The Vendée Globe at schools in France: “Such a wealth of learning options and opportunities.”

Take a typical school in the Val d’Oise north of Paris where 130 students raced their virtual Vendée Globe whilst at the same time learning hundreds of new lessons, just like the real skippers do. And, according to staff at the school the youngsters are now even more receptive to learning and are already missing the race/

It is the same at the Alphonse Daudet school in Montigny-le-Bretonneux to the south west of Paria. For the past three months, every Monday morning, the pupils catch up after the weekend but also with their faithful virtual IMOCA  “The Unbeatable of the Seas”.

There is always some debrief about the efficiency and choices of those who have been ‘on watch’ over the weekend, "I won't name names but there have been a few who have steered badly, and I must say that they were told off a bit on Monday morning. But then it is a crew problem, at least the Vendée Globe solo sailors don't have that problem!" smiles Virginie Rigaud, director of this school.

There 20 youngsters share the Vendée Globe adventure via the Virtual Regatta game competing against something like 175,000 children around the world, all on their own or shared circumnavigation. Overall it is a really immersive experience that has turned into an excellent cross-disciplinary learning project, thanks to the educational tools of the Vendée Globe Junior, a program developed by the Vendée Department. "We didn't hesitate to set out on this adventure," explains the teacher. “We had already tried it four years ago, and we knew how much of a treat it would be in terms of the depth and breadth of learning!"

"It would have been much more abstract without this project",

Virginie Rigaud organized her class into groups with different responsibilities, to make the most of the different educational topics and tools. Each week, a group of four students was responsible for racing the boat, and they had to work collaboratively to master the computer app.

"What's really great is that it's a project that really relies on team work and cooperation, they have to express their choices and reach consensus. They are in on it all the time, they are the ones who are masters of their boat", explains Virginie Rigaud.

And when they are not on the virtual boat, many other things need learning and doing. It is a real team effort, where everyone had their role. There are so many elements to be learned for those who are not familiar with the sea, and even less with ocean racing!

There are the terms related to the boat itself, there is the elements of geography, starting with how to find your way on a chart, to learn and locate the oceans, capes and strategic islands of the course.

"We work with GPS coordinates to position our boat in real time. They had to understand the notions of longitude and latitude, which would have been much more abstract without this project", enthuses the school director. Science and technology are part of the learning the students discovered the design of IMOCA boats, marine meteorology and the countless innovations that allow skippers to survive in extreme conditions. In Montigny-le-Bretonneux they are now experts on carbon fiber, the different sails carried by Vendée Globe solo sailors, and the best way to solve rudder problems!

But the students also had to use their imagination and, like any self-respecting skipper, share their adventure in writing... Special mention for the essay topic "How would you spend New Year's Eve alone on your boat?", which, for many, reminded us that the life of a skipper is not always fun.

"There are many other issues and values ​​than just competition"

"We live in a society where everything is about immediate gratification and so it's great to have such a long race, where we take the time to do things, and where above all there are many other issues and values ​​than just competition", recalls Virginie Rigaud, who points out for example "that we wouldn't have as much educational interest in following a football World Cup, where only the result counts".