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 IMOCA 60, is a development class monohull sailing yacht administered by the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA). The class pinnacle event are single or two person ocean races, such as the Route du Rhum and the Vendée Globe and this has been intimately linked to design development within the class.
Jean Le Cam is a French sailor.
Pascal Bidegorry is a French sailor.
Loïck Peyron is a French yachtsman, younger brother of the yachtsman Bruno Peyron.
François Gabart is a French professional offshore yacht racer who won the 2012-13 Vendée Globe in 78 days 2 hours 16 minutes, setting a new race record. In 2017 he set the speed record for sailing around the globe in 42 days 16 hours 40 minutes and 35 seconds finishing on 17 December. He was sailing singlehanded in the 30 metre Trimaran Macif.
Alex Pella is a Spanish yachtsman. In 2014 he became the first and only Spanish to win a transoceanic single-handed race, the Route du Rhum. Alex Pella made history once again, on the 26th of January 2017, when he broke, with the rest of the team, the absolute round-the-world speed sailing record, known as the Jules Verne Trophy., aboard the sophisticated maxi-multihull IDEC 3. They circumnavigated the planet in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds.
Armel Le Cléac’h is a French professional navigator and sea captain. He was the IMOCA world champion in 2008 and French champion in single-handed yacht race in 2003, he notably won the Solitaire du Figaro twice, the Transat AG2R in 2004 and 2010 and the Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race in 2016. He finished second in both the 2008–09 and 2012–13 editions of the Vendée Globe. In the Vendée Globe 2016–17, he finished first with a new record time of 74d 3h 35' 46". His performance earned him the 2018 Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year.
Yoann Richomme is a French navigator, sailor and yacht skipper. He is a double winner of the Solitaire du Figaro and won the 2018 Route du Rhum in the Class 40 category.
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 DongFen. and competed in the 2020–2021 Vendée Globe aboard PRB. He is a member of the following 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.
Clément Giraud is a French professional offshore sailor born on 11 December 1980.
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.
Marc Thiercelin, known as "Captain Marck", is a French professional yachtsman, born on October 29, 1960 in Saâcy-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne). He totals five solo rounds of the world together with 22 transatlantic races, seven editions of the Solitaire du Figaro and five Tour de France sailing. He completed four complete tours of Antarctica and four solo Cape Horns for a total of 700,000 km covered on all the world's oceans.
Roland Jourdain, often nicknamed "Bilou" is a French professional yachtsman, born on 28 April 1964 in Quimper. He is notably two-time winner of the Route du Rhum.
Jean-Pierre Dick is a French professional yachtsman.
Sébastien Simon is a French professional offshore sailor.
Morgan Lagravière is a French professional sailor who was a member of the National Olympic squad before progressing into offshore sailing.
Paul Meilhat, born on 17th May 1982, is a French sailor and navigator. He was a high level 49er dinghy sailor with Olympic aspirations before moving into offshore sailing. From 2015 to the end of 2018 he was skipper of the IMOCA 60 - SMA and he competed in the Vendee Globe.
