"Here, the Vendée Globe is not an event, it's a religion"

It was a classic business meeting, like the ones he has every month or so, with a potential customer - ‘I really wanted to convince them to work with us’. So Vincent, a 43-year-old construction and civil engineering sales representative, made the trip to Frankfurt. It was early December, and the first discussions were as cold as the weather. Until the company director asked him where he lived. "I said a village near Les Sables d'Olonne, in the south of Brittany, because foreigners generally know that better than the Vendée. He replied: "Ah, but incredible, I'm a big fan of Boris Herrmann! And we started talking about the Vendée Globe for thirty minutes, it was crazy.

Vincent left that day with a signed contract, then several emails a week to talk about the race, and one certainty: ‘the Vendée Globe is no longer just a sporting event, it has become a kind of magical asset for our region, which opens a lot of doors’.
 

"Offering a bit of our Vendéen good humour!"

This tenth edition of the race demonstrated the power of the public gathering, but also the know-how of the Vendée in terms of event organisation. A year-round volunteer in Les Sables d'Olonne and requisitioned for the Vendée Globe village for the fourth successive edition, Colette, 74, wouldn't have missed the event for anything. Having become the "star" of Tiktok with her friend Gisèle and her dealings in Panini cards, the native of Port Olonna, who used to work for the General Council, says she is ‘impressed but not surprised’ by the race's growing popularity. "It attracts people, it's like a magnet, it's so great! And what always surprises me is the patience of the people, who sometimes queue for two hours to get to the pontoon, even though they've come from far, far away. But there's such a feeling of joy everywhere, it must be contagious", says the pensioner.

Is that part of the secret to the success? "The good atmosphere is definitely the main ingredient. As volunteers, we have a lot of fun, we laugh a lot, and we're proud to offer a bit of our good humour from the Vendée, which is no legend!“ enthuses the 70-year-old, who promises to be there in four years” time "if my health allows it. But I'm like the sailors, I've recovered well since they arrived!

"It created jealousy"

During the three months of the race, the Département lived “like them”, to the very special rhythm of this round the world race. In bars, schools, retirement homes and supermarkets, the names of Clarisse Crémer, Yoann Richomme and Samantha Davies became so familiar that ‘they were part of everyday life’, says Marie Bernard, a shop owner in La Roche-sur-Yon. She has noticed ‘more frequentation’ in her clothing shop, but above all has the impression that ‘the months went by more quickly, because we always had things to talk about with customers, neighbours and friends’.

And with the kids! Her two daughters, in CE1 and 6ème respectively, followed the race closely . 'It made some of their cousins jealous, as they're in the Paris region and they were envious of being able to go to the finish of Violette (Dorange, editor's note). For once, I'm so happy that they're the ones who can show off because something incredible is happening close to home", says the mum of the family.

The local hero 

‘It's good for the image of our region’, explains Dimitri, 23, a student on a work-study course in marketing. Going to the finish of Sébastien Simon was ‘a real moment of Vendée pride’.

For the people of Vendée, this great third place for the local sailor, the first local to reach the podium in a Vendée Globe, was the highlight of this tenth edition of the non-stop round the world race without assistance. 'Frankly, it was as crazy as a football World Cup final, there was an incredible atmosphere even though it was dark and we were freezing,“ says Dimitri, 'we laughed a lot and lost our voices” in the now famous “Sébastien Simon corner”. He is more of a ‘land boy, who has never set foot on a boat’, but that day he understood why ‘the Vendée Globe here is not just an event, it's a religion’.

'“Here, the sea isn't just a picture-postcard backdrop,”' added Françoise, a former teacher who also followed the Vendée Globe every day. "The sea picks up people and also brings some of them back. When a skipper heads up the channel, we all get wet eyes, even the quiet ones. And above all, I think that here, we like people who are a bit crazy, who are able to work hard to make their dream come true.