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Combine holiday perfume and the start
of the Vendée Globe at Camping des Pirons
To make sure you don’t miss any of the Vendée Globe and its 2020 edition, Les Pirons campsite is happy to welcome you during this period. A campsite to watch the event in the heart of the Vendée!
The Vendée Globe will start on Sunday 8th November 2020 in Les Sables d’Olonne, just a few minutes from the campsite!
Come and enjoy the Vendée Globe experience by staying at the Aloa Vacances campsite, Les Pirons by the sea !
The interest of going on holiday at camping les Pirons during the Vendée Globe
Keep in mind that it is only open during the Vendée Globe. By booking at this campsite you can watch the start of the ninth edition. In addition, you will appreciate the water park and the fragrant pools. The campsite has 480 pitches, all of which are private. For your comfort, the campsite has bungalows, mobile homes and cottage chalets available for all budgets.
Watch this legendary race, which began 30 years ago and is still the only one where you can see single-handed sailing boats crossing the world without any stopover or assistance: a technical and physical feat that brings a part of the dream to every adventurer in us all.
The Pirons campsite is ideally situated to stay close to theVendée Globe with the assurance of spending an excellent time in our company.
The organisation of the Vendée Globe 2020
Also known as the Everest of the Seas, the Vendée Globeis a real institution in Les Sables-d’Olonne which brings together several skippers. This race, sailed on 60-foot IMOCA monohulls, is a real challenge for many famous sailors. The participants must actually sail around the world non-stop, without assistance and alone. This mythical event currently takes place every four years and is in its 9th edition. What should you know about this internationally renowned French race ?
The Vendée Globe rules
The concept is based on three terms that are fairly easy to understand for most people. These terms are defined by the organisation’s rules: solo race, non-stop and without assistance. This is the inimitable signature of this event, its authentic DNA.
Vendée Globe: History and origin
The Vendée Globe is an event that followed on from the Golden Globe Challenge. In a way, it has inherited some of its principles. The Golden Globe was the first non-stop single-handed round the world race. It was organised in 1968 by the British newspaper “The Sunday Times” on the initiative of Sir Francis Chichester. Nine competitors took part in this exceptional adventure. The only one of the nine who finished the race was Robin Knox-Johnston.
It should be noted that he completed the circumnavigation in 313 days on a 10-metre sailing boat (Suhaili) and covered 30,123 miles. This was no mean feat until he arrived in the large Cornish port of Falmouth on 6 April 1969. Unfortunately, this high seas competition was never repeated by its initiators or organisers. It was not until twenty years later that a similar event was held, but with some special features. It was the sailor Philippe Jeannot who, after winning the BOC Challenge, launched the idea of the new race:the Vendée Globe.
He was supported in his actions by Philippe de Villiers. After the second edition, the event is organised every four years and brings together extraordinary sailors. The first edition of this race, which began on 26 November 1989, lasted more than three months in a chilly atmosphere. There were 13 participants in this edition, 7 of whom finished. Titouan Lamazou finished first after 109 days at sea. Second place went to Loïck Peyron and third place to Jean-Luc Van Den Heede.
During the second edition, two sailors lost their lives. On the day of the start, the American Mike Plant was the first to be found drowned. Four days later, it was the Englishman Nigel Burgess. As for Bertrand de Broc, he cut his tongue. This reveals the extreme difficulty of this event. Alain Gautier won this session after 110 days at sea. Jean-Luc Van Den Heede came second and Philippe Poupon finished third.
For the third edition, the race started as usual in Les Sables-d’Olonne on 3rd November 1996. There were 16 competitors at the start, but 6 at the finish. The winner (Christophe Auguin) took 105 days to sail around the world. It was a high-risk race during which several deaths were recorded, including that of the Quebec sailor Gerry Roufs.
The loss of human life did not dampen the spirits of future participants in subsequent editions. The proof is that today there are nearly 167 competitors and eight editions. The only sailor to have won this legendary race twice is Michel Desjoyeaux (in 2001 and 2002). Armel Le Cléac’h holds the circumnavigation record in this event. He finished his race in 74 days, 3 hours 35 minutes and 46 seconds.
Regulation
Non-stop
Competitors are not allowed to land beyond the limit of the highest high tide or they will be disqualified The only possible technical stopover is to return to Les Sables-d’Olonne within 10 days of the official start. This is exactly what Michel Desjoyeaux did during the 2008 edition. He returned to repair an electrical and ballast problem before setting off again 40 hours late. This did not prevent him from winning the race. In addition, the competitors have the possibility of stopping to anchor in a cove, but must not put their foot down beyond the limit of the foreshore.
Single-handed
The race instructions are clear : one man (or woman), a circumnavigation and a boat. This implies that no one else should be on board a boat apart from the owner himself. Of course, in the event of a proven emergency (sinking of another skipper), he can take her on board. This has already happened in the past during the third edition. Indeed, Pete Goss rescued Raphaël Dinelli before dropping him off in New Zealand. Similarly in 2009, Vincent Riou rescued Jean le Cam after his boat capsized near Cape Horn.
No assistance
During the race, the sailor must rely only on himself. No medical assistance will be tolerated except in extreme situations. He can benefit from the remote advice of the race doctor, the direct intervention of a health professional on board being forbidden. . Similarly, weather routing is prohibited. Skippers must repair any damage themselves. Like medical assistance, material or technical assistance is forbidden. This does not mean that they cannot discuss technical problems with the naval architect or the computer specialist. The latter will do their utmost to inform them of the small repairs that need to be carried out to get out of an unfortunate situation.
The economic and tourist impact of the Vendée Globe
It is no secret that the town of Les Sables-d’Olonne is always buzzing during this famous race It is clear that this event has many positive repercussions on the economy of the department. You only have to look at the latest media impact figures (145 million euros) to see this. It also generates significant tourist activity. It cannot be otherwise, because in this period, there are many visitors from all over the world.
During the 7th edition, 1.8 million visitors came to this seaside resort. A tourist crowd was present from the opening of the Vendée village, even after the race was over. As a result, the hotels in the region achieved unprecedented sales figures for the year, as did the restaurants. The restaurants are fully booked. The tourist office receives nearly 1,500 people a day.
As for the Vendée companies, they take advantage of this opportunity to promote their services or different products. Several small and medium-sized businesses in the region have experienced a real expansion and many companies enjoy a publicity boost by sponsoring boats and putting up their signs. It would therefore not be an exaggeration to say that the event boosts the local economy.
Vendée Globe 2020: start date, course and participants
The 2020 Vendée Globewill be the ninth editionof this race with a growing reputation. Traditionally, the start date is set in November due to the favourable weather conditions at that time. The sailors will set off from Les Sables-d’Olonne on Sunday 8th November to help mediate the race.
It must be said that despite the health crisis currently raging in the world, the directors have seen fit to maintain the start programme. Arrangements will be made by the organisers to ensure that the event takes place under the best possible auspices. Skippers, exhibitors and the media must all respect the barrier measures and the health rules that will be established.
As usual, the participants must deal with wind, waves, ice, etc. to make this global journey. It must be completed over 40,075 km or approximately 21,638 miles. This distance corresponds to the circumference of the Earth. The programme includes a departure from Les Sables-d’Olonne, a journey through the heart of the South Seas and a return to the Vendée. It is an extraordinary route that only the most daring will dare to tackle.
The last deadline for applications was 1 November 2019. It is worth mentioning that participation in this event is possible if the candidate has validated his/her qualification in one of the essential races. These are the Route du Rhum 2018, The Transat 2020, New York Vendée 2020, the Transat Jacques Vabre 2019, the previous Vendée Globe. At the moment, 35 people are hoping for this race. As the number of participants exceeds 30, an additional selection will be made.