Les Sables d’Olonne, France (January 30, 2025; Day 82) – The attrition for the 10th Vendée Globe increased today as the 7th skipper from the 40 starters was dismasted at the longitude of Cape Verde. More than 2,500 miles from the finish, both boat and Arnaud Boissières (FRA) are otherwise fine.
Sam Davies (GBR), unable to finish the 2020-21 edition due to hull damage from a collision, was pleased to get across the finish line today in 13th place. But it was not without a struggle as the weather was not kind in the Bay of Biscay. “It was that it was impossible to find shelter in such difficult conditions,” she shared. “The waves were getting bigger and breaking: sometimes, I forced myself not to look at them because they were so scary.”
While advancements in IMOCA design had focused on smoother hull motion in the waves, life onboard remains uneasy. “If I think about it when I’m on land, what we experience is horrible,” she admits. “Before the start, I was a little worried about whether I would be able to live like that for two and a half months, but at sea, you discover you’re capable of things you would never have imagined. It’s a source of immense satisfaction… and in a way, it’s a bit like the Vendée Globe drug!”
Davies, like most skippers, finds the immense challenge of the southern oceans to be a highlight. “Setting off so far from any land, from any civilization, is always a test,” said Davies. “It’s a test of the mind, a test of your ability to manage solitude and the repetition of the effort. But I think we all come to seek out the magical sensations of the Big South. The whales, the seals, the birds and then Cape Horn… To experience that while being at the heart of a race like this is great.”
For ETA updates, click here.
Final Results – Top Ten
1. Charlie Dalin (FRA): 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, 49 seconds
2. Yoann Richomme (FRA): 65 days, 18 hours, 10 minutes, 2 seconds
3. Sébastien Simon (FRA): 67 days, 12 hours, 25 minutes, 37 seconds
4. Jérémie Beyou (FRA): 74 days, 12 hours, 56 minutes, 54 seconds
5. Paul Meilhat (FRA): 74 days, 22 hours, 38 minutes, 15 seconds
6. Nicolas Lunven (FRA): 75 days, 07 hours, 49 minutes, 41 seconds
7. Thomas Ruyant (FRA): 75 days, 16 hours, 47 minutes, 27 seconds
8. Justine Mettraux (SUI): 76 days, 01 hour, 36 minutes, 52 seconds
9. Sam Goodchild (GBR): 76 days, 02 hours, 01 minutes, 45 seconds
10. Benjamin Dutreux (FRA): 77 days, 03 hours, 39 minutes, 24 seconds
Race updates – Tracker – Ranking – Arrival times – Facebook
Attrition:
Nov. 15: Maxime Sorel (FRA), V and B – Monbana – Mayenne, ankle injury, mast damage
Dec. 4: Louis Burton (FRA), Bureau Vallée, rigging failure
Dec. 15: Pip Hare (GBR), Medallia, dismasted
Dec. 16: Szabolcs Weöres (HUN), New Europe, broken D2 shroud
Dec. 30: Yannick Bestaven (FRA), Maître CoQ V, steerage damage
Jan. 12: Éric Bellion (FRA), STAND AS ONE – Altavia, broken J2 forestay pin
Jan. 30: Arnaud Boissières (FRA), La Mie Câline, dismasted
The Vendée Globe, raced in the 60-foot IMOCA, is the elite race round the world, solo, non-stop, and without assistance. On November 10, 40 skippers started the 2024-25 edition which begins and ends in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
Armel Le Cléac’h, winning in 2017, previously held the record for the 24,300 nm course of 74 days 03 hours 35 minutes 46 seconds. Only one sailor has won it twice: Michel Desjoyeaux in 2001 and 2009. This is tenth running of the race.
Source: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2025/01/30/attrition-completion-for-vendee-globe/
