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ALL AT SEA OCTOBER 2020
VENDÉE GLOBE
Aerial start of the Vendée Globe, in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, 2016. Image: Jean-Marie Liot / DPPI / Vendée Globe
The 2020 edition of the Vendée Globe, which starts on 8 November, will see a record sized fleet compete with 33 competitors expected to be on the start line off Les Sables d’Olonne. SAMANTHA DAVIES (INITIATIVES-COEUR)
Image: Initiatives-Coeur
T
he Vendée Globe, known as the Everest of the seas, is the only sailing race round the world, solo, non-stop and without assistance. Starting and finishing in Les Sables d’Olonne, it will see the competitors sail down the Atlantic, cross the Indian and Pacific oceans, then sail back up the Atlantic. It was navigator Philippe Jeantot who, after winning the BOC Challenge twice (solo round the world with stopovers), introduced the idea of a new race around the world, but this time nonstop. So, on 26 November 1989, 13 sailors started the first edition of the Vendée Globe, which lasted more than three months. Only seven completed the race back to Les Sables d’Olonne. Since that time 167 contenders have taken part in the race, but only 89 of them have crossed the finish line. This shows the level of difficulty of this global race in which solo racers are confronted by freezing cold, gigantic waves and heavy skies. Perhaps it is because of the immense challenge that many competitors keep coming back. Not a once in a lifetime race, this year’s Vendée Globe has an almost equal balance between first timers and skippers returning for another attempt at this ultimate solo ocean racing challenge. Women skippers were absent from the 2016-2017 edition. This time they are back in force setting another race record with six female solo skippers, three of whom are British, lining up. Until now the average has been just two female racers competing with, for example, Anne Liardet and Karen Leibovici in 2004 and Sam Davies and Dee Caffari in 2008. Ever since Dame Ellen MacArthur’s second place in 2000 - 2001, no woman has been on the Vendée Globe podium. Britain’s Sam Davies, who competes again this year, came close in 2008 2009, taking fourth place.
Vendée Globe: 3rd attempt (2008/2009 – fourth, 2012/2013 – retired) Boat: INITIATIVES-COEUR (foiling). Launched in 2010 this boat has quite a history including first place in the Transat New York – Les Sables d’Olonne, and third place in the Vendée Globe 2016-2017.
HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO SAILING?
My grandfather was a submarine commander, based in Portsmouth, and my other grandfather was both a boat builder – his yard was on Hayling Island – and a powerboat racer, so both my parents were into sailing and boats... it is in the family!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COMPETITIVE RACE SO FAR IN YOUR CAREER? The Vendée Globe, although I also love The Ocean Race (formerly the Volvo Ocean Race or Whitbread Round the World Race). It is the race that inspired me as a kid and I took part in the 2014-15 edition as skipper of the all-female Team SCA.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT SAILING? There are many things: powering a boat purely by the forces of nature (mostly wind!), being alone in
the middle of the oceans, the competition (I am a competitor!), the challenge of forecasting and strategy, the views, the wildlife, the many different conditions I encounter, the technology of my boat, the challenge to make it go fast, the sensations when I do go fast....
and comment on the project’s social media pages. So, my mission is to share my race as best as I can on the social media to encourage the public to ‘click’ and ‘comment’ as much as possible!
WHY DO YOU ENJOY THE CHALLENGE OF SOLO SAILING?
It is the best way to learn to do EVERY role on board. It is very challenging to handle such a powerful boat alone, but so very satisfying to manage to do so. I think I enjoy it, too, because I know I can be competitive in this kind of racing. I am happy alone on my boat, the solitude does not bother me.
Initiatives-Coeur is a foiling IMOCA. She is 10-yearsold (and has already completed two Vendée Globes), but I am lucky to have a good budget and a great team who help keep her as competitive as possible. I have the latest-generation foils designed by Guillaume Verdier, and am lucky to be part of the pioneering group of skippers who will be the first to ‘semi-fly’ mono-hulls around the planet!
WHAT WILL BE HARDER – GETTING TO THE START LINE OR THE RACE ITSELF?
WHAT IS COMING UP AFTER THE VENDÉE GLOBE FOR YOU?
Both are very hard. I am lucky to have some amazing sponsors backing the Initiatives-Coeur Project, but that has not always been the case. Getting to the start line is incredibly hard and only those who are really motivated make it. However, the race itself is another challenge entirely. The fact that you are not allowed to stop or have outside assistance makes it so difficult to finish. Only about 50 per cent of the fleet get to the finish each time. Only 89 skippers have finished the race in its entire history (six women) and I am one of them.
WHAT WILL BE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE? The biggest challenge is getting to the finish. I hope to take about 74 days to do this (if all goes well) and that is a long time to keep a hi-tech boat fully up and running. The boat maintenance is a huge challenge, to deal with the breakages and unexpected issues. Obviously, the weather and sea-state can be challenging, but we train a lot to predict and deal with this. I also have to look after myself as it is physically very tough sailing my boat, and I have to stay fit and healthy all that time, often in extreme weather conditions. I have another big challenge with InitiativesCoeur, and that is to raise money for the French charity Mecenat Chirurgie Cardiaque and help save kids’ lives (by bringing kids with heart defects, who live in poor countries where they cannot receive the right treatment, to France to have life-saving heart-surgery). We raise money thanks to my three sponsors who donate €1 for every new fan / share
TELL US ABOUT INITIATIVES-COEUR.
I hope to be able to continue racing in the amazing IMOCA class circuit – in 2021 we have the Transat Jacques Vabre and in 2022 the Route du Rhum, which is a race I have never yet managed to finish.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OTHER WOMEN WHO WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS? I love helping those who are starting out in their sailing careers and am only too happy to answer questions and give advice. It is a little bit full-on just before the Vendée Globe, but I hope to be able to spend more time mentoring when I have a bit more free-time after the Vendée. And speaking of that – The Magenta Project has an amazing mentoring structure and other tools for women and girls who are looking for advice.
WHICH SAILORS INSPIRE YOU?
I have to say Tracy Edwards and her crew of Maiden inspired me as a teenager, and then I was lucky enough to be part of Tracy’s crew for the Jules Verne record attempt – I was only 22 when she signed me up. It really is thanks to the opportunity that Tracy gave me back then that I am here doing what I do now. Other sailors who inspire me are Peter Blake, Shirley Robertson and Michel Desjoyeaux. DID YOU KNOW? Samantha’s partner, Romain Attanasio, will also be taking part - a couple entering (separately of course) for the first time in the race!
