New York Vendée - Les Sables d'Olonne

The Last Shot Before the Everest of the Seas

3,600 miles between the Manhattan skyline and the mythical channel of Les Sables d'Olonne. A single skipper on board. Zero assistance. And for around ten competitors, the absolute obligation to cross the finish line or watch their Vendée Globe dream evaporate. The 2028 edition of the New York Vendée - Les Sables d'Olonne won't be just another transatlantic — it will be a guillotine.

A Race Born to Forge Vendée Globe Favorites

Created in 2016 by IMOCA and Open Sports Management, this solo transatlantic was designed as the final crash test before the round-the-world race. The concept is crystal clear: link New York to Les Sables d'Olonne six months before the big start, on a course demanding enough to reveal the cracks — both human and mechanical.

Jérémie Beyou set the tone in the first edition, completing the course on Maître CoQ in 9 days, 16 hours, 57 minutes, and 49 seconds. A reference time that still stands today. In 2024, Charlie Dalin won on Macif Santé Prévoyance in 10 days and 3 hours, ahead of Boris Herrmann and Beyou himself. No one has yet broken the 9-day barrier.

The pattern repeats: the winner at Les Sables in June becomes the odds-on favorite for the Vendée Globe. Dalin is living proof.

A Treacherous Course: Gulf Stream, Fog, and Exclusion Zones

The start will be given on May 1, 2028, approximately 80 miles offshore from New York — far enough to escape maritime traffic — after the traditional spectacle in the bay. The course covers between 3,100 and 3,600 nautical miles depending on the route chosen.

And that's where the puzzle begins.

North Atlantic Traps in May

• The Gulf Stream generates short, breaking waves whenever the wind opposes the current. A classic trap that can destroy a foil or exhaust a skipper in just a few hours.
• Mid-latitude depressions remain active in spring. Northern route, more direct but exposed to strong winds and the fog of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland? Or southern route, longer but carried by more consistent trade winds? The strategic dilemma lies at the heart of every edition.
• Biodiversity Protection Zones (ZPB) impose strict exclusion corridors to protect marine wildlife. An additional tactical constraint that complicates optimal routing.

In 2024, a depression caused delays and retirements. May remains a transitional weather period where everything can shift in a matter of hours.

Solo, Non-Stop, Without a Net

The format doesn't change: solo race, non-stop and unassisted, aboard IMOCA 60-foot monohulls. Gone are the onboard "mediamen" tested in 2016 — only the skipper goes aboard.

What Changes the Calculation in 2028

• 1.5 coefficient in the IMOCA Globe Series mileage race. It's the season's most lucrative event in points.
• Last qualifying race for the 2028 Vendée Globe. For the non-qualified, not starting here means not starting there.
• If the number of qualified boats exceeds the 40-boat limit, selection will be based on miles sailed. With its 1.5 coefficient, this transatlantic can flip the final standings at the last moment.

A Fleet Where Pressure Isn't the Same for Everyone

Among the 28 expected participants, a strong international presence and notable fleet rejuvenation. Violette Dorange and James Harayda embody this new generation challenging the monuments.

Find the complete calendar and compare entered boats on spencer.club.

Qualification: Nine Skippers on the High Wire

This is the crux of the matter. Thomas Ruyant, Manuel Cousin, Romain Attanasio, Benjamin Dutreux, Conrad Colman, Pip Hare, Sam Goodchild, Szabolcs Weöres, and Jingkun Xu — all find themselves in a situation where taking the start is imperative to validate their qualification path for the 2028 Vendée Globe.

For them, the strategy is clear: cautious start, safe route, classified finish. No playing hero in the Gulf Stream when the stakes are simply crossing the line at Les Sables.

Fragile Foils and UFOs: The Reliability Factor

The 2024 edition served as a brutal reminder. Paul Meilhat and Alan Roura had to abandon or withdraw due to foil or structural damage. Three major retirements linked to structural problems in a single edition.

UFOs — semi-submerged containers, drifting nets, various debris — proliferate in the first 300 miles off the American coast. It's the most dangerous zone of the course, well before the mid-Atlantic depressions.

The best-prepared teams now plan reinforced appendage inspection cycles and continuous electronic watch from the moment they leave New York. Onboard technology (OSCAR-type systems) has become as strategic as weather.

What This Race Will Define

The May 1 result will redraw the hierarchy of world ocean racing. The winner will start with the number one favorite tag for the Vendée Globe. The outsiders will have had their last chance to validate bold technical choices — new deck plans, foil configurations, routing strategies — before the November verdict.

For sponsors, the arrival in the Les Sables channel offers massive media exposure. The ability to produce content at sea — videos, real-time navigation data — has become a performance criterion in its own right.

Follow this race's news on spencer.club.