The Vendée Globe is the Everest of the seas. Since its creation in 1989, 200 skippers have taken the start. Only 114 have crossed the finish line. Anyone can't climb Everest! To take part in this legendary round-the-world race, skippers have to qualify. To do so, they must have taken the start of at least two qualifying races (including one in 2022 or 2023 and one in 2024) on their boat.
Qualifying races:
Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne 2022,
Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe 2022,
Retour à la Base 2023,
The Transat CIC 2024,
New York Vendée - Les Sables d'Olonne 2024.
Sailors must finish at least one of these races and their race time must not be more than one and a half times longer than the winner's time. This demonstrates the skills of the skippers and the reliability of their boats. The last of the qualifying races is the final sprint from the Big Apple to Vendée.
1 = 1.5, what's that all about?
In the event that more than 40 skippers manage to qualify, the Vendée Globe organisers have set up a selection process. This consists of counting the number of nautical miles covered by the skippers, single-handed, double-handed and crewed, since the Transat Jacques Vabre 2021. The number of miles counted depends on the configuration of the race:
single-handed, one mile sailed = one mile counted;
double-handed, one mile sailed = 0.5 mile counted;
crewed, one mile sailed = 0.25 mile, with a maximum of 5,000 miles.
The New York Vendée, organised by SAEM Vendée, the organising company of the Vendée Globe, will be an exception, as it will be raced single-handed, but for every mile sailed, 1.5 miles will be counted.
