The final preparations are all nearly made: it’s time for the 40 solo skippers in this year’s Vendée Globe to ready themselves for one of the most emotional moments in sport: start day.

The Vendée Globe start, which this year is on Sunday 10 November at 1300 (local time), is a French institution.

The host port of Les Sables d’Olonne on the Atlantic coast has been full to the gunwales with sailing fans – and France has a LOT of sailing fans – for the past three weeks.

The race village saw around 360,000 people through its gates in the first week alone, and is expecting well over a million by the time the skippers cast off.

Over 1m visitors are expected in Les Sables d’Olonne ahead of the 2024 Vendée Globe

I’ve been in Les Sables for the past few days and I can vouch that these numbers are not one of those ‘uplifted’ sports event statistics prone to exaggeration.

The pontoons are rammed 20-deep with crowds from dawn to dusk, and visiting an IMOCA or meeting a skipper involves military logistical planning, and extremely sharp elbows to simply move through the mass of people trying to get a glimpse of their sailing heroes.

But come Sunday, things will move up a gear yet again.

Start day is unadulterated bedlam. If you’re not on the port walls well before the sun comes up to secure your spot, you can give up any hope of being in the front few rows. Thousands upon thousands of people will be descending on Les Sables to give the skippers the most rousing and spectacular send off in sport.

Emotional start

The passion this event engenders is almost unrivalled.

Emotions are further heightened by the undeniable risk the skippers are about to take. It is an inescapable, but unsaid truth, that there have been sailors who motored down Les Sables’ famous canal to sea, but did not return.

For the 40 solo skippers, it is a lot to handle. Not only do they have their private emotional rollercoaster of saying goodbye to their partners, parents and children, their friends, team mates and sponsors, all while managing their own fears, doubts and adrenaline.

But they also have to somehow absorb the power of the moment that is a Vendée Globe start, without letting the emotional tidal wave overwhelm them.

Yoann Richomme will be starting his first Vendée Globe on the latest generation Paprec Arkéa

“I’ve worked on it a lot, on mental preparation for the start,” says Yoann Richomme, skipper of Paprec Arkéa, who’ll be starting his first Vendée Globe this Sunday as one of the favourites.

“I know that start and the emotion it carries could be a weak point for me, but i’ve worked on it, I feel like I’m ready, and I hope I’ll manage it really well – but I’m going to be very emotional for sure.

“I’ve lived it, in the last race with Damien Seguin, but it was Covid times so almost no one came to see us.

“We know how many people we can fit on those two jetties out there and it’s quite mad. It’s part of the fun of it. It’s a race where we get like a million people over three weeks coming to watch us, and it’s cool to see that we can attract so much attention around one simple race.”

Letting go of land

Pip Hare is taking part in her second Vendée Globe with Medallia. “I’ve been here over three weeks.

“Around the middle of week one I separated myself from the team a bit. Because the intensity of the build up is stressful and I needed a bit of decompression. For about a week or nine days, I just had a nice time, went running and swimming and cycling – just breathing. Eating, sleeping, relaxing.

“Then in the last week it ramps back up again.

“I’m taking control of the boat a bit more. For the last couple of days the team won’t be on the boat any more, it’ll just be me and Joff [Brown, Technical Director], I’m kind of nesting!

“In the last few days striking the balance between preparing me, and giving back to our sponsors, that’s quite hard to find.

Pip Hare signing autographs for a fan ahead of the 2024 Vendée Globe

“Preparing me is the thing that I have to admit I find hardest. When I’m out on the water I am instantly able to let go of all the land based stresses, but I find it very hard to let go of them now.

“I’m looking at the weather, visualising the sail changes, but the biggest challenge for me is trying to let go of the land before the start, not after the start.

“However, I’m actually really, really looking forward to sharing it with people on Sunday. So many people have come out – it’s actually a bit difficult for me because I can’t physically say hello to all of them.

“Having my friends and family going down the canal, I just want them to celebrate that moment – because we don’t know what happens after that!”

The incredible 40-boat IMOCA fleet will each parade down the canal of Les Sables d’Olonne before the 2024 Vendée Globe start

‘In my mind, I’m already at sea’

“The good thing is we had three weeks of being in the race village which helped me to kind of realise I was about to take the start of the Vendée Globe,” Clarisse Cremer explains, shortly before the start of her second Vendée Globe on L’Occitane en Provence.

“The first week was quite busy. The second week was more of a break for me – almost a small holiday with my family, which was super important to feel like I was saying goodbye to everyone, and have a little bit of time with my daughter and my husband.”

For Clarisse, that time has extra importance as her husband Tanguy Le Turquais, is also taking part in the race.

Clarisse Crémer, skipper of L’Occitane en Provence. Credit: Georgia Schofield/Alex Thomson Racing

“But this week is crazy. The race is closer and the stress level is going higher.”

“It’s true that it’s not very natural to go from being surrounded by so many people to being alone at sea.

“You need a few days to really feel like you are doing the Vendée Globe. I think that is what is happening right now – and the reason I feel in a bit of a parallel world right now is because my mind is already at sea.”