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With three weeks to go, skippers gather to kick off the race to the Arctic Circle
With three weeks to go before the start of the Vendée Arctique – Les Sables d’Olonne 2026, organizers, partners, and skippers gathered this Tuesday in Paris to unveil the details of an edition that will officially kick off the 2028 Vendée Globe cycle.
WITH THREE WEEKS TO GO, SKIPPERS GATHER TO KICK OFF THE RACE TO THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
With three weeks to go before the start of the Vendée Arctique – Les Sables d’Olonne 2026, organizers, partners, and skippers gathered this Tuesday in Paris to unveil the details of an edition that will officially kick off the 2028 Vendée Globe cycle.
Sodebo, a major partner of the upcoming Vendée Globe as well as the Vendée Arctique
Official Vendée Globe online shop
The first names announced for an already promising line-up
At a press briefing held on 2 April, the Vendée Arctique – Les Sables d’Olonne revealed the first names of the skippers entered for its 2026 edition, as well as the race management team that will ensure the sailors’ safety. As the first qualifying race for the 2028 Vendée Globe, the competition is…
Crossing the polar circle at the chosen longitude: the 2026 revolution
For its third edition, the Vendée Arctique – Les Sables d'Olonne is reinventing its history. On 7 June 2026, IMOCA sailors will set off solo from the Vendée port towards the Arctic Circle (66° North), which they will have to cross at the longitude of their choice, before returning to complete the…
This is the decrease in Arctic sea ice area per decade.
heading for the Arctic Circle!
The Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne is back in 2026 with a daring and unprecedented route: starting from Les Sables d'Olonne, the skippers will have to cross the Arctic Circle - 66° North - for the very first time, but at the longitude of their choice, before returning to the famous port in…
Koji looking for a race with ‘no majors’
The first edition of the Vendée Arctique Les Sables d’Olonne in the spring of 2020 was the first race for Japan’s solo racer Kojiro Shiraishi with the DMG MORI GLOBAL ONE. While he finished in a highly creditable tenth position overall the skipper, who went on to become the first Asian racer to…
The solo skippers of the Vendée Arctique celebrate their success and are honoured by the public
Les Sables d'Olonne put together all of the key ingredients to honour the solo skippers of the second edition of the Vendée Arctique Les Sables. The public turned out in significant numbers to greet the skippers and mark their endeavours. They shouted and cheered for all 20 of the sailors who…
The Give and Take of the Sailor, Media Relationship
Vendee Arctique sailors chose to put the extreme restriction of sailing solo on their careers. But that does not mean they are alone. Today, thousands of bits of media - video footage, audio clips, written stories and reports - are beamed to a global audience each race and the sailors are at the…
New Kid on the Block
At 30, Guirec Soudee (freelance.com) is a freshman in the IMOCA class having just dipped his toe into its fast running waters this year. His voyage towards the Vendee Globe is dominated by a fairy-tale image of a young man and a chicken, Monique to be precise, on the high seas. But make no mistake,…
Relaxed and Thoughtful, Bulk of Fleet lands in Port Olona
Smiles, hugs and champaign greeted more than half the Vendee Arctique - Les Sables d’Olonne fleet Thursday as they paraded into Port Olona on a warm, windless day after slowly jockeying down the coast. Stories were shared of hard lessons learned, decisive moments and personal triumphs, closing out…
French are Data Kings as Internationals Play Catchup
The dynamic and complicated second IMOCA race of the season revealed the hidden strengths of the top French skippers and has shown the international sailors getting traction in their new campaigns.
Fifteen sailors expected in Les Sables d'Olonne Thursday from 11 a.m., including the top three!
We expected to see the first "finishers" of the Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne return in the rain Wednesday night. To the delight of the public and the media, they will finally treat themselves to a day channel ascent. Thursday, the tide will allow the IMOCAs to pass between 11 a.m. and 4:20…
48 Hours of Tension
Last Friday, race management decided to make the Iceland Gate the finish line of this Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d’Olonne. The main reason: a depression that widened and spread over a substantial part of the course. This choice owes nothing to chance or improvisation. It follows a series of…
A Proving Ground for Judgement
The Vendee Arctique - Les Sables d’Olonne was envisioned to be a tough challenge to qualify sailors for the Vendee Globe. Facing the same judgment calls race officials tackled, the five sailors who retired had some of the most difficult calls to make while they were strapped into the worst of the…
“I’m Back,” Roura has Race he Needed
Swiss sailor Alan Roura will sail into Les Sables d’Olonne later this week having taken his IMOCA game to the “next level” after finishing in seventh, the top international skipper in the 2022 Vendee Arctique - Les Sables d’Olonne. The fleet finished the shortened race in Iceland last weekend and…
