At 13:02 on Sunday November 10th, 40 skippers crossed the start line of the 10th Edition of the iconic Vendée Globe race.
Fantastic Support
It was an emotional moment for Ollie, as he said his final farewells to family, friends and supporters and stepped on board his yacht ‘Tut gut’.
Over three years of hard work and dedication have led to this moment. Throughout this time, the focus has been on getting to the start line. It is incredible, and naturally overwhelming, to experience the arrival of that long-awaited moment.
Wearing his signature orange Henri Lloyd waterproof trousers, at just after 9am Ollie paraded through the race village, and into the media zone for the final pre-departure interviews. Shortly after, accompanied by his dog Tao, he walked down the ramp, passing the Vendee Globe trophy for the final farewells on the pontoon. At 9:48 he climbed onto his boat, slipped the lines and left the dock.
The exit from the race village and out into the Atlantic is an iconic part of this race. The channel is lined with hundreds of thousands of supporters, all cheering, blowing trumpets, waving flags, dancing and sending their well wishes to each of the skippers, as they embark on this long and potentially dangerous challenge.
The skippers stand proudly on the bow, savouring the moment and absorbing the emotion. They know that even though they are physically alone for the next 90 or so days, they have many many supporters who will be avidly following their progress.
Ollie was visibly moved as he waved back at the crowds, which included a large number of Swiss supporters. He commented
“What a fantastic day here in Les Sables d’Olonne. Leaving the channel surrounded by hundreds of thousands of thousands of French people – well, it’s a moment I’ll never forget in my life. It was really emotional.”
Returning the Mexican wave of his Swiss supporters he laughed and whispered
“Fantastic, fantastic! Now that’s what I call support!”
Shortly after exiting the channel the technical team helped Ollie hoist his main sail, then hopped onto the support RIB, leaving Ollie completely alone for the race start.
A calm START after an emotional departure
For once, the weather was benign, with a gentle breeze of just 5-10 knots. Ollie is an exceptionally talented sailor in light winds, and he chose this position on the start line well – keeping clear of the clusters of boats jostling for position at the southern end, staying in clean air.
His approach paid off, and within half an hour he had taken the lead in the Vendée Globe 2024!
He comments “ I had a great start in very light winds. I got away nicely and now I am settling in to sail my boat around the world. All in all, I’m very happy and starting the Vendée Globe 2024 in a good mood!”
The first afternoon was slow and the ranking positions changed with every wind shift. Overnight the 40 boats were all clustered together closely, with each skipper pouring over the weather data to determine the best time to gybe.
It was also impossible to sleep, with so many manoeuvres to make and the boats all zig-zagging across each other. The skippers were in radio contact, confirming who was heading where and the first night passed without incident.
Heading into Day 2, Ollie was tired but buoyant. He was settling into his rhythm, coming to terms with his new home for the next 90 days.
Cap Finisterre - The first real test
There are strong winds forecast for Monday 11th November evening and overnight, as Ollie approaches the point of Finisterre. This will be the first real test for all of the boats.
Ollie spent Monday afternoon preparing himself; moving his stack-bags into the optimum position and taking advantage of the daylight to change to a smaller sail to reduce his sail area.
As the race commentators said, "You could easily lose the Vendee Globe is this squall, but you are unlikely to win it", indicating the wisdom of a conservative approach in these early days.
With the sails set, Ollie was looking forward to tucking into a big pouch of Spaghetti Bolognese. At 800 kcal, this should keep him fuelled up and energised throughout the rough night. And for pudding, Haribo of course!
Watch a replay of the start on YouTube, or follow Ollie on the Race Tracker which updates with the latest positions every 4 hours.
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