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The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop, unassisted round the world yacht race.[1][2] The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989,[3] and since 1992 has taken place every four years. It is named after the Département of Vendée, in France, where the race starts and ends. The Vendée Globe is considered an extreme quest of individual endurance and the ultimate test in ocean racing.[4][5]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2016) |
| First held | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Type | single-handed non-stop round-the-world race |
| Classes | IMOCA 60 |
| Start | Les Sables-d'Olonne |
| Finish | Les Sables-d'Olonne |
| Length | 24,000 nmi (44,000 km) |
| Champions | Maître Coq IV Yannick Bestaven |
| Most titles | Michel Desjoyeaux (2) |
| Website | www |
History
The race was founded as "The Globe Challenge" in 1989 by French yachtsman Philippe Jeantot.[6] Jeantot had competed in the BOC Challenge in 1982–83 and 1986–87, winning the 60-foot class ("Class I") both times. The BOC Challenge was sailed in stages with sailors being given the chance to rest and repair their boats at ports around the world.[6]Unsatisfied with the race's format, he decided to set up a new round-the-world non-stop race, which he felt would be the ultimate challenge for single-handed sailors.[7]
The first race was run in 1989–90, and was won by Titouan Lamazou; Jeantot himself took part, and placed fourth.[8] The next race was in 1992–93; and it has since then been run every four years. The inaugural race included 11 Frenchmen, one South African (Bertie Reed) and one American (Mike Plant).[9]
Yachts
The race is open to monohull yachts conforming to the Open 60 class criteria. Prior to 2004, the race was also open to Open 50 boats. The Open classes are unrestricted in certain aspects, but a box rule governs parameters such as overall length, draught, appendages and stability, as well as numerous other safety features.
The race presents significant challenges; most notable are the severe wind and wave conditions in the Southern Ocean, the long unassisted duration of the race, and the fact that the course takes competitors far from the reach of any normal emergency response. A significant proportion of the entrants usually retire, and in the 1996–97 race Canadian Gerry Roufs was lost at sea.[10]
Course
The race starts and finishes in Les Sables-d'Olonne, in the Département of Vendée, in France; both Les Sables d’Olonne and the Vendée Conseil Général are official race sponsors.[11] The course is essentially a circumnavigation along the clipper route: from Les Sables d’Olonne, down the Atlantic Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope; then clockwise around Antarctica, keeping Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn to port; then back to Les Sables d’Olonne.[12] The race generally covers approximately 24,000 nautical miles (44,000 km) and runs from November to February, timed to place the competitors in the Southern Ocean during the austral summer.[13]
Additional waypoints may be set in the sailing instructions for a particular race, in order to ensure safety relative to ice conditions, weather, etc.[14] There is also an exclusion zone set around Antarctica where competitors are prohibited to sail due to risk of ice-bergs. [15]
The competitors may stop at anchor, but may not draw alongside a quay or another vessel; they may receive no outside assistance, including customised weather or routing information. The only exception is that a competitor who has an early problem may return to the start for repairs and then restart the race, as long as the restart is within 10 days of the official start.
Qualification
To mitigate the risks, competitors are required to undergo medical and survival courses. They must also be able to demonstrate prior racing experience; either a completed single-handed trans-oceanic race or the completion of a previous Vendée Globe. The qualifying race must have been completed on the same boat as the one the sailor will race in the Vendée Globe; or the competitor must complete an additional trans-oceanic observation passage, of not less than 2,500 miles (4,000 km), at an average speed of at least 7 knots (13 km/h), with his or her boat.
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1st Edition: 1989–1990
2nd Edition: 1992–1993
3rd Edition: 1996–1997
4th Edition: 2000–2001
5th Edition: 2004–2005
6th Edition: 2008–2009
7th Edition: 2012–2013
8th Edition: 2016–2017
9th Edition: 2020–2021
10th Edition: 2024–2025
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Overall winners
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Overall winners' times
| Ed | Year | Skipper | Boat Name | 24hr Run | Equator | Cape of Good Hope | Leeuwin | Cape Horn | Equator | Finish Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1989–1990 |  Titouan Lamazou (FRA) | Écureuil d'Aquitaine II | 304 nm | 109d 08h 48m | |||||
| 2 | 1992–1993 | Alain Gautier (FRA) | Bagages Superior | 339 nm | 110d 02h 22m | |||||
| 3 | 1996–1997 | Christophe Auguin (FRA) | Geodis | 105d 20h 31m | ||||||
| 4 | 2000–2001 | Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) | PRB 2 | 93d 03h 57m | ||||||
| 5 | 2004–2005 | Vincent Riou (FRA) | PRB 2 | 10d 12h 13m | 24d 02h 18m | 36d 09h 48m | 56d 15h 13m | 72d 11h 24m | 86d 32h 13m | |
| 6 | 2008–2009 | Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) | Foncia | 466 nm | 13d 15h 41m | 27d 00h 34m | 37d 31h 23m | 56d 15h 08m | 71d 17h 12m | 84d 03h 09m |
| 7 | 2012–2013 | François Gabart (FRA) | Macif | 534 nm | 11d 00h 20m | 23d 03h 43m | 34d 10h 23m | 52d 06h 18m | 66d 01h 39m | 78d 02h 16m |
| 8 | 2016–2017 | Armel Le Cléac'h (FRA) | Banque Populaire VIII | 09d 09h 56m | 18d 03h 30m | 28d 20h 12m | 47d 00h 32m | 61d 12h 21m | 74d 03h 36m | |
| 9 | 2020–2021 | Yannick Bestaven (FRA) | Maître Coq IV | 481.8 (7th) | 35d 01h 25m | 55d 00h 22m | 69d 13h 16m | 80d 03h 44m | ||
Farthest distance covered in 24 hours
| Edition | Year | Skipper | Boat Name | nautical miles/24h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1989–1990 | Titouan Lamazou (FRA) | Écureuil d'Aquitaine II | 304 |
| 2 | 1992–1993 | Alain Gautier (FRA) | Bagages Superior | 339 |
| 3 | 1996–1997 | Yves Parlier (FRA) | Aquitaine Innovations | 374 |
| 4 | 2000–2001 |  Dominique Wavre (SUI) | Union bancaire privée | 430 |
| 5 | 2004–2005 | Roland Jourdain (FRA) | Sill et Veolia | 439 |
| 6 | 2008–2009 | Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) | Foncia | 466 |
| 7 | 2012–2013 | François Gabart (FRA) | Macif | 534 |
| 8 | 2016–2017 |  Alex Thomson (GBR) | Hugo Boss 6 | 536 |
| 9 | 2020–2021 | Thomas Ruyant (FRA) | LinkedOut | 515 |
Winners' participation and equipment
| Year | Skipper | Previous Start/Finish (Best) | Name of Boat | Sail No. | Designer | Builder | Year Launched | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–1990 | Titouan Lamazou (FRA) | N/A | Écureuil d'Aquitaine II | Luc Bouvet Olivier Petit | Chantier Capitaine Flint | 1989 | [16] | ||
| 1992–1993 | Alain Gautier (FRA) | 1 / 1 6th | Bagages Superior | Finot-Conq | CDK Technologies (FRA) | 1992 | Aluminum Construction | [17] | |
| 1996–1997 | Christophe Auguin (FRA) | Never | Geodis | Finot-Conq | JMV Industries (FRA) | 1994 | [18] | ||
| 2000–2001 | Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) | Never | PRB 2 | FRA 85 | Finot-Conq | Mag (FRA) | 1999 | [19] | |
| 2004–2005 | Vincent Riou (FRA) | Never | |||||||
| 2008–2009 | Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) | 1 / 1 (1st) | Foncia | FRA 101 | Farr Yacht Design | CDK Technologies (FRA) | 2007 | [20] | |
| 2012–2013 | François Gabart (FRA) | Never | Macif | FRA 301 | Verdier / VPLP | CDK Technologies (FRA) Green Marine (GBR) | 2011 | [21] | |
| 2016–2017 | Armel Le Cléac'h (FRA) | 2 / 2 (2nd) | Banque Populaire VIII | FRA 18 | Verdier / VPLP | CDK Technologies (FRA) | 2015 | [22] | |
| 2020–2021 | Yannick Bestaven (FRA) | 1 / 0 | Maître Coq IV | FRA 17 | Verdier / VPLP | CDK Technologies (FRA) | 2015-03-02 | Hydrofoil | [23] |
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Starters, finishers and nationalities
| 1989–90 | 1992–93 | 1996–97 | 2000–01 | 2004–05 | 2008–09 | 2012–13 | 2016–17 | 2020–21 | 2024–25 | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finishers Overall | ||||||||||||
| Total Finishers | 7 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 25 | 114 | ||
| First Time Finishers | 7 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 84 | ||
| Start/Finish Percentage | 54% | 50% | 40% | 62.5% | 65% | 40% | 55% | 62% | 75.8% | 56% | ||
| Male | 7 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 18 | 21 | 104 | ||
| Male - First Time | 7 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 74 | ||
| Female | - | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | 4 | 10 | ||
| Female - First Time | - | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | 4 | 10 | ||
| Starters | ||||||||||||
| Total | 13 | 14 | 15 | 24 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 29 | 33 | 40 | 238 | |
| First Time | 13 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 130 | |
| Male | 13 | 14 | 13 | 22 | 18 | 28 | 19 | 29 | 27 | 34 | 217 | |
| Male - First Time | 13 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 115 | |
| Female | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 21 | |
| Female - First Time | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 15 | |
| Starter Age | ||||||||||||
| Youngest | 27 | 30 | 29 | 24 | 29 | 25 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 23 | 26 | |
| Oldest | 89 | 92 | 57 | 59 | 54 | 58 | 57 | 66 | 61 | 65 | 66 | |
| Mean | 42 | 46 | 39 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 44 | 43 | 43 | 42 | |
| Starters' Nationality | ||||||||||||
| AUS | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2 | ||||||||
| AUT | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| BEL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| CAN | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 2.5 | ||||||||
| CHN | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| ESP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||
| FIN | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| FRA | 11 | 8.5 | 10 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 17 | 12.5 | 19.5 | 22 | 26.5 | 152 | |
| GBR | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 29 | ||
| GER | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3 | |||||||||
| HUN | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||
| ITA | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 5.5 | ||||||
| IRL | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| JPN | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||
| NED | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| NZL | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | |||||||||
| POL | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| RSA | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| RUS | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| SUI | 0.5 | 2.5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 13 | |||
| USA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 5 | ||||||
Note * Some sailors' dates of birth unknown
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- IMOCA races
- The Barcelona World Race, a non-stop two handed race, currently run using the IMOCA 60 Class.
- Route du Rhum
- The Velux 5 Oceans Race, a stopping solo race, currently run using the IMOCA 60 Class previously known as the BOC Challenge, later as Around Alone.
- The Ocean Race, a stopping fully crewed race, currently using the Volvo Ocean 65 and IMOCA 60 class. Previously known as the Whitbread Round The World Race and the Volvo Ocean Race.
- Other races
- The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, a stopping crewed race for amateur crews using the Clipper 70 Class.
- Jules Verne Trophy
- Oryx Quest
- Arkéa Ultim Challenge
- Former races including
- The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, held in 1968–1969, the first round-the-world yacht race.
- The BT Global Challenge, was a race held every four years and followed the westward route.
- The Race, was a race held in 2000, involving multihulls.
- The Oryx Quest, held in 2005, starting from Qatar.
- Other speed sailing records
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