The Vendée Globe has released a list of 44 skippers competing in the 10th edition of the race. The French solo, nonstop, around the globe race—one of the toughest events in professional sailing—returns next fall with some familiar faces on the start line. Fans of The Ocean Race will recognize names like Boris Herrmann, Paul Meilhat, Justine Mettraux, and Benjamin Dutreux, while Vendée Globe followers will celebrate the return of fan favorites like Pip Hare and Jean Le Cam.
While the fleet remains predominantly French, 10 other countries will also be represented on the start line including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Japan, China, USA, and New Zealand. Twenty-six veteran skippers will be returning to the race, and 14 new IMOCA 60s are being built for it.
The race, which has included female skippers since the late 1990s, will have six women on the start line this year, including the youngest sailor in the race—22-year-old Violette Dorange. Also notable is that the fleet has two para-athletes, French skipper Damien Seguin and Chinese Vendée first-timer Jingkun Xu.
“I’m delighted with the diversity of the applications for the 2024 edition,” says Alain Leboeuf, President of the Vendée Globe. “Once again, we will be welcoming sailors with extraordinary backgrounds and personalities from all over the world, ready to take on the immensity of the oceans and make their dreams come true.”
The fleet is the largest in Vendée Globe history, with 11 more boats than the previous maximum. In March of this year, the race organization released a statement that suggested the fleet would be capped at 40 boats, though that number now appears to be somewhat flexible. To qualify, a skipper must compete in at least two qualifier races (Vendée Arctique, Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre 2023/Retour à la Base, Transat CIC 2024, New York- Vendée) and at minimum finish one of them in less than one-and-a-half times the winner’s time.
“This qualification guarantees that the boats are sufficiently tested to sail around the world. It was designed to optimize the safety of the sailors,” the race organization stated. “The system has proved its worth, as the abandonment rate has never been as low as it was in 2020, the year it was introduced. Less than a quarter of the fleet abandoned (24%) during this edition.”
A number of the qualifier races are still to come, so there’s time for skippers to face off and shake down before the Vendée Globe. The fleet will make a rare visit to the United States in May of 2024 for the New York-Vendée, which for many on the East Coast will be the best opportunity to see the fleet leading up to the star event in its four-year racing cycle.
Skippers:
Fabrice AMEDEO (Nexans – Arts & Fenêtres) – FRA
Romain ATTANASIO (Fortinet – Best Western) – FRA
Eric BELLION (STAND AS ONE) – FRA
Yannick BESTAVEN (Maître CoQ V) – FRA
Jérémie BEYOU (Charal) – FRA
Arnaud BOISSIÈRES (La Mie Câline) – FRA
Louis BURTON (Bureau Vallée) – FRA
Conrad COLMAN (Imagine) – USA/NZL
Manuel COUSIN (Coup de Pouce) – FRA
Antoine CORNIC (Human Immobilier) – FRA
Clarisse CRÉMER (L’Occitane en Provence) – FRA
Charlie DALIN (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) – FRA
Samantha DAVIES (Initiatives-Cœur) – GBR
Violette DORANGE (DeVenir) – FRA
Louis DUC (Fives Group – Lantana Environnement) – FRA
Benjamin DUTREUX (GUYOT environnement – Water Family) – FRA
Benjamin FERRÉ (Monnoyeur – Duo for a Job) – FRA
Sam GOODCHILD (For the Planet) – GBR
François GUIFFANT (Partage) – FRA
James HARAYDA (Gentoo Sailing Team) – GBR
Pip HARE (Medallia) – GBR
Oliver HEER (Oliver Heer Ocean Racing) – SUI
Boris HERRMANN (Malizia – Seaexplorer) – GER
Isabelle JOSCHKE (MACSF) – FRA/GER
Tanguy LE TURQUAIS (Lazare) – FRA
Jean LE CAM (Tout commence en Finistère – Armor-Lux) – FRA
Nicolas LUNVEN (Holcim – PRB) – FRA
Sébastien MARSSET (Foussier – Mon Courtier Energie) – FRA
Paul MEILHAT (Biotherm) – FRA
Justine METTRAUX (Teamwork.net) – SUI
Giancarlo PEDOTE (Prysmian Group) – ITA
Yoann RICHOMME (Paprec Arkéa) – FRA
Alan ROURA (Hublot) – SUI
Thomas RUYANT (For People) – FRA
Damien SEGUIN (Groupe APICIL) – FRA
Phil SHARP (OceansLab – Cleantech Accelerator) – GBR
Kojiro SHIRAISHI (DMG MORI Global One) – JPN
Sébastien SIMON (Groupe Dubreuil) – FRA
Maxime SOREL (V and B – Monbana – Mayenne) – FRA
Guirec SOUDÉE (Freelance.com) – FRA
Nicolas TROUSSEL (NC) – FRA
Denis VAN WEYNBERGH (D’Ieteren Group) – BEL
Szabolcs WEORES (New Europe) – HUN
Jingkun XU (Singchain Team Haikou) – CHN
