The Vendée Globe 2024 Has Officially Begun
by IMOCA Globe Series 10 Nov 14:25 PST
10 November 2024
The launch of the Vendée Globe 2024-2025 © Jean-Marie Liot / Vendée Globe
This Sunday, at exactly 1:02 PM, the eagerly anticipated Vendée Globe officially commenced. Forty sailors, fueled by ambitions as vast as the ocean, set out on an extraordinary journey—solo, nonstop, and unassisted—on a course exceeding 24,000 nautical miles (approximately 45,000 km) around the world.
They departed into unpredictable winds, fluttering between 4 and 7 knots, marking a gentle initiation to what promises to be an incredible race. The calm start was a striking contrast to the morning’s emotional turbulence. At dawn, between 8 and 10 AM, they untied their lines following tearful goodbyes on the docks. As they navigated the famed channel of Les Sables-d’Olonne, they waved to the countless spectators who had gathered, shoulder to shoulder, lining the quays with cheers and optimism, a sea of faces present to bid them farewell.
In those final moments before the starting gun, the last crew members splashed into the water, leaving the skippers alone with the vast ocean that lay before them. Tonight, as the wind picks up, they will confront their inaugural night at sea—just the sailors, their vessels, and the endless horizon. This marks the beginning of an adventure measured not merely in distances but in heartbeats, a ballet with nature, and a tribute to the human spirit across the expansive, wild seas.
