2020

The inaugural edition

Launched in July 2020 by the IMOCA Class, the Vendée Arctique was initially created to offer the skippers a final preparation race before the 2020 edition of the Vendée Globe, after a sporting season seriously disrupted by Covid-19. Single-handed, non-stop, in the rough seas of the Far North, they faced weather conditions that were very different from those of the Deep South, but just as complex!

An essential stage of preparation

That year, the health crisis turned the sporting calendar upside down, leading to the cancellation of two major transatlantic races: The Transat (Brest - Charleston) and the New York - Vendée. The Vendée Arctique, raced behind closed doors, became a key stage for sailors who hadn't raced solo for over a year. Its original race route took the sailors to a virtual point at 62° North, a few degrees further south than the Arctic Circle.

An intense duel until the end

At the start, 20 skippers represented 5 nationalities, including 4 women. The race also offered a valuable opportunity to test the onboard equipment and procedures specific to the solo, non-stop, non-assisted round the world race, which took place four months later.

The suspense remained until the final minutes, with a close battle between Jérémie Beyou (Charal), winner in Les Sables d'Olonne, Charlie Dalin (Apivia, 2nd) and Thomas Ruyant (Linkedout, 3rd). The top six crossed the finish line in just 6hrs 19mins, bearing witness to a fierce battle.

At the same time, the older foiling boats, such as Initiatives-Cœur, PRB, MACSF (before a technical problem), SeaExplorer - Yacht Club de Monaco and Maître CoQ IV, confirmed their competitiveness, showing that performance does not depend solely on the modernity of the machines.

Throughout the event, each skipper was able to assert himself in his group, resulting in a final ranking that reflects a skilful balance between the technical nature of the boats, the experience of the skippers, the coherence between man and machine and the quality of preparation.