Combine vacation perfume and the start of the Vendée Globe at Les Pirons campsite
To make sure you don’t miss out on the Vendée Globe, Les Pirons campsite is delighted to be able to welcome you at this time of year. A campsite to watch the event in the heart of the Vendée!
Come and enjoy the Vendée Globe experience by staying at the Aloa Vacances campsite, Les Pirons by the sea!
The advantages of a vacation at Les Pirons campsite during the Vendée Globe
Bear in mind that it’s only open during the Vendée Globe. By booking at this campsite, you’ll be able to watch the start of this ninth edition of the race. What’s more, you’ll appreciate its water park and fragrant pools. The campsite has 480 private pitches. For your comfort, the campsite offers bungalows, mobile homes and cottage chalets to suit all budgets.
Watch this legendary race, which began 30 years ago and is still the only one where you can see single-handed sailing boats crossing the world without any stopovers or assistance: a technical and physical feat that brings a dream to the adventurer in all of us.
Camping des Pirons is ideally located for a stay near the Vendée Globe, with the assurance that you’ll have a great time in our company.
Vendée Globe organization
Also known as the Everest of the Seas, the Vendée Globe is a veritable institution in Les Sables-d’Olonne, bringing together a number of skippers. This race, sailed on 60-foot IMOCA monohulls, represents a real challenge for many renowned sailors. Participants must sail around the world non-stop, unassisted and single-handed. Now in its 9th year, this legendary event is held every four years. What do you need to know about this internationally renowned French race?
Vendée Globe rules
The concept is based on three terms that are fairly easy for most people to understand. These terms are defined by the organization’s regulations: solo, non-stop and unassisted. These are the inimitable signature of this event, its authentic DNA.
Vendée Globe: History and origins
The Vendée Globe is an event in the wake of the Golden Globe Challenge. In a way, it has inherited some of its principles. Golden Globe was the first non-stop single-handed round-the-world race. It was organized in the ’68s by the British newspaper “The Sunday Times” on the initiative of Sir Francis Chichester. Nine competitors took part in this exceptional adventure. The only one of the nine to complete the race was Robin Knox-Johnston.
He completed the circumnavigation in 313 days on a 10-meter sailboat (Suhaili), covering 30,123 miles. Not an insignificant distance before his arrival in the English Cornish port of Falmouth on April 6, 1969. Unfortunately, this competition on the high seas was never repeated by its initiators or organizers. We had to wait another twenty years for a similar event, but with a few special features. It was sailor Philippe Jeannot who, after winning the BOC Challenge, launched the idea of a new race: the Vendée Globe.
Philippe de Villiers supported him in his efforts. After the second edition, the event was organized every four years, bringing together some extraordinary sailors. The first edition of the race, which began on November 26, 1989, lasted more than three months in an icy atmosphere. There were 13 participants, 7 of whom finished. Titouan Lamazou finished 1st after 109 days at sea. Second place went to Loïck Peyron and third to Jean-Luc Van Den Heede.
During the second edition, two sailors lost their lives. On the day of the start, American Mike Plant was the first to be found drowned. 4 days later, it was the Englishman Nigel Burgess. As for Bertrand de Broc, he cut his tongue. This reveals the extreme difficulty of this event. Alain Gautier won this session after 110 days at sea. Jean-Luc Van Den Heede came second and Philippe Poupon third.
For the third edition, the race started as usual from Les Sables-d’Olonne on November 3, 1996. There were 16 competitors at the start, but only 6 at the finish. The winner (Christophe Auguin) took 105 days to circumnavigate the globe. A high-risk race, during which several deaths were recorded, including that of Quebec sailor Gerry Roufs.
The loss of life did not dampen the spirits of future participants in subsequent editions. The proof: today, there are almost 167 competitors and eight editions. The only sailor to have won this legendary race twice is Michel Desjoyeaux (in 2001 and 2002). Armel Le Cléac’h holds the circumnavigation record for this event. He finished the race in 74 days, 3 hours 35 minutes and 46 seconds.
Regulations
Non-stop
Competitors are not allowed to go ashore beyond the limit of the highest high tide, on pain of disqualification. The only possible technical stopover is to return to Les Sables-d’Olonne within 10 days of the official start. This is exactly what Michel Desjoyeaux did during the 2008 race. He returned to repair an electrical and ballast problem, before setting off again 40 hours late. That didn’t stop him from winning the race. Competitors may stop to anchor in a cove, but must not set foot on land beyond the limit of the foreshore.
Solo
The race instructions are clear: one man (or woman), a circumnavigation and one boat. This implies that no one else should be aboard a boat apart from the owner himself. Of course, in the event of a proven emergency (another skipper sinking), he can take her on board. This has already happened in the past, during the third edition. Indeed, Pete Goss rescued Raphaël Dinelli before dropping him off in New Zealand. Similarly, in 2009, Vincent Riou rescued Jean le Cam after his boat capsized near Cape Horn.
Unassisted
During the race, the sailor must rely solely on himself. No medical assistance will be tolerated except in extreme situations. They may benefit from remote advice from the race doctor, but direct intervention by a health professional on board is forbidden. Weather routing is also forbidden. Skippers must repair any damage themselves. Like medical assistance, material or technical assistance is forbidden. This does not mean, however, that they cannot discuss technical problems with the naval architect or computer specialist. The latter will do their utmost to inform them of the small repairs they need to make to get out of an unfortunate situation.
The economic and tourist impact of the Vendée Globe
It’s no secret that the town of Les Sables-d’Olonne is always buzzing with activity during this famous race. It’s clear that this event has many positive repercussions on the department’s economy. Just look at the latest figures for media impact (145 million euros). It also generates significant tourist activity. And it couldn’t be any other way, since at this time of year, there are many visitors from all over the world.
During the 7th edition, 1.8 million visitors thronged the pontoons of this seaside resort. Tourist crowds were present from the opening of the Vendée village, even after the race was over. As a result, the region’s hotels achieved their highest ever sales figures for the year, as did the restaurants. In fact, they are 100% occupied. The tourist office receives around 1,500 visitors a day.
As for Vendée companies, they take advantage of this opportunity to promote their services or various products. A number of the region’s SMEs have seen real expansion, and many companies enjoy a publicity coup by sponsoring boats and putting up their signs. So it’s no exaggeration to say that the event boosts the local economy.
Vendée Globe 2020: start date, route and participants
The Vendée Globe 2020 will be the 9th edition of this race with a growing reputation. Traditionally, the start date is set in November, due to the favorable weather conditions at that time of year. The sailors will set off from Les Sables-d’Olonne on Sunday, November 8, to help mediate the race.
It has to be said that, despite the health crisis currently raging around the world, the directors have seen fit to maintain the starting program. The organizers will be taking steps to ensure that the event takes place under the best possible auspices. Whether skippers, exhibitors or the media, all must respect the barrier measures and sanitary rules that will be established.
As usual, participants have to deal with wind, waves, ice, etc. on this planetary journey. It must be completed over a distance of 40,075 km, or approximately 21,638 miles. This distance corresponds to the circumference of the Earth. The program includes a departure from Les Sables-d’Olonne, a journey through the South Seas and a return to Vendée. It’s an extraordinary course that only the most daring will dare to tackle.
The final deadline for applications was November 1, 2019. It’s worth pointing out that participation in this event is possible if the candidate has validated his or her qualification for one of the essential races. These include the Route du Rhum 2018, The Transat 2020, New York Vendée 2020, Transat Jacques Vabre 2019 and the previous Vendée Globe. At the moment, there are 35 hopefuls for this race. As the number of participants exceeds 30, an additional selection will be made.