On November 10, 2024, 40 sailors will gather in Les Sables-d ‘Olonne, France, to take part in the 10th Vendee Round the World Race. The non-stop, unassisted solo voyage around the world covered 24,300 nautical miles (45,000 km).
More than half of the participating fleets are involved in science-related collaborative projects, which will help enrich the inaccessible resources of scientific data in the Southern Ocean.
Held every four years since 1989, the Vendee Round the World Race takes sailors past the iconic Cape of Good Hope, Cape Loewen and Cape Horn during the Australian summer. Then, during the European winter, return to France along the Atlantic Ocean. The current record is held by Armel Le Cleac ‘h, who completed the course in 74 days and 3 hours in 2017.
