Vendée Globe race entries stack up for limited places
Over 30 years after the event was created, the Vendée Globe solo round the world race has hit a historic high point, leading to a race for limited entry in 2024. A third of the next fleet could be made up of skippers returning for another attempt to gain a place on the podium.
The 2020 race, its ninth edition, was perhaps the most successful ever: it saw 33 entries, a record number of new foiling designs, the lowest ever number of abandonments and was followed by a new high of 11 million website users.
And when Yannick Bestaven won on Maître COQ, a 2016 generation foiler, it fuelled the values of recent IMOCA 60s that are tried and tested, competitive and ready to fine-tune right away. That has created a red-hot market for the boats, and many boats have changed hands, snapped up by skippers already signed with a sponsor.
Among those who have said they will be back include Fabrice Amadeo – he will race the same boat with new sponsor Nexans. Romain Attanasio will also be back, having acquired Boris Herrmann’s Vplp/verdier foiling IMOCA (ex Malizia II) with sponsors Best Western.
Arnaud Boissières says he is returning for his fifth Vendée in the same boat fitted with new foils. Louis Burton, too, is intent on coming back to better his 3rd place this year and has bought the Manuard design that was formerly L’occitane en Provence. Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiraishi is also entering again with the same foiling boat and sponsor DMG Mori.
Armel Tripon says he would like to be back with a new build, a scow design. Alan Roura has signalled his intention to race again in 2024, and Louis Duc is going to make a comeback with a 2007 Farr design.
So far the only woman certain of an entry
‘Tried and tested IMOCA 60s are competitive and ready – that has created a red-hot market’
is Pip Hare, who has continued backing from Medallia and now a competitive boat to suit her racing style. She says she identified the 2016 design Bureau Vallée as the boat for her before the start in 2020. “It is exactly the boat that I decided would be the perfect next step for me,” she says. During the next three years it will be fitted with new foils and Hare will focus on upping performance to race for the podium.
So far the only first time skipper ready to enter is Antoine Cornic, who has bought Canadian Derek Hatfield’s 2008 IMOCA Spirit of Canada.
Alex Thomson has not stated whether he will sail again in Hugo Boss after retiring in 2020 with rudder damage. If he does enter, Thomson will be one of the most experienced racers, having raced in every edition over the last 17 years. His career quest has been to win and he came within hours of it when he finished 2nd in 2016.