just be me and Joff [Brown, Technical Director], I\u2019m kind of nesting!\r\n\r\n\u201cIn the last few days striking the balance between preparing me, and giving back to our sponsors, that\u2019s quite hard to find.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_155296\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Pip Hare signing autographs for a fan ahead of the 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\"Preparing me is the thing that I have to admit I find hardest. When I\u2019m out on the water I am instantly able to let go of all the land based stresses, but I find it very hard to let go of them now.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m looking at the weather, visualising the sail changes, but the biggest challenge for me is trying to let go of the land before the start, not after the start.\r\n\r\n\u201cHowever, I\u2019m actually really, really looking forward to sharing it with people on Sunday. So many people have come out - it\u2019s actually a bit difficult for me because I can\u2019t physically say hello to all of them.\r\n\r\n\"Having my friends and family going down the canal, I just want them to celebrate that moment - because we don\u2019t know what happens after that!\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_155297\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The incredible 40-boat IMOCA fleet will each parade down the canal of Les Sables d'Olonne before the 2024 Vend\u00e9e Globe start[\/caption]\r\n

\u2018In my mind, I\u2019m already at sea\u2019<\/h2>\r\n\u201cThe good thing is we had three weeks of being in the race village which helped me to kind of realise I was about to take the start of the Vend\u00e9e Globe,\u201d Clarisse Cremer<\/a> explains, shortly before the start of her second Vend\u00e9e Globe on L\u2019Occitane en Provence<\/em><\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe first week was quite busy. The second week was more of a break for me \u2013 almost a small holiday with my family, which was super important to feel like I was saying goodbye to everyone, and have a little bit of time with my daughter and my husband.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor Clarisse, that time has extra importance as her husband Tanguy Le Turquais, is also taking part in the race.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_155299\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Clarisse Cr\u00e9mer, skipper of L'Occitane en Provence. Credit: Georgia Schofield\/Alex Thomson Racing[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\u201cBut this week is crazy. The race is closer and the stress level is going higher.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s true that it\u2019s not very natural to go from being surrounded by so many people to being alone at sea.\r\n\r\n\u201cYou need a few days to really feel like you are doing the Vend\u00e9e Globe. I think that is what is happening right now \u2013 and the reason I feel in a bit of a parallel world right now is because my mind is already at sea.\u201d","excerpt":{"rendered":"

The final preparations are all nearly made: it\u2019s time for the 40 solo skippers in this year\u2019s Vend\u00e9e Globe to ready themselves for one of the most emotional moments in sport: start day. The Vend\u00e9e Globe start, which this year is on Sunday 10 November at 1300 (local time), is a French institution. The host port of Les Sables d\u2019Olonne on the Atlantic coast has been full to the gunwales with sailing fans \u2013 and France has a LOT of sailing fans \u2013 for the past three weeks. The race village saw around 360,000 people through its gates in the first week alone, and is expecting well over a million by the time the skippers cast off. I\u2019ve been in Les Sables for the past few days and I can vouch that these numbers are not one of those \u2018uplifted\u2019 sports event statistics prone to exaggeration. The pontoons are rammed 20-deep with crowds from dawn to dusk, and visiting an IMOCA or meeting a skipper involves military logistical planning, and extremely sharp elbows to simply move through the mass of people trying to get a glimpse of their sailing heroes. But come Sunday, things will move up a gear yet again. Start day is unadulterated bedlam. If you\u2019re not on the port walls well before the sun comes up to secure your spot, you can give up any hope of being in the front few rows. Thousands upon thousands of people will be descending on Les Sables to give the skippers the most rousing and spectacular send off in sport. Emotional start The passion this event engenders is almost unrivalled. Emotions are further heightened by the undeniable risk the skippers are about to take. It is an inescapable, but unsaid truth, that there have been sailors who motored down Les Sables\u2019 famous canal to sea, but did not return. For the 40 solo skippers, it is a lot to handle. Not only do they have their private emotional rollercoaster of saying goodbye to their partners, parents and children, their friends, team mates and sponsors, all while managing their own fears, doubts and adrenaline. But they also have to somehow absorb the power of the moment that is a Vend\u00e9e Globe start, without letting the emotional tidal wave overwhelm them. \u201cI\u2019ve worked on it a lot, on mental preparation for the start,\u201d says Yoann Richomme, skipper of Paprec Ark\u00e9a, who\u2019ll be starting his first Vend\u00e9e Globe this Sunday as one of the favourites. \u201cI know that start and the emotion it carries could be a weak point for me, but i\u2019ve worked on it, I feel like I\u2019m ready, and I hope I\u2019ll manage it really well \u2013 but I\u2019m going to be very emotional for sure. \u201cI\u2019ve lived it, in the last race with Damien Seguin, but it was Covid times so almost no one came to see us. “We know how many people we can fit on those two jetties out there and it\u2019s quite mad. It\u2019s part of …Continue reading »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1571,"featured_media":155294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1160,892],"tags":[747,250,1633,1481],"review_manufacturer":[],"acf":[],"introduction":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155286"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1571"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155286"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155301,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155286\/revisions\/155301"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155286"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=155286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}