The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop round the world yacht race. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. It is named after the Département of Vendée, in France, where the race starts and ends. The Vendée Globe is considered an extreme quest of individual endurance and the ultimate test in ocean racing.
The Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race (STAR) is an east-to-west yacht race across the North Atlantic. When inaugurated in 1960, it was the first single-handed ocean yacht race; it is run from Plymouth in England to Newport, Rhode Island in the United States, and has generally been held on a four yearly basis.
Mike Golding is an English yachtsman, born in Great Yarmouth and educated at Reading Blue Coat School. He is one of the few yachtsmen to have raced round the world non stop in both directions. He held the solo record for sailing round the world westabout between 1994 and 2000.
Alex Thomson is a British yachtsman.
Boris Herrmann is a German yachtsman.
Bernard Gallay is a French yachtsman and businessman. He has competed in the Vendée Globe twice and finished his career as a professional sailor whilst participating in the Transat 6.50 in 2005. In 1994, he moved to Montpellier in the South of France and founded Bernard Gallay Yacht Brokerage. He still competes in amateur races such as Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez and the Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Ari Huusela is a professional Finnish pilot and amateur offshore single-handed sailor. He has flown 25,000 hours and has sailed over 50,000 nautical miles.
The 2020–2021 Vendée Globe was a non-stop round the world yacht race for IMOCA 60 class yachts crewed by only one person. It was the ninth edition of the race, which started and finished in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France. The race began on 8 November 2020, with the first finishers completing the course on 27 January 2021 with the 25th and final yacht to complete the race arrived on 5 March 2021.
Kevin Escoffier is a French professional sailor born on 4 April 1980 in Saint-Malo, France and a resident of Lorient. He is an offshore sailor who has won the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race as a bowman onboard DongFeng. and competed in the 2020–2021 Vendée Globe aboard PRB. He is a member of the yacht club SN Baie St. Malo
Thomas Ruyant is a French sailor who was born in Dunkirk in the Nord region.
Yannick Bestaven is a French offshore sailor. He won the Transat 6.50 in 2001, was twice winner of the Transat Jacques-Vabre, and won the Vendee Globe in 2020-21.
The 1989–1990 Vendée Globe Challenge, which later became the first edition of the Vendée Globe, was a non-stop round the world sailing race, sailed west to east. The start was 26 November 1989 from Les Sables-d'Olonne. Thirteen boats started and seven finished due to multiple abandonments, which is common in this "Everest of the Sea" that is the Vendée Globe. It was won by Titouan Lamazou on 15 March 1990 creating the first benchmark of the event, a record that stood until the 1996–1997 edition.
The 2012–2013 Vendée Globe is a non-stop solo Round the World Yacht Race for IMOCA 60 class yachts this is the seventh edition of the race.
The 2008–2009 Vendée Globe is a non-stop solo Round the World Yacht Race for IMOCA 60 class yachts this is the sixth edition of the race.
The 2000–2001 Vendée Globe is a non-stop solo Round the World Yacht Race for IMOCA 50 and IMOCA 60 class yachts. This is the fourth edition of the race starting on the 9th November 2000 from Les Sables-d'Olonne.
The 1996–1997 Vendée Globe is a non-stop solo Round the World Yacht Race for IMOCA 50 and IMOCA 60 class yachts this is the third edition of the race starting on the th November 1996 from Les Sables-d'Olonne.
Foncia 2 is a IMOCA 60 Class offshore racing monohull sailing yacht launched 2010.
Jean-Pierre Dick is a French professional yachtsman.
Richard Tolkien is a British corporate finance adviser, director and trustee and experienced adventure sailor who grew up in Devon. He was educated at King Edward VI School, Totnes and Exter College, Oxford where he won the Webb Medley prize and graduated with a First in PPE. He joined HM Treasury that year, worked for the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the private office from 1979 to 1982. He started his corporate finance at Morgan Grenfell in 1982, becoming a director of the bank in 1991. He was Managing Director at HSBC Investment Banking from 1997 to 2002 and an Executive Director of Macquarie from 2003.In 2006 he left the City to work as an independent expert witness in litigation and arbitration and a non executive director, including at Share plc and Parkwood Holdings PLC. He was appointed Chairman of the trustees of Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research in 2011, a post he still holds.
The IMOCA 60 Class yacht Super Bigou designed by Pierre Rolland and launched in the year 2000. What makes the boat rare is that it was constructed by Bernard Stamm the boats original skipper and owner rather than an established yard.
