100 days to go

For Guirec Soudée, currently on vacation in North Brittany with his family, the predominant feeling is undoubtedly impatience. Don't try to tell him that the Vendée Globe is coming up tomorrow, he doesn't agree at all: “I'm looking forward to the start! All I want to do is to cross that line. If I could do a Vendée Globe every year, that would suit me fine,” laughs the young rookie. However, he moderates: “We still need this preparation time and it's still quite new to me, these boats are quite complex to operate." 

Sébastien Marsset explains that his Vendée Globe project began in 2019 and is “a long-term project”. Today, with 100 days to go before the start of the Vendée Globe, he feels satisfied and proud: “We're a small team, but we're not ashamed of what we're doing, whether on the sporting side for our partners, on the social side with Handicap Agir Ensemble or on the environmental side. I'm very proud of where we are today. He adds: “100 days is both far and very close! It's not immediate, but you feel that time is getting shorter. Before a race, you're a bit like standing on the edge of a funnel, knowing that everything is going to accelerate as the start approaches. The acceleration should really start after the vacations!"  While he takes advantage of the summer to recharge his batteries with his family, the sportsman is also preparing for the “Marathon Pour Tous”, a race organized alongside the Olympic Games in Paris on August 10.

Arnaud Boissières, who is about to compete in his 5th Vendée Globe, explains that he feels privileged as the event approaches. Privileged to be taking the start again, to have a great boat, a great project and to be well surrounded. There's also a certain amount of pressure, as the skipper based in Les Sables d'Olonne emphasizes that he “wants to do it well” in this new challenge. Of course, he takes vacations, as “it's important to spend time with the family”, but he admits he's been thinking about the Vendée Globe at every moment since the previous round-the-world race was due to finish in 2021! But today he's more focused on the little “extras”, such as thinking about the Christmas presents he'll have to make in advance, so that his loved ones can open them on the big day!

Ulysse Nardin, Official Timekeeper of the Vendée Globe

On a solo round-the-world race, the notion of time can become abstract, although it remains marked by “earthly” considerations such as the end-of-year festivities. With 100 days to go to the start, the countdown continues with Ulysse Nardin, Official Timekeeper of the Vendée Globe. From the valley of Le Locle, where the Manufacture is anchored today, Ulysse Nardin combines its passion for marine exploration and watchmaking excellence, and owes its renown to its on-board chronometers, which are among the most award-winning and reliable ever designed.