ANGELA BIRD'S VENDÉE PAGES

THE VENDÉE GLOBE
2012/2013

The world's most notorious circumnavigation, this non-stop,
single-handed and unaided sailing race departs
every four years from the Vendée port of Les Sables-d'Olonne

27 January 2013

The winner has arrived today! François Gabart, the youngest competitor, set a new record time of just over 78 days.
Runner-up, Armand Le Clea’ch, arrived at Les Sables less than four hours later – another record.

30 January 2013

Alex Thomson, the first British competitor to cross the line, arrived this morning in just under 81 days.

The 2012 race started from Les Sables-d'Olonne
on Sunday 10 November 2012

Follow this link to the English-language section of the official
Vendée-Globe website

Called "the Everest of the sea", the Vendée-Globe Challenge is
a yacht race open to a maximum of 25
60ft monohulls – this time around 20 yachts will set off

The origins of the race lie in the voyage made by the Canadian Joshua Slocum,
first of the great single-handed circumnavigators, who sailed the
42,000 kilometres in three years, finishing in 1895. A hundred years later,
today's non-stop sailors accomplish this feat in an incredible
three months, with the finishers returning to a heroes' welcome at Les Sables-d’Olonne from early February 2013.
The winner stands to pocket 150,000 euros (about £100,000).

Safety is the organisers' watchword each time, and the contestants -
who each pay entrance fees of more than £6,000 - must complete certain
qualifying races, and sail 2,500 miles in their Vendée Globe yacht.
For two or three weeks before the race (this year from 20 October),
they have to be present in Les Sables for trials, safety checks
and to attend medical and survival courses. Yachts must be self-righting,
unsinkable, and have watertight bulkheads, survival doors, radar
transponders, and fluorescent keels. Contestants receive identical digital weather maps, showing the position of large areas of low pressure (indicating storms).

For weeks before the start visitors throng the “Vendée Globe village,” which gives access to pontoons in Port Olona (the Les Sables marina) and gives
them a chance to admire the sleek lines of these craft, and to give encouragement
to the courageous yachtsmen. Seen against those of more conventional yachts,
the 25-metre-high masts of the Vendée-Globe boats make an impressive
sight - especially when you think that skippers often have to scale the mast to
carry out running repairs while under way in hostile weather conditions.

Access to the “village” and pontoons this year will be from
20 October to 11 November 2012, from 10am to 8pm.

Visit the French or English versions of the official website,
where you can follow links to Facebook and Twitter,
and can click on “Cartographie” or “Map”
images to see the latest positions of all the yachts.

This page gives you the official, up to date rankings.

The 20 contestants for the 2012/2013 Vendée-Globe,
with personal web pages

During the course of the race I shall shade boxes in grey to indicate
competitors who have dropped out of the race.
Abandonment will usually be due some technical problem
that the skipper has not been able to rectify.

If you need a little help with the languages, you can copy-and-paste French text into
the Google translation software. It may come out in slightly dislocated English,
but you should be able to get the gist of the information

JÉRÉMIE BEYOU (FRANCE), born 1976. Maître Coq Lives near Morlaix (France). Second attempt at the Vendée for this young Frenchman, who was forced to abandon the last time, but who won the 2011 Transat race. 19.11 2012 ABANDONED after suffering keel problems.	ARNAUD BOISSIERES (FRANCE), born 1983. Akena Vérandas Lives in Arcachon (France). A popular character, nicknamed “Cali”. It’s a second attempt at the Vendée for this Frenchman, who finished 7^th in 2009. 09.02.13 ARRIVED in 8^th place
LOUIS BURTON (FRANCE), born 1986. Bureau Vallée At 26, Burton is the youngest competitor in this year’s race. He has a yacht fitted out in dazzling green and yellow livery 16.11.12 ABANDONED A collision with a fishing boat off Portugal caused too much damage to permit Burton to continue..	SAMANTHA DAVIES (UK), born 1974. Savéol Lives Tregnuc (France). Second attempt for Davies – the sole woman competitor this year - who endeared herself to the French nation by her cheery reports on her last attempt, when she came in fourth. 16.11.12 ABANDONED A broken mast, off the island of Madeira, put Sam Davies out of the race.
BERTRAND DE BROC (FRANCE), born 1961. Votre Nom Autour du Monde A veteran of the Vendée Globe, having participated as far back as 1992. There is still time to help sponsor him via his website by chipping in with a 50-euro donation! 11.11.12 RESTARTED De Broc put back into Les Sables shortly after the race start, for repairs to a damaged hull. He set sail again 12 hours behind the rest of the fleet. 10.02.13 ARRIVED in 9th place	ALESSANDRO DI BENEDETTO (ITALY/FRANCE), born 1971 Team Plastique First attempt at the Vendée Globe, but not a first circumnavigation for Bendetto, who sailed single-handed, non-stop around the world in 2010 in a much smaller boat than this 22.02.13 ARRIVED in 11^th and final place, after 104 days at sea.
KITO DE PAVANT (FRANCE) born 1961 Groupe Bel Wonderful scarlet livery for Pavant’s craft. Dismasted in the last Vendée Globe. 12.11.12 ABANDONED After collision with a trawler off the coast of Portugal, Pavant had to abandon the race.	TANGUY DE LAMOTTE (FRANCE) born 1976 Initiatives-Coeur First Vendée Globe for Lamotte, who trained as a naval architect in Southampton. 17.02.13 ARRIVED in 10^th place
JEAN-PIERRE DICK (FRANCE), born 1966. Virbac-Paprec 3 Dick's third attempt at the Vendée Globe. Elected France’s Yachtsman of the Year in 2011 after his successes in the Transatlantic Jacques Vabre and the Barcelona World Race Jan 2013 After losing his keel in mid Atlantic, while in a comfortable third position and with just a few days’ racing ahead of him, Dick is out of the running, and may decide to abandon the race.	FRANCOIS GABART (FRANCE), born 1983. Macif At 29 one of the youngest competitors in this year’s race, Gabart is an experienced single-handed skipper. He initially qualified as an engineer, before turning to professional sailing THE WINNER !! Gabart arrived at Les Sables on the morning of 27 January, setting a new record by six days.
MIKE GOLDING (UK), born 1961 Gamesa The Southampton-based skipper is a strong contender, having arrived 7th in the 2000/2001 Vendee-Globe, and 3rd in 2004/2005 (a dismasting off Australia forced him to abandon the 2008/2009 race) 06.02.13 ARRIVED in 6^th place	MARC GUILLEMOT (FRANCE), born 1959. Safran Lives Brittany (France). Second attempt at the Vendée; Guillemot sailed magnificently – without a keel for the last days of the last edition – to finish third. He won last year’s Round Britain Race. 11.11.12 ABANDONED Having felt his keel drop off very early in the race, Guillemot put back to Les Sables. Unfortunately repairs could not be made in time, so he was forced to abandon.
ZBIGNIEW GUTKOWSKI (POLAND), born 1973 Energa First attempt at the Vendée for the Gdansk-born skipper. He came second in last year’s prestigious Velux 5 Oceans race. 21.11.12 ABANDONED Gutowski has not managed to repair a broken autopilot, and has had to quit the race.	JEAN LE CAM (FRANCE), born 1959 Synerciel Third Vendée Globe for Le Cam, who came 2nd in 2005. In the 2008 edition he had to abandon west of Cape Horn after losing ballast in his keel 06.02.13 ARRIVED in 5^th place, 6.5 hours ahead of Mike Golding
ARMEL LE CLEAC’H (FRANCE), born 1977 Banque Populaire Lives La Forêt Fouesnant (France) - Second attempt for Le Cleac’h, who finished second in the last Vendée Globe after diverting to help a fellow sailor in danger SECOND !! Le Clea’ch arrived at Les Sables in the early evening of 27 January, less than four hours behind the winner, François Gabart.	VINCENT RIOU (FRANCE), born 1972 PRB Winner of the 2004/2005 Vendée Globe. In the last (2008/2009) Riou was awarded joint third place after sustaining damage while being diverted to help a fellow-competitor. A consistent winner in major races, he is strongly fancied again this time. 24.11.12 ABANDONED Riou sustained damage after a collision with a heavy, drifting metal buoy off Brazil.
JAVIER SANSO (SPAIN), born 1969 Acciona 100% Ecopowered Second Vendée Globe for Sanso. This time around e is competing in a handsome new red-and-white yacht that is entirely eco-powered RETIRED	BERNARD STAMM (SWITZERLAND), born 1963 Cheminées Poujoulat Third Vendée Globe for Stamm, who was forced to abandon in 2001 and 2008 Dec 2012 ABANDONED Stamm was disqualified after a “helpful” sailor from a Russian ship, to which Stamm was trying to moor to carry out repairs, came aboard.
ALEX THOMSON (UK), born 1974 Hugo Boss Third participation for Thomson, from Gosport, who was forced to abandon the race during the 2004/2005 and 2008/2009 editions THIRD !! Thomson reached Les Sables early on 30 January in just under 81 days, setting a new record for a British competitor..	DOMINIQUE WAVRE (SWITZERLAND), born 1956 Mirabaud Experienced transatlantic and round-the-world sailor, from Geneva, Wavre came in 4th in the 2004/2005 Vendée Globe but had to abandon during the 2008/2009 race 08.02.13 ARRIVED in 7^th place