My ultimate ambition: the Vendée Globe
Francesca’s long-held ambition is to race in the Vendée Globe, solo, non-stop, around the planet.
The iconic race, held every four years since 1989, is dubbed the ‘Everest of sailing’ and attracts over 40 competitors to the start line.
Three Great Capes
The race begins in Les Sables d'Olonne, on the west coast of France. It follows an easterly route around the planet, passing the three great capes - Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn. Frenchman Armel Le Cleac'h set the current circumnavigation record in 74 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes, and 46 seconds.
Every four years, millions of fans swarm the town, eager to catch a glimpse of their nautical heroes and walk the docks to view the boats. The boats can be followed 24/7 on the race tracker, and there is also a virtual reality race where fans can race against the fleet … from the comfort of their own home!
The IMOCA boat
Each sailor races a 60-foot monohull, called an IMOCA. Designed under the ‘box rule’, the boat’s hull must be 18.28 meters long (60 feet) with 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) of draft. These are the most powerful monohulls raced solo today, with a combined sail area of 1,370m2, and able to reach up to 30 knots (35mph/56kmph). The IMOCA rule states that certain boat parts must be the same on all boats - the mast, sails, keel jack, boom, J2 staysail, and runners. The sailors and their design team have control over the rest; this includes the design of the foils, which lift the hull off the water and reduce drag.
11th Hour Racing Team IMOCA, winner of The Ocean Race 2022-23
Life onboard
Life onboard an IMOCA can be pretty tough. Sailors consume 5,000 calories a day, eating rehydrated ‘astronaut’ food. They have to use an onboard watermaker to make clean, sanitary water, and they have no toilet or shower - two buckets and one sponge is all they use! As they race around the world they will experience temperatures as high as 113°F (45°C) and as low as 5°F (-15°C) - and it can even snow onboard when in the deep Southern Ocean. Every sailor in the fleet receives the same weather information - no outside assistance is allowed - and they communicate with their family and shore team through satellite phone, email, and even WhatsApp.
Snatching the opportunity to grab a bite to eat
Onboard science
Many teams now carry scientific equipment to take samples to assess the health of the ocean while they are racing. In The Ocean Race 2022-23, 11th Hour Racing Team gathered water samples to test for CO2 levels, trace elements, and salinity, and measured sea surface temperatures. This data was sent off the boat in real-time back to scientists in Europe to study the impact of climate change on the ocean. In addition, while the team was racing through some of the most remote locations on Earth, they deployed drifter buoys, which sent back data by satellite on currents and temperatures and are used by scientists and meteorologists worldwide.
Gathering scientific data is a regular part of offshore sailing today