Vendee Globe 2024

[Bepi]

November 10th begins the 10th edition of the Vondee globe, the round the world non-stop solo sailing race. The last Edition was incredible and exciting. One sailors craft split in half 800 miles southwest of Cape Town. There are a few sailors I favor, Pip Hare, Alex Thompson, but my favorite is Jean LeCam, the rescuer of Kevin Escofier. The vessels used are the Imoca 60, and they are very fast, amazingly fast. I've been waiting for this since the last one ended 4 years ago. They give daily updates on YouTube from the sailors themselves and there is the website which tracks all of the boats in real time with their speeds and locations. I can't wait.

 

[Christian Williams]

I find the whole thing terrifying. What are these people made of? it can't be mere flesh and bones.

And then there're the design challenges:

 

[Solarken]

November 10th begins the 10th edition of the Vondee globe, the round the world non-stop solo sailing race. The last Edition was incredible and exciting. One sailors craft split in half 800 miles southwest of Cape Town. There are a few sailors I favor, Pip Hare, Alex Thompson, but my favorite is Jean LeCam, the rescuer of Kevin Escofier. The vessels used are the Imoca 60, and they are very fast, amazingly fast. I've been waiting for this since the last one ended 4 years ago. They give daily updates on YouTube from the sailors themselves and there is the website which tracks all of the boats in real time with their speeds and locations. I can't wait.

Very Cool

 

[Bepi]

Today is the big day, I don't think the clock has moved so slow for me since Christmas in my childhood. Avanti!

 

[Bepi]

A record setting 24-hour run.

 

[Bepi]

 

[Bepi]

The oldest sailor in the fleet, Jean le Cam , 65 years old, sailing a non-foiling monohull ,is currently in the lead having done a brilliant move down the coast of Africa. This race is like the Indy 500 except it's on the water, it lasts 2 and 1/2 months there are no pit crews. https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/tracker

 

[Scott B.]

Hey Bepi,

Thanks for starting this thread. It reminded me that its once again time to follow the Vendee Globe. Its comparable to the Olympics or World Cup of single-handed sailing. Pip is my favorite, and she's doing great despite some recent set-backs, with her canting keel system breaking down and then that same day one of her furling lines chaffing through while she slept, letting the loose sail flog major tears into the working sail. Somehow, and I can't imaging how, but she repaired all of it herself while still racing through the Southern Ocean! Like Christian said, these racers can't be made of mere flesh and bones, and MacGyver himself couldn't compete with their MacGyver skills. The two front runners (Dalin and Simon) look to have positioned themselves to really pull away from the rest, if thier vessels hold together. The best in-depth daily race coverage and analysis I've found so far is on the Sea wolves channel (https://www.youtube.com/@SeawolvesTV/videos). He has great visual intros, lots of video from the captains (including some recorded just for his channel), and then good analyses of positions, weather, strategy, etc. Just make sure you have your favorite beverage handy (tea, coffee, or other) at the end of his intro. Go Pip!

 

[Bolo]

The oldest sailor in the fleet, Jean le Cam , 65 years old, sailing a non-foiling monohull ,is currently in the lead having done a brilliant move down the coast of Africa. This race is like the Indy 500 except it's on the water, it lasts 2 and 1/2 months there are no pit crews. https://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/tracker

Old guys rule!

 

[Scott B.]

Yeah...the Vendee Globe seems to be one of the only top-level competitive events involving substantial physical and mental endurance that is dominated by older guys (and gals). It appears older racers with knowledge and skill gained through decades of experience are able to overcome the youthful strength and vigor of their younger competitors. So, old guys do rule! Although, I'm impressed with how well the youngest racer (Violette Dorange, age 22) is doing among the non-foilers. She was close behind Jean Le Cam (also a non-foiler) for a long time, before she recently dropped back a little in the ranks. And Charlie Dalin (age 40 on a foiler) seems untouchable right now, so somewhere around middle-age might be the peak of performance here. Unfortunately for me, middle age was about 15 to 20 years back, so I'm entering the old guys rule stage (my mind denys it, but anoyingly my body keeps telling me its true). Pip (age 50) is still hangin' in there in 16th place, out of 38 remaining competitors. Go Pip!

 

[Scott B.]

Medallia dismasted south of Australia. Pip is reported to be safe, but there's no other information available yet. This is such heartbreaking news. She was in 15th place, and gaining ground on 14th, when it happened. Winds were not that bad (for an IMOCA), only about 25 knots or so, but she had recently come out of some severe weather a day or two ago that cracked a bulkhead. Or perhaps, she was hit by some very localized severe weather. More information will surely come out tomorrow. She was doing so well and had spent so much effort preparing and training for this race; she must be devastated. I feel so bad for her, and wish her the best of luck getting back to civilization safely. Go Pip!

 

[David Vaughn]

Pip has been posting about her progress since the dismasting. She’s headed to Melbourne; 230 miles traveled, about 500 or so miles still to go, with a jury rigged mast and sails.
Go Pip!!