The finish line of the 2nd Arctic Vendée – Les Sables d'Olonne was closed upon the arrival of the last competitor, Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG MORI Global One), on Saturday, June 18th at 10:33 pm. The classification is now official. Let's take a look at the race's sporting data.
The champion is Charlie Dalin (APIVIA), who has signed his second consecutive solo victory in this IMOCA season after his success in the Guyader Bermuda 1000 Race last May. The Le Havre skipper has recorded his fifth victory since entering the 60-foot monohull class after the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre (double-handed with Yann Eliès), the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race (double-handed with Paul Meilhat), and the 2021 Azimut Challenge (doubles with Paul Meilhat). This is his seventh podium in as many races on APIVIA.
The podium is completed by Jérémie Beyou (Charal) and Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) in that order. This is the same composition as the podium in 2020; only the roles are reversed, with Jérémie Beyou winning ahead of Charlie Dalin and Thomas Ruyant.
Approximately 80% of skippers who started the race finished it. Five boats had to retire due to damage, with the first retirement occurring the day after the start. The remaining four retirements happened during the approach to the Iceland Gate. On June 17th, Manuel Cousin (SÉTIN Group) was the first of four to withdraw from the race. Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline) chose to abandon the race on June 18th, "as a precaution". Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) and Denis Van Weynbergh (Laboratoires de Biarritz) were the last to retire, a few tens of miles from the finish line.
In the latest episode of the IMOCA with foil versus IMOCA with daggerboard match, three foil monohulls of the same generation claimed the podium. At the same time, fourth place went to Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur – Duo For A Job). This was Ferré's first foray into IMOCA racing, aboard the ex-Macif which François Gabart won the 2012-2013 Vendée Globe and Paul Meilhat the 2018 Route du Rhum in the colors of SMA. Evidently, the skipper has found a particular taste for the competition. Aboard Benjamin Dutreux's former OMIA - Water Family, Guirec Soudée took 6th place in the Vendée Globe 2020-2021. The other extreme adventurer came between the foilers of Louis Burton and Alan Roura. Four IMOCAs with straight daggerboards took their place in the top 10 of the race.
A course modification, followed by a reduction, was made due to the Arctic Vendée – Les Sables d'Olonne race fleet being adversely affected by the weather. The round of Iceland, which was expected to be a tremendous first for an IMOCA (no IMOCA having ever climbed as far as the Arctic Circle during the race), seemed feasible at the start on June 12th, but the weather gradually deteriorated. The depression circulating around Iceland grew so thick that it posed a direct threat to the most fragile IMOCAs. The conditions of the winds and waves convinced the race management to abandon the round of Iceland. The virtual door drawn before the race at the height of the most eastern tip of the island has become the mark to be parried before the return to less harsh regions via a virtual point in the center of the Atlantic. Then, during the night from Friday to Saturday, while the leader Charlie Dalin was approaching the gate, the organization decided to stop the race at this gate in order to allow the solo sailors to take shelter once the finish line was crossed.
The Arctic Pole's proximity and the circulation of weather phenomena have created a dangerous situation where violent winds and a rough sea can form in short periods. This made navigation difficult for the five boats that had to retire from the event. Few boats emerged unscathed from the storm, like Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group) and Romain Attanasio (Fortinet – Best Western), for example, who experienced mainsail problems.
The selection process for the 2024 Vendée Globe will be affected by the Arctic Vendée – Les Sables d'Olonne race. Skippers who have completed the race are now qualified to participate in the 2024 Vendée Globe. If a skipper decides to change boats, they must take advantage of another qualifying race to obtain their qualification
The 2024 edition of the Vendée Globe will accept 40 projects. To fairly select from a pool of applicants, the organization has decided to base its decision on the number of miles completed by the skipper before the event. Skippers who have completed the Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne have already sailed a distance equivalent to the theoretical distance between the start line and the finish (now the Iceland gate). Those who have quit the race early have their number of theoretical miles of the course deducted from their total.
The Arctic Vendée-Les Sables d'Olonne was a remarkable sporting event. The results were very close, with only a few minutes separating the first and second place finishers. This demonstrates the high level of competition in the race, and it bodes well for the future of the event. We look forward to the 2024 Vendée Globe, and we hope that it will be just as exciting as this year's race.
