The final chance to gain valuable qualifying miles for Vendee Globe selection has started from New York/Newport, Rhode Island to Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
29 skippers are taking part in this final rehearsal for the Vendée Globe. As well as being the last qualifying race for the Vendée Globe, it is also the last race in which the skippers log miles.
And this one counts more than all the others: for every mile sailed, the sailors clock up 1.5! At the end of this race, the line-up for the Vendée Globe 2024 will be known.
With a six-mile starting line equally 90 miles from host cities New York and Newport, Rhode Island, this unusual beginning to a transatlantic saw skippers precisely crossing this imaginary line at 14:00 hrs local time 29 May after a night waiting alone at sea.
Many off the skippers must finish this transatlantic to reach their qualifying miles for the Vendee. The NY-Vendee is especially important as it is worth 1.5 miles for each mile sailed, fast tracking teams that finish to qualify.
Even though the IMOCA 60s are capable of covering more than 600 miles in 24 hours in heavier winds and moderate seas, this week’s trip across the Atlantic will be more tame and should take around 10 days.
New York Vendee Leaderboard after 17 Hours of racing:
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