The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop, unassisted 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 sport and practice of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember. The term usually refers to ocean and long-distance sailing and is used in competitive sailing and among cruisers.
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.
Jean Le Cam is a French sailor.
Samantha "Sam" Davies is an English yachtswoman.
Conrad Colman is a yachtsman from New Zealand with dual nationality of New Zealand and America and is now based in France. In 2016, he became the first New Zealander to compete in the famous solo around-the-world race, the Vendée Globe. On 10 February 2017 Colman was in 10th place, 740 miles from the finish line when his IMOCA 60, the Foresight Natural Energy, was dismasted. Two weeks later he became the 3rd sailor in history to complete the Vendée Globe under jury rig, taking 16th place in the race with a time of just under 110 days 2 hours. Colman ran out of food after the dismasting, and completed the race on survival rations pillaged from his life raft.
Dídac Costa is a yachtsman who competes in ocean racing. He was the first Catalan and the second Spanish yachtsman to finish the Vendée Globe, the non-stop solo round-the-world sailing world race. He was the first Spanish yachtsman to complete the two IMOCA 60 class round-the-world yacht races: solo in the 2016–2017 Vendée Globe and double-handed at the Barcelona World Race 2014–15. He is the protagonist of the feature documentary Open Ocean (2021), which chronicles his 2016-17 and 2020-21 Vendée Globe campaigns.
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. In 2022-23, he initially skippered Holcim-PRB in The Ocean Race, before leaving the team amid a sexual misconduct probe. He is a member of the yacht club SN Baie St. Malo.
Jérémie Beyou is a French professional offshore sailor born on 27 June 1976 in Landivisiau (Finistère). He is a member of C N Lorient Sailing Club.
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 Vendée 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 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.
Roland Jourdain, often nicknamed "Bilou" is a French professional yachtsman, born on 28 April 1964 in Quimper. He has twice won the Route du Rhum transatlantic race.
Jean-Pierre Dick is a French professional yachtsman.
Jean-Yves Hasselin, is a French offshore sailor, he competed 1992–1993 Vendée Globe which is the pinnacle solo round the world race he was the last finisher in 7th onboard PRB/Solo Nantes in a time of 153 days 5 hrs and 14 minutes with half the fleet not finishing.
Bernard Stamm, is a Swiss professional yachtsman, born on 29 November 1963 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Bertrand de Broc is a French professional sailor born on 23 September 1960 in Quimper. He has long resided in Combrit in the Finistère. He has competed in four Vendee Globe's completing the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe in 9th place.
Joé Seeten is a French sailor born on 31 May 1957 in Dunkirk.
