It's the big day for the Vendée Globe sailors! After four years of waiting, 40 of them will set off this Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 1:02 p.m., off the coast of Les Sables-d'Olonne, for a solo round-the-world trip, non-stop and without assistance.
But before the cannon sounds, there is a whole ceremony which also gives prestige to this legendary race, each skipper hugging his loved ones one last time on the pontoon of honor, before casting off to cross the channel under the encouragement of a trance-filled crowd.
Dalin, first to leave the pontoon
As a symbol, it was Le Havre Charlie Dalin, first to arrive in Sables-d'Olonne during the previous edition (but second in the general ranking), who opened the ball at 8 a.m. this Sunday morning, followed three minutes later by defending champion, Yannick Bestaven. Rouen's Manuel Cousin was to follow at 9:24 a.m.
The live start
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