Vendée Arctique – Les Sables d'Olonne

The polar circle unleashed: Vendée Arctique changes the game

7 June 2026, Les Sables d'Olonne. Twenty-five IMOCAs will set off toward the Far North with an unprecedented directive: cross the Arctic Circle wherever you choose. No more single-file waypoints—this is all-out tactical warfare. This third edition of the Vendée Arctique poses a formidable challenge: choosing your longitude means choosing your weather, your currents, your risks.

And for 25 skippers, what's at stake goes far beyond the finish line.

A race born from urgency

The Vendée Arctique wasn't on the original schedule. It was born in 2020, when the pandemic wiped out two major transatlantics—The Transat CIC and the New York–Vendée—depriving the IMOCA fleet of qualifying miles for the Vendée Globe.

The idea: head north instead of crossing west. Jérémie Beyou on Charal won that first edition in 10 days, 5 hours and 14 minutes, ahead of Charlie Dalin and Thomas Ruyant.

In 2022, the race nearly turned to disaster. An explosive depression threatening the fleet south of Iceland forced race management to neutralize the event. A virtual gate southeast of the island became the finish line. Charlie Dalin on Apivia took the win, ahead of Beyou and Ruyant—the same trio, reshuffled. The episode carved out a lesson: in the North Atlantic, the course must adapt to the elements, not the other way around.

Free longitude: the 2026 revolution

This is the direct response to the lessons of 2022. Skippers will have to cross the Arctic Circle at the longitude of their choice, then head back down to Les Sables d'Olonne. Solo, non-stop, unassisted.

What changes concretely:

• No single route. Each sailor will plot their own trajectory toward 66°33' North. Some will aim for western Greenland, others will hug the Norwegian coast.
• Perpendicular weather. Unlike the Southern Ocean where you surf ahead of west-to-east depressions, the Arctic climb forces you to cross frontal systems. Phenomena shift fast, escape routes are scarce.
• Unavoidable exclusion zones. An ice exclusion zone runs along the Greenland coast—icebergs and growlers require it. Biodiversity protection areas also impose detours.

The course becomes a chess problem to solve in real time, weather files in hand.

Twenty-five solo sailors at the start

The lineup reflects the growing internationalization of the IMOCA class. Alongside the big French names, Japanese, Swiss, American, British, Italian and German flags.

The declared favorites

• Charlie Dalin (Apivia)—2022 winner, circuit dominator, hunting a double
• Jérémie Beyou (Charal)—2020 winner, second in 2022, the in-house specialist
• Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut)—third in both previous editions, the podium sticks to him

The international contingent

• Kojiro Shiraishi (JPN)—DMG MORI Global One
• Alan Roura (SUI)—Hublot
• Conrad Colman (USA/NZL)—Imagine
• Pip Hare (GBR)—Medallia
• Giancarlo Pedote (ITA)—Prysmian Group
• Isabelle Joschke (GER/FRA)—MACSF

The stakes behind the stakes: Vendée Globe 2028

The Vendée Arctique isn't just a prestige race. With a coefficient of 4 in the IMOCA Globe Series championship, it carries serious weight in the world rankings. But above all, finishing validates a major qualifying criterion for the next Vendée Globe 2028—proof that the skipper-boat pairing holds up in hostile conditions.

Double stakes, then: score points for the title, and prove your reliability for the round-the-world. In this context, some skippers will have to choose between attack and preserving their equipment—a dilemma that the freedom of longitude makes even more brutal.

Formula 1s built for the cold

The IMOCAs entered are the same 18.28-meter monohulls as those in the Vendée Globe. The most recent, equipped with latest-generation foils, hit bursts of 75 km/h (40 knots) downwind. But the Arctic demands specific adaptations.

The North Atlantic doesn't resemble the Southern Ocean. The swell is crossed, punchy. Teams prepare their boats accordingly:

• Thermal insulation of cockpits and heating systems to protect the skipper
• OSCAR detection—thermal cameras coupled with artificial intelligence to spot ice and floating objects
• Enhanced maneuverability—ability to slow down or tack quickly in the face of unpredictable weather systems

A foiler charging at 35 knots in Arctic fog is a different story than a run through the trades.

A test of maturity

Three editions, three different faces. 2020 was brilliant improvisation. 2022, brutal confrontation with the elements. 2026 will be about tactical freedom—and the responsibility it implies.

By letting each sailor plot their own route to the polar circle, the organizers transform the race into a strategic laboratory. Gaps could open in the first hours, depending on longitude choices. And the regroupings on the return to Les Sables promise tight finishes.

Find the full calendar and boat specs for the IMOCAs entered at spencer.club.