solo (P)
solo (E)
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Les Sables d’Olonne, vendee, france
Well, the word used to describe doing something alone, by yourself, without assistance is universal across our six languages–quite unusual. Other English words for describing doing something alone include unaccompanied; solitary; single-handed; alone; independent; and your host’s personal favorite, under your own steam. But today, we’re focusing not on steam, but on wind. Today’s post is about one of the more extreme activities one can do alone: the Vendée Globe sailing race, the latest edition of which started on November 10, 2024 in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
What is the Vendée Globe sailing race? One person, solo, on a monohull 60-foot sailboat circumnavigates the earth with no stops and no assistance, following a route that used to be known as the clipper route for the clipper sailing ships that employed it to get cargo to ports faster. Skippers leave Les Sables d’Olonne, France, on the west coast of France, in autumn; sail south down the east coast of Africa and into the southern Atlantic Ocean where it is summer; round the Capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn (essentially circumnavigating Antarctica) crossing the southern sections of the Indian and Pacific Oceans); and reenter the southern Atlantic on the eastern coast of South America, sailing north through a wintry Atlantic Ocean back to Les Sables d’Olonne. As mentioned, the boats in the Vendée Globe race are 18.28 meters or 60 feet long with a draft (or depth) of a draft of 4.50 m. Carrying massive amounts of sail and capable of reaching close to 40 knots or more than 40 miles per hour downwind, they are, according to the race’s official website, “the most powerful monohulls on the planet sailed by a solo sailor.” Not your average Sunfish. Potential entrants into the race must qualify on their yacht-skipper and boat are a team.
The first edition of the Vendée Globe race began in November 1989, founded by a French sailor, Philippe Jeantot, who, after twice winning another sailing race, the BOC Challenge (a solo round the world race with stopovers), was perhaps looking for a bigger challenge. Today, the Vendée Globe attracts an international audience who can watch the progress of the yachts on the official website and on social media. As you can see from the course map, and in great detail on the official website, weather patterns play a large part in the race.
The route encompasses more than 45,000 kilometers or 23,400 miles. How long are these skippers at sea? Well, the record for completing the race is 74 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes and 46 seconds, held by Armel Le Cléac’h since 2016. So, the earliest you might be back in France is mid to late January. Most skippers take much longer and over 50 % of those who start don’t finish. Of the 200 skippers who have entered all of the Vendée Globe races since 1989, only 114 have completed the race. This year, prize money of 160,000 euros goes to the winning skipper, with the second skipper to arrive receiving 100,000 euros.
So, let’s talk a little bit more about what “solo” means in Vendée Globe terms. A skipper must complete the race single-handed; non-stop; and without assistance.
Single-handed: no one else on board during the entire race (unless you have rescued a competitor and are bringing them to safety).
Non-stop: Once you start, you are not allowed to stop; pull up to a dock; have a shower; take on water and provisions; maybe have a cleansing ale (or a glass of wine, this being a race dominated by French sailors). You are allowed to anchor but if you go ashore, you cannot go further than the level of the highest high tide. There is one exception to the no stopover rule. Within the first 10 days of leaving Les Sables d’Olonne, you may go back there and receive assistance, which, over the years, a few sailors have done. Of course, real damage to your prospects of winning the race.
Unassisted: The skipper is responsible for everything: navigation decisions; repairs; medical treatment of themselves; and cooking, cleaning and maintenance of the yacht. Skippers are not allowed to receive guidance on the best way to navigate around or through weather. They are able to get remote medical advice from the race doctor but must treat themselves and are able to obtain technical consultation on the best way to make a repair but must complete the repairs themselves.
How did this activity of single-handed sailing, which some might call crazy, get started? Remember we’ve talked a bit in previous posts about circumnavigation of the earth. The first single-handed circumnavigation was made by a Nova-Scotian born Joshua Slocum between 1895 and 1898 (obviously, he stopped along the way). Many others have done it since, usually making numerous stopovers. The first person to do it in a timed way, with a stop in Sydney, Australia, was Francis Chichester, an English sailor. He followed the clipper route and in 1967, made it from England and back in nine months and one day, with 226 sailing days. For this achievement, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. And there are other single-handed sailing races, including the Route du Rhum, a single-handed transatlantic race between Saint-Malo, France and Guadeloupe, recently featured in the movie Flo, about the French woman sailor who won the race in 1990. Those of you around in the 1960s might remember the National Geographic Magazine’s installments about Robin Lee Graham, an American teenager who set out to sail around the world in 1965. He did so on the yachts Dove and Return of Dove and later wrote a best-selling book entitled Dove.
The origins of the Vendée Globe race date go back to the Golden Globe race, a race inspired by Francis Chichester’s success, and sponsored by the Sunday Times in March 1968. There was no entry fee and few rules or qualification requirements. Skippers were able to leave at varying times over several months. Of the nine skippers who competed, only one returned to Falmouth, England, Robin Knox-Johnston, after 313 days. Six skippers retired from the race and one suffered a sinking in the North Atlantic and was rescued. The last skipper, Donald Crowhurst, decided to game the system, sailing around in the Atlantic Ocean and transmitting fake position reports. Keep in mind this was in the days before GPS or satellite navigation. According to his log, found on his abandoned yacht, his lies preyed on him, and he apparently committed suicide by going into the water. The Golden Globe race is still conducted every four years.