Reflecting on the caffeine habits of the 2024/2025 Vendée Globe fleet
by David Schmidt 12 Nov 09:00 PST
November 12, 2024
The 40 IMOCA competitors are captured at the starting line of the 10th edition Vendée Globe © Jean-Marie Liot ?/ Alea / VG2024
I must admit: I’m a serious coffee enthusiast. Whether it’s my morning double espresso (okay, two double shots) after stepping off my indoor rowing machine, or a relaxed AeroPress brew on a lazy Sunday, I take my coffee (and caffeine) very seriously. The mere thought of quitting cold turkey (a challenge I’ve faced before) brings back headaches from past experiences, and while I acknowledge that addictions of all sorts are harmful (except for sailing, of course), I’m also the type who meticulously cleans his burr grinder every night to make sure that tomorrow’s first doppio meets my expectations.
This morning, while my trusty grinder ground my dark-roast Sumatra beans just right, I couldn’t help but reflect that the 40 skippers, who just embarked on their solo, nonstop journey around the world in the Vendée Globe race (on November 10) off the coast of Les Sables d’Olonne, France, won’t have this luxury (or many others) for months.
What a nightmare!
Recently, I found an article highlighting the best instant coffees, so I guess these courageous skippers, who may share my caffeine addiction, could settle for a “methadone fix” during the race. However, relying on that for over 80 days would severely test my resolve.
Don’t misunderstand me—sailing is my passion, but 80 days of instant coffee? That takes dedication.
Then, I recalled something my friend Allan, a retired Boeing 777 captain for American Airlines who flew long-haul routes from New York to Tokyo, London, or Buenos Aires, once shared with me. He never indulged in coffee, even during offshore sailing trips with me, to ensure he could wake up at any time without dependency on caffeine.
While the idea of living without caffeine sounds charming, if not somewhat quaint, during the final sprint of my indoor rowing sessions in my unheated garage, where that first doppio hangs in my mind like a child’s dream of Christmas morning, I can’t deny he has a point. After all, who would want to fly across the globe with a pilot who might start shaking (I’m only half-joking) if their caffeine fix is delayed?
I can only imagine the same goes for the 40 Vendée Globe skippers, who will spend over 80 days (or possibly less, if their foils hold up) racing around the globe. Sleep during this race, as I’ve heard, often comes in brief cat-naps that don’t add up to the eight hours of deep, REM, and light sleep cycles recommended by my Garmin watch.
Considering that caffeine has a half-life of about five or six hours for an average adult, I can only assume that a steaming mug of (ugh) instant coffee could have cascading effects, particularly if a great cat-nap opportunity arises within that timeframe.
(Trust me, there’s no such thing as sleeping on command in my experience.)
Given that most of this year’s Vendee Globe participants are waving French flags, I imagine many of these daring skippers are well acquainted with espressos, French presses, pour-overs, or any number of inventive methods to extract the best flavor from coffee beans. I would be genuinely curious to learn how these sailors manage their caffeine consumption at sea, if they even indulge in my cherished morning habit.
Perhaps these intriguing inquiries can be addressed when the fleet returns to France, but for the moment, it’s safe to say that most fans and observers of this elite offshore race are likely more focused on issues of strategy, tactics, navigation and weather routing, and of course, yacht and foil design.
Fortunately, we have approximately 78 days to uncover some of these answers using publicly available data (such as weather/GRIBS, boat speeds, distances to the leader, and remaining distances).
So, sit back, brew your favorite coffee, and prepare for a late fall and early winter of tracking the fleet’s journey around the globe. If history is any indication, the 2024/2025 Vendée Globe will be an exhilarating experience for the (likely caffeine-deprived) skippers, as well as for the numerous armchair navigators and tacticians following their thrilling exploits online.
Sail-World wishes safe, swift, and fulfilling voyages to all 40 skippers at the start line, and we eagerly anticipate how these next few months of high-stakes ocean racing will unfold.
May the four winds guide you safely home.
David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor
