Created hastily - and successfully - in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis to compensate for the cancellations of The Transat and the New York-Vendée, qualifying races for the last Vendée Globe, the Vendée Arctic-Les Sables d'Olonne is settling in in the offshore racing landscape.
25 skippers will take the start of the 2nd edition this Sunday (5 p.m.) heading for Iceland for an unprecedented passage to the borders of the Arctic Circle.
The event is one of the five qualifying races for the next solo round the world scheduled for 2024, with the Route du Rhum (November 2022), the return race of the Transat Jacques Vabre (November 2023), The Transat CIC and New York -Vendée-Les Sables (2024).
The notice of race for the next Vendée Globe stipulates that taking the start of two of these races and finishing at least one of them (with a time less than or equal to 50% of that of the winner) is enough to qualify.
But in reality, ticking this box alone will probably not be enough to be on the starting line on November 10, 2024. Because with more candidates than places available (40, plus a wild card), the number of miles earned by the skippers in the Imoca races (12 in all) will be taken into account to decide between them.
With its copious route (3,500 miles, the equivalent of a Route du rhum, between 10 and 12 days of navigation planned), the Vendée Arctique is a first major meeting even if there is no is not really urgent yet.
The course of the Arctic Vendée SAEM Vendée
"My goal is to complete this course to validate the qualifying miles,
recognizes the Normand Louis Duc (Fives - Lantana Environnement) who is aiming for a first participation in the Vendée Globe in 2024.
But what interests me is to compare the performances of (other) boats (with daggerboards) with mine to see if we can still improve things and define the lines of work for the next season.
For the candidates for the podium in the next round the world, the counter is also important, without becoming an obsession.
“There will be other qualifying races, I leave above all with the objective of being as efficient as possible
says Alan Roura, now skipper of Alex Thomson's coveted former boat (Hugo Boss now Hublot).
An extreme foiler that he is still learning to master.
“
As the training periods have been short since the boat was relaunched, this big loop around Iceland will bring me a lot in terms of experience on board.
Without forgetting that this is also my first opportunity to qualify for the Vendée Globe
”, explains the Swiss.
Third in the last Vendée Globe, Louis Burton is in the same situation at the helm of Bureau Vallée 3 (formerly L'Occitane en Provence).
“
The objective is to work further on the reliability of the boat.
The course is complete and this will allow you to test everything at all speeds, without breaking anything.
Obviously, I'm going to aim for the head of the fleet, keeping in mind that it's a race that counts for the selection in the Vendée Globe
”, planted the Malouin.
Among the favorites for victory, Charlie Dalin (Apivia), Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) or Jérémie Beyou (Charal), the issue of miles to earn is even more in the background.
Barring any setbacks, they will be among the first 13 skippers to start a qualifying race at the helm of a new boat, which will exempt them from the mile race.
Charal 2 (Beyou) will be launched on June 30, while the new Apivia (Dalin) and Advens 2 (Ruyant) are scheduled for early 2023. Shine – and win – on mounts they now know by heart is their only goal.
“
I would like to finish the story in the best possible way before parting with it”,
“We expect much more committed moments (than in 2020),
warns the triple winner of the Solitaire du Figaro
.
There are going to be a lot of transitions, a lot of changes in pace, different sail configurations.
There will be many traps, especially along the coasts of England, Ireland and then around Iceland.
It will be necessary to take care of the ice zones and the traffic of fishermen
.
From the start of the race, the competitors will face a first obstacle, an anticyclonic ridge stretching from the Azores to Ireland.
“
It will probably be the second night, it will not be an easy time because it will be difficult to sleep”,
warns Isabelle Joschke (MACSF).
“On the great piece of bravery that leads to Iceland, there is a corridor where the depressions that come from Newfoundland and the United States pass,
presents race director Francis Le Goff
.
They are pushed back towards the north and circulate towards the west or the east of Iceland.
It will be necessary to cross these corridors of depression, and for that, to choose the best moment to cross.
The complexity comes from the fact that they move quite quickly, which requires a lot of vigilance.
It will be very nice for the race followers;
it's the promise of a lot of work on board, with regular maneuvers, sail changes and a lot of navigation work”.
“Beyond the Vendée Globe, which is out of category, this race with the extreme conditions expected and its long coastal course along the Icelandic coasts, is potentially the toughest on the IMOCA circuit in the North Atlantic
”, estimates Charlie Dalin for his part. .
