Race Day, July 1st

Les Sables d’Olonne, France

Departing Pontoon Vendee Globe for the channel:

08.30am IMOCA boats (Team Setin, Ant-Arctic-Lab) committee boat (La Belle Poule)
09:00am Olonnois boats
09:15-09:30am Classic Yachts depart together from both sides of marina (Courtesy fleet).
09:30 -9:45am Cap’n Brown, Gipsy Moth, Joshua, Suhaili
09:45am GGR yachts start to leave the harbour
12:00pm Start of the 2018 Golden Globe Race with live coverage on France 3, L’Equipe TV, TV Vendée, Tébésud, Tébéo, TVR and in English on the official GGR Facebook page.

What to do and see

There will be a parade in the Les Sables d’Olonne channel, starting at 8:35am and finishing in the channel at 11am. GGR skippers will depart in two minute intervals from 09.45am onwards and be visible in the channel shortly after the first departures.

If you cannot make the start in France, the start will be broadcast in French and English on the official GGR Facebook page / Live FB from 11.30am to 12.30pm (CEST) – the broadcast will also be on France 3 TV.

Tourist Boat

50 € to be on Fromentine boat. There are still 120 places as at 29 June – call LSO Tourism office at 02 51 96 85 85 dial 1 or buy it at the Tourism Office (same building as Casino and Congress Area promenade Lafarge (remblai)). The boat leaves from Quai Alain Gerbaud down the Port Authority (Capitainerie) at 9:30.

Skippers order of departure

Antoine Cousot
Gregor McGuckin
Igor Zaretskiy
Istvan Kopar
Loic Lepage
Mark Sinclair
Nabil Amra
Tapio lehtinen
Kevin Farebrother
Jean Luc
Are Wiig
Uku Randmaa
Philippe Peche
Mark Slats
Susie Goodall
Ertan Beskardes
Abhilash Tomy

Race Village opening times:

Saturday: Open 10am to 2am
Sunday: Open 7am to 6pm

Parking

Accredited media can park on the parking next to the media centre.

Security

Les Sables d’Olonne streets will be closed – no parking, no traffic – from fishing harbour, along beach side Remblai to Guynemer Street – on the other side of channel La Chaume area from Super U store to Prieuré Saint Nicolas.