The start gun of the second edition of the 3,500 nautical miles Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne race around Iceland will sound Sunday, June 12 at 1700hrs (French time, 1600hrs BST, 1500hrs UTC).
The local forecast promises good conditions with sunshine, some cloud and a north-northeasterly wind between eight and 12kts. The 25 IMOCAs and their solo skippers will start leaving the dock and the famous Channel at 1330hrs local time. This is the first time the IMOCA class has raced so far north, into the Arctic Circle on a course which will take them anti-clockwise round Iceland from the east.
Among the favourites are French skippers Jérémie Beyou (Charal) who won the inaugural race in July 2020, Charlie Dalin (Apivia) who was second in the Vendée Globe but broke the finish line first but displaced by Yannick Bestaven who was given time compensation for helping in the search and rescue of another skipper. Dalin convincingly won last month's Guyader-Bermudes 1000 race. Thomas Ruyant (Linked Out) had to pull out of that warm up race with steering problems but won last autumn's two handed Transat Jacques Vabre.
Among the international skippers to watch are Italy's Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group), Switzerland's Alan Roura (Hublot), GBR's Pip Hare (Medallia) and Kiwi Conrad Colman (Imagine) whose first IMOCA race since finishing the Vendée Globe in February 2017, the Bermudes 1000, saw him take a promising tenth place.
Where to see the start: Along the channel to wave off the skippers, the Grande Plage and the embankment, Tanchet beach to Puits-d'Enfer, and on the other side towards the cote sauvage at La Chaume.
From a distance
A Live FR transmission will be broadcast on the YouTube and Facebook accounts of the Vendée Arctic (1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. then 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.). This moment will be commented on by Maxime Cogny, accompanied by skippers Clarisse Crémer (Banque Populaire), Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa), Maxime Sorel (V and B Monbana Mayenne) and Nicolas Troussel (CORUM L'Épargne).
The EN Live video (1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. then 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) will be hosted by Andi Robertson and skipper Will Harris (Team Malizia) on the YouTube EN and Facebook EN accounts of the Vendée Arctic.
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