Yves Auvinet, President of the Vendée Council and SAEM Vendée, accompanied by Bruno Retailleau, President of the Pays de la Loire Region, Patricia Brochard, co-President of the Sodebo company and Lionel Pariset, commissioner in charge of maritime affairs for the town of Les Sables d’Olonne, presented the new features for the eighth Vendée Globe and the line-up of skippers for this 2016-2017 race.
With nine months left to go to the start, 27 skippers are officially registered, one more has signed up at the last minute and three others have pre-registered. No fewer than nine nations may be represented this year (France, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, the United States, New Zealand, Switzerland, Hungary and the Netherlands). This will be a record for the event, confirming once again the global reach of this race.
