An air of Vendée Globe will float in Les Sables d’Olonne. The Arctic Vendée will start on June 12 next for a loop that will take the skippers north of the polar circle around Iceland, before descending towards Les Sables. This race is part of the qualifying races for the Vendée Globe 2024. A difficult race of 3,500 miles (6,482 km) awaits the 25 sailors currently engaged on their Imoca.
Before that – and to console themselves for the absence of a real party last year due to the Covid- most of the skippers of the previous round the world 2020-2021 meet this Friday evening for a grand parade on the Embankment of Les Sables d’Olonne, from Place de Strasbourg from 9:30 p.m. to the Casino des Atlantes. And fireworks visible from the Grande Plage from 11 p.m. The 2021 podium will be there (Yannick Bestaven, Charlie Dalin, Louis Burton) as well as John Le Cam, Thomas Ruyantand the Vendeans Arnaud Boissières, Benjamin Dutreux and Manuel Cousin.
The program of the festivities
- 10 a.m. Saturday, June 4: Opening from the village
- 5:00 p.m.: Course against the clock – called Runs – IMOCAs in the bay of Sables d’Olonne in front of the Remblai.
- 9:30 p.m.: Presentation of the skippers on the stage from the village
- 1:00 p.m. Sunday, June 12: Departure from the pontoons
- 5:00 p.m.: Departure at sea of the Arctic Vendée Les Sables d’Olonne
- Wednesday 22 or Thursday 23 June: Premieres Arrivals estimates of the race.