The world-famous sailing race, Le Vendée Globe, began on 10th November at Les Sables-d’Olonne on France’s west coast. The town’s harbour marks both the starting point and finish line, and in the weeks leading up to the race, it transforms into a 30,000m² event centre known as the Vendée Globe Village which thousands of visitors flok to in the weeks leading up to the start of the race. 

The ultimate sailing challenge

Known as the Everest of the sailing world, the Vendée Globe is a race that skippers must face solo, with no stops and no outside assistance. It’s held every four years and the route covers the three legendary capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and Cape Horn, around Antarctica and back up to the Vendée, taking nearly three months.  

This year, 40 competitors from different nations were signed up and ready for the start, although on average only half will make it to the finish line: over the years, the race has seen countless boats irreparably damaged, injured skippers that need to be rescued, and even two fatalities. It is not a race to be taken lightly. 

The Village: a hive of activity

The 2024 Vendée Globe is the tenth edition, adding an extra level of prestige and therefore competitiveness. The race is hugely popular with the French, many of whom love to learn all about the skippers and choose their favourite to win. All the competitors who have qualified must be at their designated mooring in Les Sables d’Olonne three weeks before the start date, and the Vendée Globe Village extends around these famous pontoons. 

The Village is free to visit – you just need to register online for a ticket – and up to 50,000 visitors a day come to see the incredibly advanced Imoca boats, but they’re also hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite skippers in person. This is where the celebrity sailors make final preparations, give press conferences and last-minute interviews. 

Enjoy this exclusive video reporting of the Vendée Globe Village days before the start of the race.

Visitor experiences

Once you’ve visited the pontoons, there are exhibition spaces in the Village with displays explaining the history of the race, including profiles of each competitor and scale models of the latest boat designs. You can also enjoy several immersive experiences such as an enclosed mini-simulator or, in the larger exhibition space, a panoramic cinema showing how it feels to be at the helm of an Imoca boat.  

Outside, there are various merchandise stands, competitions, quizzes and refreshments and several visitor spaces run by the sponsors, encouraging environmental awareness.  

Interviews and debates

The main media centre within the Village, ‘En Vendée Plateau TV’, is one of the most popular spots as it’s where skippers make live appearances for the public. They speak about their preparation, their hopes and fears and share behind-the-scenes details about the race. For those who can’t be there in person to see the events at Plateau TV, these interviews are streamed live and can also be viewed online: simply visit the Vendee Tourism ‘vendée life’ website and choose the video you want to watch. 

Worth knowing: if you click the ‘text’ box you can add subtitles, and in ‘settings’ you can opt for the subtitles to be automatically translated. 

The current favourites

Just before the race, Imoca posted their official list ranking the 40 competitors. The top four are French – Charlie Dalin (40), Yoann Richomme (41), Jérémie Beyou (48), and Thomas Ruyant (43) – while the fifth favourite is the German Boris Herrmann (43). 

Great news for British supporters is that Imoca gives special mention to ‘two more skippers who are each capable of making the podium’ and possibly even winning.  

First up is Samantha Davies, a 50-year-old British sailor who managed an incredible fourth place back in her first-ever Vendée Globe (2008-9) and in the last event suffered a crash with an unidentified object in the water, putting her behind the front-runners, but she still completed the course. She could be the one to watch, the first female winner. 

Sam Goodchild (34) also gets a special mention as a wildcard. This is his first Vendée Globe and he is in an older boat than most of his competitors, but he has an astounding record of podium finishes and combines both natural ability and rigorous skill. Many observers are naming Goodchild as an outside favourite so he might just bring home a win for Britain. 

Get involved during the race

Download the Vendée Globe 2024 official app or follow the social media accounts of individual skippers. Support your favourite by tracking their progress, see how they’re coping with the challenges of solo circumnavigation and how they tackle any repairs or breakages. You can even wish them a Merry Christmas!