START DATE, NEW RULES, EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2028 VENDÉE GLOBE 2028
On 12 November 2028, from Les Sables d'Olonne, a new generation of sailors will set out to take on the most extreme challenge: sailing around the world, solo, non-stop and without assistance, on IMOCA 18-metre monohulls. To date, only 100 skippers have succeeded in this exploit, known to the general public as the ‘Everest’ of the seas.
For its 11th edition and 40th anniversary, the Vendée Globe remains true to its unique DNA, but 2028 will mark, as it does every edition, a new stage in the evolution of the race.
TEASER 2028 : THRILLS GUARANTEED Click here for the Vidéo Vendée Arctique 2026 Click here for the Vidéo Vendée Arctique 2026
THE VENDÉE ARCTIQUE, FIRST QUALIFYING RACE
Before returning to the legendary Southern Ocean for the 2028 Vendée Globe, the skippers will set sail for very different, but equally extreme horizons... For the first time in 2026, during the Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne, the first solo race in the cycle leading up to the next Vendée Globe, they will sail to the Arctic Circle, a latitude even further north than Cape Horn is south! The race will start from Les Sables d'Olonne on 7 June 2026, promising an extraordinary challenge.
eading north, crossing the Arctic Circle
After the Vendée Globe 2024, the skippers are setting sail again, this time heading north! Single-handed, non-stop and without assistance, they will be leaving Les Sables d'Olonne to cross the Arctic Circle... at the location of their choice. This is the big change: there is no set route. This open route opens the way to a variety of trajectories and major strategic decisions. Offshore racing is getting reinvented!
The sailors will have to cross complex and unstable weather systems. Lows, short seas, fog, cold... Conditions can be tough and unpredictable in these high latitudes, to which sailors are unaccustomed. For the first time, the Vendée Globe skippers will reach the Arctic Circle!
The Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne is a major sporting challenge. The race is the first major step in the preparation for the next Vendée Globe, in 2028.
The race village, set up on the Vendée Globe esplanade, will be open to the public from 30 May to 7 June. In an atmosphere that is both summery and polar, it will offer entertainment, meetings with the skippers and a behind-the-scenes experience. Immersed in the world of the North Pole, the village will offer an exciting experience and a programme to raise awareness of environmental issues, particularly in the North Pole region. The Arctic is on the front line when it comes to global warming. The village will invite young and old alike to gain a better understanding of the changes underway in this threatened area, while promoting initiatives to protect the oceans.
EXPERIENCE THE START OF THE RACE AT SEA, UP CLOSE WITH THE SKIPPERS!
The ‘Compagnie Vendéenne’ takes you out to sea aboard its speedboats to witness a unique moment: the start of the Vendée Arctique – Les Sables d’Olonne race. Feel the thrill of the open sea, cheer on the passing IMOCAs and enjoy an exceptional view at the heart of the festivities.
Places are limited, so book your experience at sea now! Click here