On 10 November 2024, the department of Vendée on the French Atlantic coast will host the 10th Vendée Globe, departing from Les Sables-d'Olonne and returning to the same port around three months later. Three British skippers made it through the qualifying stages to win a place in the race: Pip Hare (Medallia), only the 8th woman in the world to previously complete it; Samantha Davies (Initiatives Coeur), who uses every race to raise funds for children with heart defects; and Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable), taking part in his first Vendée Globe this year.

Pip Hare started sailing competitively late in life with the Mini-Transat in 2011. At the helm of the oldest boat of the fleet, she completed her first Vendée Globe in 2020-21, having met her objectives: to finish, to tell the best story and to withstand all the trials of the race. Follow Pip here.

Samantha Davies was born into a family of sailors and spent her childhood on the water. She has five circumnavigations and numerous transatlantic crossings under her belt, making her one of the most experienced skippers, racing with a new boat built in 2022. Follow Samantha here.

For Sam Goodchild, the word 'Vendée' has resonated strongly in his adventurous mind since his earliest childhood and the stories told by his father. At the start of 2023 he joined the experienced TR Racing team alongside Thomas Ruyant – and now he is preparing to take on his greatest challenge yet. Follow Sam here.

Taking place every four years and nicknamed the 'Everest of the Seas', the Vendée Globe departs from and returns to the port of Les Sables-d'Olonne, one of the best-known seaside resorts on the French Atlantic coast and ranked as one of the 'Most Beautiful Bays in the World'.

A total of 40 skippers will set off alone to circumnavigate the globe as quickly as possible, over a course of around 24,000 miles. The record to beat was set by Frenchman Armel Le Cléac'h in 2017, who crossed the finish line after 74 days at sea.

The Vendée Globe Start Village opens on 19 October at 10am, and remains open until the race departure. Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of activities and admire the racing boats up close before the crowds gather on the day of the start. A dedicated media centre is available on the Vendée Globe website, with accreditation registration and a downloadable press kit.

To date, the Vendée Globe is the toughest round-the-world sailing race, solo, non-stop and without assistance. The event followed in the wake of the Golden Globe Race which had initiated the first circumnavigation of this type in 1968, via the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn). The last Golden Globe Race returned in 2023. The nine editions of the Vendée Globe have so far seen 200 contenders take the start.

Vendée is a year-round tourist destination easily accessible from the UK by air, rail and road. It offers a wide range of experiences from watersports to cycling, island life to inland countryside, sumptuous seafood to world-class wine, and natural wonders like the Marais Poitevin to award-winning historical theme park, Puy du Fou.

We still have press trip opportunities for 2024 ahead of the race start, so please contact us.

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Official websites
In Vendée (Vendée Tourism)
Les Sables-d'Olonne Tourism
Vendée Globe