Photo: Jesus Renedo / ACCIONA

Tomorrow is start day. At 13:02 (12:02 UTC) the twenty solo skippers who will compete in the Vendée Globe solo non stop around the world race take the start line. As it is at every start, Les Sables d’Olonne will be engulfed by huge crowds of fans. Here is everything you need to know about following the race start on land and sea.

Start day in Les Sables d’Olonne



Follow the signs to the Vendée Globe village where there will be live coverage of the docking out of the skippers (note that the pontoons will no longer be accessible to the public. At 09:30, after the parade of legendary boats which starts at 08:45, Cheminées Poujoulat will be the first to leave the pontoons Port Olona and boats will follow one another every few minutes. Banque Populaire will be the last to cast off.

The famous channel from the marina out to the sea and also the main beaches will then be good places to watch the parade of boats.



Live TV


Internationally, six channels will broadcast live the start of the race: France 24, SkyItalia, nsport Léman Bleu Poland and Switzerland, BBC and ITV.



From 09:00 to 13:45, the departure of the pontoons and the start of the 7th Vendée Globe and the first minutes of the race will be filmed and broadcast live on www.vendeeglobe.org and www.dailymotion.com/VendeeGlobeTV with commentary from Pierre-Louis Castelli and Alain Gautier (French) and Clare MacNaughton and Alec Wilkinson (English).

You will also be able to find information, photos and recent stories at www.vendeeglobe.org, www.facebook.com/VendeeGlobe and @VendeeGlobe.


On the water



For sailors wishing to watch the start on the water, listen to VHF channel 1 for complete information and instructions (and dual standby on channel 16). Access to and from Port Olona is between 08:45 and 12:15. Once on the water, boaters must observe the safety zone.

After the start



From Sunday 11 November, Race HQ moves to Paris, in front of the Montparnasse Tower, until the end of January. The website and social networks will report all the news from the day and any images and skipper quotes. Tracking and rankings will be updated five times a day: 5:00, 9:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 20:00 French time.



For more, go to Follow the start.


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