Busy Day at the Vendée Globe Finish Line

Charlie Dalin was the first Vendée Globe skipper to cross the finish line 25 days ago, yet Les Sables-d’Olonne has remained a busy place as the rest of the fleet makes its way back to France. Yesterday, Sunday, February 9, four more boats crossed the line, with one of the most celebrated finishers being 23-year-old Violette Dorange, who became the youngest sailor to complete this epic 10th edition of the event.

Violette finished in 25th place out of 40 original entrants. She was just one hour behind 24th-place Kojiro Shiraishi, showing how closely contested the race has been across 26,000 miles! Violette has been making a statement in the sailing world for years as a member of the French dinghy sailing team. She’s also sailed across the English Channel and Strait of Gibraltar on an Optimist, done a solo Atlantic crossing on a Mini 6.50, and participated in three Solitaires du Figaro. She has now completed the “Everest of sailing” at just 23 years old.

The next two finishers were right behind Kojiro Shiraishi and Violette Dorange. Close to an hour and a half later, Louis Duc in 26th place and Sébastien Marsset in 27th finished just 27 minutes apart! Closer than the first and last finishers in the recent 10-hour-long Three Bridge Fiasco.

Six boats are still racing, with the last boat expected to finish by March 1. Seven out of the 40 starters have dropped out due to technical issues.

The Vendée Globe remains one of the most grueling and intense circumnavigation events on the planet. It is still dominated by the French, who have now won all 10 editions. Charlie Dalin took 9 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes and 57 seconds off the previous record (74 days and 3 hours) set by by Armel Le Cléac’h in 2016. This suggests there’s still more to be squeezed out of Dalin’s 64-day, 19-hour pace around the planet on an IMOCA 60.

The next Vendée Globe will start in 2028. You can follow the remaining finishers here.