PlanetSail’s Matt Sheahan heads to the start of the Vendée Arctique in the infamous town of les Sables d'Olonne on the west coast of France to talk to skippers and find out how and why they are setting up for the big race to the north.
Taking 60ft carbon fibre grand prix machines further north than Cape Horn is south is an ambitious plan. So ambitious, that on both of the previous attempts the Vendée Arctique race course had to be modified.
But the challenge of racing 60ft carbon machines so far north is giving a cult status to this race while also making it a must do event for skippers looking towards a lap of the planet in the big one, the Vendée Globe.
France’s Paul Meilhat and Portugal’s Mariana Lobato have announced that they are teaming up for an IMOCA campaign for the upcoming inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Atlantic and next year’s around-the-world edition of The Ocean Race.
Last week I made a ‘trains, planes, and automobiles’ round trip to attend an update presentation on Giovanni Soldini’s Ferrari Hypersail project at the spectacular all-new North Sails loft in Genoa, Italy.
