British race leader Alex Thomson was forced to slow his 60ft foiling yacht today after it hit a submerged object in the South Atlantic in the Vendee Globe Race. One of the boat's two foils, which help lift it out of the water to give it more speed, was damaged in the collision with the unidentified object floating beneath the surface.

Thomson was sailing at 24 knots in 22 knots of wind at the head of the Vendee Globe fleet, a position he has occupied for a week, at 0935 UTC when he heard a bang and his boat Hugo Boss changed direction. Thomson, who had been down below trying to sleep at the time, went up on deck and turned the boat downwind so he could inspect it. He found the starboard foil to be damaged and also noticed scrapes down the starboard side of the hull. Until the collision Thomson had been on course to set a new 24-hour solo distance world record, and in the 24 hours prior to the 1100 UTC position update had notched up 531 miles.

Thomson has now retracted the damaged foil and slowed his boat. He said there does not appear to be any structural damage but he will further inspect the boat when the weather conditions allow. “Having had a pretty quick night where the boat was sailing high averages and the boat was super uncomfortable I had retracted the foil 30 per cent early this morning and was sailing the boat pretty conservatively in a building breeze,” Thomson said this evening. “At 09.35 UTC this morning I was down below trying to sleep and the boat was sailing in 22kts of wind with a J2 and one reef in the main. I was averaging 24kts of boat speed when I heard an almighty bang and the boat stopped and turned to starboard by about 20 degrees. I quickly went on deck, eased the main sheet and realised I must have hit something. I eased the boat down wind and went to take a look and the starboard foil has been damaged and there are some scrapes on the starboard side of the boat. Right now I have taken the foot completely off the throttle and changed sails and retracted the foil and will sail on in these conditions until the wind and sea state moderate and I can inspect the damage and assess. I didn't see anything in the water but it felt like the boat wrapped itself around something and it has caused some pretty significant damage to my foil. I was instructed to carry out an internal inspection of the boat and there does not appear to be any structural damage to the hull that I can see. For now I am going to continue and assess when I get the chance.”

Ross Daniel, technical director of Alex Thomson Racing, added: “We spend years pre-Vendee Globe trying to mitigate risk but hitting something in the water is something you have absolutely no control over – it's very frustrating. We always knew that there was a risk that a foil could hit something so we took it into account with the design of the boat. It can sail with or without the foil, so it's not the end of the world, but obviously one tack will now be faster than the other. Alex is going to have to change the way he sails depending on what tack he is on. At the moment there is just the stump of the foil left so Alex will remove that once the weather allows and he will be back up to speed again. Luckily for us the majority of port sailing in this race is down to Cape Town and thereafter there's a lot of starboard. If we were mid-fleet it would be a different story but we've got a nice gap at the front.”

It might be fast and furious at the front but life in the peloton is about to get worse. A second centre to the notorious St Helena High is developing right in the path of the group led by Yann Eliès, who now lies some 624nm adrift of Thomson in eighth. The door that welcomed the race leaders through is about to slam shut, trapping the chasing pack in light winds and rendering them powerless to stop the gap growing further.

Meanwhile veteran skipper Bertrand de Broc this afternoon took shelter in the lee of Fernando de Noronha, a South Atlantic island chain off the coast of Brazil, to inspect damage caused when he hit an object off the coast of Portugal. De Broc dived underneath MACSF and was able to see some damage but couldn't establish what it was before he was forced to board his drifting boat. It is thought he will anchor to allow him to dive for longer.

Meanwhile Dutch competitor Pieter Hereema was relishing the 'champagne sailing' on offer in the south easterly trade winds. Despite being in 24th place, the 65-year-old was high in spirits as he forged a path south on No Way Back. “It's fine, beautiful weather – beautiful sailing conditions,” he said. “It's a shame it's all upwind but that's what it is in this part when you want to go south. I'm enjoying it very much and I hope in a few days to be able to crack the sheets and have a little bit of an easier angle to sail. This part here is not what the Vendee Globe is famous for – this is champagne sailing. The race is not only about big waves, freezing cold and 45 knots of wind. It's a long race and there are many more weeks to come that will be more difficult and more uncomfortable.”

Britain's Alex Thomson lead the eighth edition of the Vendee Globe solo non stop around the world race into the Southern Hemisphere when he crossed the Equator at 1905hrs UTC this Tuesday evening. The solo skipper of Hugo Boss sets a new reference time for the passage from Les Sables d'Olonne of 9 days 7 hours and 3 minutes. This betters the 2004 passage time of Jean Le Cam by 1 day and four hours.

For the seven front runners, the Doldrums are in their wake. But further back, there are races within the race. They still have the Doldrums to deal with and the fleet is likely to stretch out over the coming days.

Enda O Coineen (Kilcullen Voyager Team Ireland) in 27th place: "Upfront Alex Thomson seems to be pulling clear, I would love him to win. Back here, we're happily moving along on a more leisurely fashion. I think my detour around the Canaries did not help - together with sail problems. Also being away from the fleet, one possible explanation is that I have been sailing at slightly wider angles. The next big decision is to whether to take a course straight through the Islands (Cape Verde) or gybe and go more west where the wind angles and breeze could be a bit better - though since I will hit the island durning the day, the scenic route may be more interesting."

British sailor Alex Thomson this morning has strengthened his first position as he continues to lead in the Vendée Globe 2016. As Ireland woke up this morning, Alex found himself 65 Nautical Miles ahead of the next competitor Armel l’Cleac’h, racing on Banque Populaire VIII. The Vendée Globe is a non-stop unassisted, race around the world. Ireland's Enda O'Coineen lies in 27th place.

48 hours after the race started on Sunday 6th November Alex expressed his frustrations with his decision to Gybe early on in the race and head inland. This cost Alex many miles placing him in 9th place.

The fleet of Oceanmasters then began to head towards the Island of Madeira. Alex made the decision to keep with the pack and leave Madeira to the East. He channelled his frustration foregoing sleep and focusing on speed. By Friday night Alex claimed 7th place and the tracker showed HUGO BOSS achieving incredible speeds as he hunted down the leaders of the pack.

HUGO BOSS continued to pick up pace as Alex steered her towards the Canary Islands. Throughout Saturday Alex Thomson climbed through the fleet of IMOCA 60’s. During the afternoon Alex made the decision to pass through the islands leaving Cape Verde to the West. A manoeuvre which placed him almost 100 miles ahead of the leaders, allowing Alex to take pole position in the Vendée Globe.
The doldrums is renowned as a difficult part of the race as the North and South trade winds of the Atlantic meet and the winds decrease. Alex was fortunate to keep HUGO BOSS moving through this difficult part of the course.

With a full moon lighting the deck last night Alex explains ‘’ It's been a fantastic day today. I think that is the easiest Doldrums crossing I have ever had. Normally the rich get richer at this stage. As I get further south I'll get more wind and the wind will get more left which means I can ease the sails and go faster. That's the normal trend and looking at the forecast that should happen."

Alex is approaching the Equator on the 9th day of the race which could see Alex as the first non-French sailor to reach the Equator in the Vendée Globe. On top of this he is set to break the current record to the Equator which was set by Jean Le Cam in 2004 when he reached the Equator in 10 days 11 hours.

Once crossing the Equator Alex will heads for the next mark in the race the point where HUGO BOSS will turn left as he rounds the most southern tip of Africa the Cape of Good Hope.

Vendee Globe Day Four: Ireland's Enda O'Coineen lies 26th in the 29–boat Vendde fleet as the leaders are approaching Madeira, which the leaders are passing this morning, the middle ground, direct course continued to work for the pacemaker. But the Banque Populaire solo skipper has seen his lead shrink slightly as he tries to hold his distance ahead of a chasing pack which are pushing each other hard in the light to moderate breezes. For Le Cleac'h it is key to get south of Madeira with a margin intact, knowing that first into the NE Trade winds will accelerate away. The Azores high pressure, and the fickle, unsettled winds it produces has proven hard to escape. The leading group of eight are within 30 miles of each other, the lateral spread at 120 miles between Le Cleac'h and British skipper Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) in eighth.

The pace to Madeira remains slightly quicker than that of the 2012-13 race when Francois Gabart was at approximately the same point in some four days, compared to the three days of Le Cleac'h who was Gabart's principal rival all the way round the globe in that race. Once into the trade winds the average speeds should be higher - 450 mile days commonplace for the foilers - and so the Equator should certainly take less than ten days. If the weather models prove true that should mean one new record on this race from the outset.

In the lighter airs - 8-12kts - it seems local choices, finding lanes of extra breeze has been more important than boat speed. Gains and losses have been irrespective of whether the IMOCA has hydrofoil daggerboards or not. Sebastien Josse's investment to the west has paid slightly and his Edmond de Rothschild was up to second place. Paul Meilhat on SMA improved overnight from seventh to second, then third. A gybe to the east dropped Jean-Pierre Dick to fourth. Thomson has held eighth through the day but has been as quick as the leaders, gained a little westing back and with it six miles on Le Cleac'h.

#VendéeGlobe - Enda O’Coineen’s homegrown entry is not the only Irish connection in the latest Vendée Globe, as the Irish Examiner reports.

In fact, three other Irishmen have significant mangerial involvement in the round-the-world yachting challenge, which began on Sunday 6 November as the fleet set off from Les Sables.

Apart from Cork’s Stewart Hosford, chief executive of the Alex Thomson Racing/Hugo Boss team, there’s also Marcus Hutchinson from Kinsale, who is team director for French contingent SMA.

Meanwhile, Dubliner (by way of Japan) Tony O’Connor is general manager of the Japanese team Spirit of Yukoh, sailing the reconditioned Hugo Boss act that finished third in the last Vendée Globe in 2013.

The Paul Meilhat-skippered SMA is currently the best of these boats in third position, with Hugo Boss in seventh, Spirit of Yukoh 19th and O’Coineen’s Kilcullen Voyager in 26th following a premature start on Sunday.

Enda O'Coineen was a premature starter in today's dramatic Vendee Globe Race start. The Irishman showed how eager he was to get underway on the 26,000 nautical mile voyage when he was one of three in the 29–boat fleet that were called back after crossing the line a few seconds early off Les Sables d'Olonne. The three boats had to go back and cross the line again.

O'Coineen is seeking to boldly go where no Irishman has gone before on the first day of an anticipated 100–day journey around the world.

With more than 300,000 spectators lined up along the harbour entrance channel in Les Sables d'Olonne and more than a thousand boats out on the water around the start area, the 29 competitors in the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe set sail at 1202hrs UTC in exceptional weather conditions: sunshine, a 14-knot NNE'ly with slight to choppy seas. HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco signalled the start after greeting all the sailors as they cast off.

From the gun, Kito de Pavant (Bastide Otio), Paul Meilhat (SMA), Tanguy de Lamotte (Initiatives Cœur) and Vincent Riou (PRB) were out in front with the rest grouped together behind them. Bertrand de Broc (MACSF) and Enda O'Coineen (Kilcullen Voyager – Team Ireland) were called back after crossing the line a few seconds early. They had to go back and cross the line again.

The eighth Vendée Globe: off to a good start. Photo: Vincent Curutchet / DPPI / Vendée Globe

The 8th Vendée Globe is underway. The race around the world has begun.

This Sunday, Irish sailor Enda O'Coineen, will begin his bid to become the first Irish sailor ever to enter and complete one of the toughest sporting challenges on the planet, The Vendée Globe.

A gruelling single-handed, non-stop, unassisted race around the world – often termed ‘the Everest of Sailing’ – the Vendée Globe sees sailors pushed to their very limits in the quest for victory. This year, 29 skippers will depart from the start line on Sunday, November 6 in Les Sables d'Olonne, France. 14 of them are rookies including O'Coineen. 

One of the Galway man's main aims is to build a 'living legacy' for the future of Irish offshore challenges and to see other sailors continue world girdling campaigns.

'While my boat is 10 years old I don't expect to be out front however she is strong and we are well prepared - the first Irishman the youngest Irishman (and oldest) and hopefully not the last....Most importantly we have we have three reserve skippers: Andrew Barker, Andy Mcarthur and David Kenefick who all want to be involved in future editions of this race'.

Read more of this interview in today's Irish Times here. 

On Sunday, the start gun will send 29 intrepid solo skippers off on the eighth edition of the Vendée Globe. In a modern age where the pursuit of instant gratification and always-on social interconnection prevails in even the most remote corners of the world, the challenge of racing non stop around the globe without outside help – one person, one boat non stop 24,020 nautical miles Les Sables d'Olonne to Les Sables d'Olonne via the three great capes for somewhere between 75 and 120 days, retains an enduring, magical appeal.

The purity and simplicity of the race remains unchanged since the first edition in 1989 when 13 pioneering soloists started. But it is testament to its incredible magnetism that the race which starts Sunday will be the most international yet as for the first time the challenge is taken up by soloists from the Australasian and Asian continents. Twenty French skippers and nine from Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the USA will answer the start cannon Sunday. Ireland, New Zealand and Japan are represented for the first time. The performance and age spectrum of the skippers and their respective IMOCA 60 foot racing yachts has never been greater.

Set on January 27th 2013 by the youngest skipper ever to win the race, François Gabart at the age of 29, the benchmark of 78 days 2hrs 16m 40 secs is thought likely to fall. Since the last race four years ago there has been a technological leap as innovative hydrofoiling daggerboards have been adopted on the IMOCAs of seven skippers. These new foils generate substantial lift on the hull, literally allowing the 7,5 tonne boats to fly almost clear of the waves to sustain speeds averaging 2-4kts faster than their conventional modern generation counterparts. When they were first used in a full ocean racing environment just over one year ago there was a high proportion of mechanical failures associated with these foils. Even after months of further development and reinforcement of the hull structures there are still question marks over their potential reliability and seeming susceptibility to hitting objects.

Briton Alex Thomson on his latest generation Hugo Boss took third place in the last edition of the Vendée Globe race. After numerous failures in different high profile ocean races Thomson's choice of a solid, slightly older proven design - which he pushed hard and sailed smartly to finish third – this time sees him back to pushing the technology frontiers. His new boat bristles with the latest design interpretations and technology. He is widely considered a major threat to the top, all-French hierarchy. Last night Thomson and his team sailed one final, overnight testing mission, checking different foil and sail set ups. During the summer his Hugo Boss proved to have race winning potential when he lead the New York – Vendée warm up Transatlantic Race before electrical problems compromised his winning challenge. Since then, despite having to resort to his set of first generation foils after the second generation set failed, Thomson asserts that Hugo Boss is even faster.

Even among seasoned race watchers the perennial question ‘Who will win the Vendée Globe?' has many different answers. Including Thomson there are six highly experienced, top skippers equipped with foils. Armel Le Cléac'h has finished second in the last two Vendée Globes, only three hours behind winner Gabart in 2013, the conclusion of a mind bending match-race all the way around the world when the two near identical IMOCAs raced all the way as if joined by bungee elastic. Sébastien Josse lead the epic 2008-9 race at different stages before he was forced to abandon with rudder damage. Edmond de Rothschild is the highly optimised, immaculately prepared new IMOCA aboard which he won last winter's solo Transat Saint Barth's-Lorient race before finishing second in this year's New York- Vendée race. His experience racing the Edmond de Rothschild Multi 70 trimaran crewed and short handed has fine tuned his ability to race on the edge for long periods. Jean Pierre Dick on StMichel-Virbac is a multiple winner of big ocean races, such as the Transat Jacques Vabre and two Barcelona World Races around the world. He missed third in the last race when his keel failed 1500 miles from the finish, dropping to fourth. Jéremie Beyou has yet to finish the Vendée Globe despite starting twice. He is the only skipper to retro-fit foils, to his Maitre-Coq, the 2010 launched boat which finished second in 2013 as Banque Populaire.

The only skipper to have won the race before who will be on the start line this time, 2004-5 winner Vincent Riou on PRB, has stayed with a conventional, non foil set up. But his March 2010 launched boat is considered the most optimised, furthest refined IMOCA which possesses a great all round potential. While the foiling IMOCAs are at their best fast reaching in winds over 15kts, they are still felt to have a disadvantage in increased drag in lighter airs and less efficiency upwind. Riou is a firm believer that his choice will give him an at least even chance over the long game. So too Yann Eliès has a well optimised IMOCA with more conventional boards. A three times winner of La Solitaire du Figaro, he returns to the Vendée Globe eight years after being rescued 800 miles south west of Australia. Eliès lay stricken and unable to move suffering from multiple leg fractures inside his yacht for two days before being taken to safety.

An unprecedented five sailors will be racing the Vendée Globe for their fourth time. Riou, Thomson, Dick and veterans Jean Le Cam and Bertrand de Broc. Two of the 14 first timers will start with realistic aspirations of emulating Gabart's feat, winning the Vendée Globe at their first attempt, never having raced solo in the Southern Oceans. Morgan Lagravière, 29, is an Olympic skiff sailor turned Figaro sailor turned Vendée Globe racer. He was selected by Safran as the best of the new, younger generation talent to fly their colours and he has a foiling, March 2015 launched design. His programme has been managed latterly by Roland Jourdain's organisation. Similarly Paul Meilhat's SMA is the leading IMOCA programme for double Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux's Mer Agitée stable. Meilhat, 34, is also an ex 49er sailor who moved through the one design Figaro circuit, winning the 2014 Transat AG2R.

There are set to be many races within the race as different generations of boats and skippers compete against each other. A posse of skippers with 2006-7 designs are expected to have equally intense, hard fought battles. Tanguy De Lamotte on Initiatives Couer which publicises a charity which provides life saving heart surgery for children, Louis Burton on Bureau Vallée, Arnaud Boissieres on La Mie Caline, Jean Le Cam on Finistere Mer Vent and Thomas Ruyant on Le Souffle Du Nord, are all expected to form the middle and upper middle order of the fleet.

The race has drawn an engaging cross section of adventurous skippers of all ages who set off with the only common theme being their shared dream of finishing the race, completing the circle. Twenty four year old Swiss soloist Alan Roura has a low budget campaign which bottomed out financially when he did not have enough money to put fuel in his team van. Kiwi-American Conrad Colman starts his third round the world race having only just secured a last minute sponsor for his 100% Natural Energy. He is looking to be the first skipper to finish the race using only naturally generated electrical energy. Sébastien Destremau will realise an almost fleeting ambition which only took him over when he was reporting for TV at the start of the last race. Irish businessman, adventurer and sailor Enda O'Coineen on Kilcullen Voyager Team Ireland is looking to fulfil a lifetime ambition but also to spearhead a lasting legacy for Ireland which also encompasses building a sail training vessel and, in the future, a sail training academy. Similarly Holland's Pieter Heerema is a successful businessman looking to fulfil a sailing ambition, racing a latest generation foiler. Hungary's Nandor Fa, 64, starts his third Vendée Globe twenty years after his first one, racing a boat he mostly designed and built himself. American Rich Wilson is driven to compete in his second Vendée Globe, the oldest skipper in the fleet, by the burning desire to share the educational values of the race. His Sites Alive program run from on board Great American 4 will reach over 1 million youngsters, including 3000 schools in China, an educational program approved by the French Education Department, and 50,000 students in Taiwan.

Fair weather expected for the start
The weather is now becoming clear and more precise for Sunday: 15 to 20 knot northerlies, ideal conditions to get the world's most extreme race underway. “A north to NW'ly air stream blowing at between 15 and 25 knots out at sea, probably lighter on the coast with squally showers possible around Les Sables d'Olonne. The NW'ly swell should remain below 1m,”announced the Great Circle team, the official weather partner for the 8th Vendée Globe. Decent conditions are expected for the 29 IMOCAs as they cross the Bay of Biscay in a northerly flow offering good speeds on seas that remain slight, before they reach Cape Finisterre and then the coast of Portugal in stronger winds (gusting to 35 knots).

In other words, we can look forward to a fast start for the non-stop solo round the world race allowing them in theory to sail downwind all the way to the Equator. “Conditions should enable us to get a good time for this first portion of the race with everyone going down quickly to the Equator. We could see a day less to get there than it took four years ago. We're not about to be shaken up like in 2012. This weather should favour the foilers. That much is clear,” explained Vincent Riou (PRB).

A relief for the sailors and their families
“We're not looking at a deep low and strong headwinds . I can remember how complicated the start was eight years ago. This time we're not getting thrown in at the deep end and so that removes some of the stress,” admitted Armel Le Cléac'h (Banque Populaire VIII), who is already drawing up his route for the first part of the course. A huge relief too for the families. Arnaud Boissières, (La Mie Câline) told us this morning, “The weather is looking decent for the start I'm pleased in particular for my family and friends and sponsors, as that makes it easier to bear, even if there is bound to be some stress. That means that the fleet should remain intact for longer, which is good.”

'I don't care about the race or proving that I am better than my neighbour' declares Ireland's first ever entrant into the world's toughest yacht race, the Vendee Globe.

The declaration is made by Enda O'Coineen (60) who will take on the solo non stop race round the world next month. The Galway Bay debutante continues his billboard statement with the following intent: 'sure I want to go quick but for me to finish would mean fulfilling a lifelong ambition to complete a non–stop lap of our planet. The fact that I would be thev first Irish person to do it would make it all the more special. Representing Ireland and promoting ocean and adventure in Ireland is an honour'.

The Vendée Globe Village officially opened in Les Sables d'Olonne on Saturday and O'Coineen's Irish tricolour was flying proudly among the fleet of 28 IMOCA 60 entries. 

The public could hardly wait for the official opening of the Vendée Globe Village on Saturday morning. The ceremony marked the start of three weeks of festivities in Les Sables-d'Olonne. At 10 a.m. Yves Auvinet, President of the SAEM Vendée, Bruno Retailleau, President of the Pays de La Loire Region, Didier Gallot, Mayor of Les Sables d'Olonne and Pascal Cadorel, head of communications for Sodebo, led a procession of guests and visitors through the Village, that has been set up for this eighth Vendée Globe and which stretches out over a total surface area of more than 2500 m2 in Port Olona. The official visit ended with a meeting with all of the competitors present aboard their boats.

During the presentation, the dignitaries and elected councillors passed through the exhibition aisle on quai Lagravière, before entering the Vendée big top, where an impressive exhibition of technologies and interactive applications is on display. This exhibition tells you all you need to know about the boats, the skippers and their preparation. In particular, you can see the boat sailed by Dee Caffari in the 2008 Vendée Globe, the former Aviva, a gallery of portraits of the skippers and a 240° projection area. Their stroll also allowed them to discover the tourist office, the restaurant areas, the partners' area and for the first time in this year's event, the Mixed Zone, where it is possible to visit Yves Parlier's old IMOCA and to see an area dedicated to those, who have left their mark on the Vendée Globe. The group then headed for the Vendée Globe pontoon, in order to meet the sailors. During his speech, President Yves Auvinet reminded everyone how important the Vendée Globe is in the identity of this French department and for local people. “The race belongs to the people of Vendée and all the technical means possible have been put in place to publicise the Vendée Globe around the world.”

The skippers are presented to the first visitors
In spite of the rain, the delegation was able to speak to each of the skippers present aboard their boats, with the Race Director, Jacques Caraës making the introductions. This was an opportunity for the sailors to give their first impressions, before getting together for the traditional family photo. This morning's visit concluded with a few more speeches, including one from Bruno Retailleau, for whom “the spirit and values of the Vendée Globe are an example to the sporting world. Where there's a will, there's a way.” Didier Gallot was pleased about “the huge fame that the Vendée Globe has brought to the town of Les Sables-d'Olonne.” Pascal Cadorel reminded everyone that “Sodebo has been the patron of the Vendée Globe since 2004. It's a popular event that we experience together within the company and outside and we share it with our public.” In conclusion, Yves Auvinet wanted to reassure everyone about the safety measures taken to protect visitors. “We have been working on this for months with the government services and the Vendée authorities. Every measure has been taken to allow the public to make the most of this event.”

Quotes :

Alex Thomson - GB (HUGO BOSS):
“For me, 30% of the competitors in this eighth Vendée Globe have what it takes to make it to the podium.”

Rich Wilson - USA (Great American IV):
“We need to make the most of the support from the public here in Les Sables d'Olonne. I can remember the first time I took part back in 2008. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming towards me and my team.”

Didac Costa - SPA (One Planet One Ocean):
“After being struck by lightning during the delivery trip, these final three weeks have become a huge challenge to make sure I'm ready on time.”

Conrad Colman - NZ (100% Natural Energy):
“My boat knows her way around. I'm sure she'll bring me back to Les Sables d'Olonne. There may be more older generation boats than new ones crossing the finish…”

Kojiro Shiraishi - JPN (Spirit of Yukoh):
“I really want to make sailing more popular in Japan and I don't want to be the last Japanese sailor to compete in the Vendée Globe.”

Paul Meilhat - FRA (SMA):
“The incidents we experienced last winter allowed me to become more mature and today, I'm really pleased to be here.”

Alan Roura - SUI (La Fabrique):
“I didn't have much time to prepare for the Vendée Globe, so I'm still in the preparation phase. I haven't yet grasped that I'm in Les Sables and about to set off around the world alone.”

Bertrand de Broc - FRA (MACSF):
“The boat is ready, but it is the sailor that is the most important thing, and he too is beginning to feel ready too.”

The magic of the Vendée Globe Race Festival can begin now that Ireland's Enda O'Coineen and 27 other competitors have been moored up in Les Sables d'Olonne since last night. The first ever Irish entry in the race is pictured above second boat in on the port hand of the Vendee Globe pontoon. 

- 28 out of the 29 competitors are now present in Les Sables d'Olonne
- Sébastien Destremau is expected around 19th-20th October
- The Village opens tomorrow (Saturday) at 10 a.m. in Port Olona

In the space of less than 24 hours, 23 boats made their way through the harbour entrance channel in Les Sables, with most of the competitors arriving during the day yesterday. In the middle of the night, Banque Populaire VIII, Le Souffle du Nord pour le Projet Imagine, Safran, 100% Natural Energy and Quéguiner-Leucémie Espoir were the latest boats to moor up. Since yesterday, the crowds have been out to greet the solo sailors and see their boats. There are now three weeks of festivities scheduled in the Vendée Globe Village, which opens its doors tomorrow at 10 a.m. local time.

Conrad Colman's IMOCA 60 getting ready for the Vendée Globe singlehanded around the world race that will start in November. The 29–boat fleet are due in France next week, including Ireland's first ever entry in the race by Enda O'Coineen.

Colman's boat 100% NATURAL ENGERY is attempting to be the first to complete the race without carrying a drop of fossil fuel.

To charge his batteries during the race, he is using SolarCoth Systems solar panels laminated into his UK Sailmakers Titanium mainsail along with hydro generation via his OceanVolt electric motor.