Last Sunday marked the start of one of the toughest races in the world: The Vendee Globe 2024.

Forty sailors, including six women, two English: Samantha Davies and Pip Hare, and two disabled sailors, Damien Seguin and Jingkun Xu, set off for this solo around-the-world, non-assisted race as they will sail for nearly three months on IMOCA 60 boats with foils or daggerboard.

Beyond this extraordinary adventure that you can follow on the Vendee Globe app available on Android or Apple, and discover on their website, it is also an excellent opportunity to practice your sailing skills.

Indeed, alongside the race is a virtual immersive version developed by Virtual Regatta.

Currently, there are 588,212 skippers using this game for fun but also to improve their navigation skills. The game uses exactly the same weather files as the race competitors, updated four times a day, just like in real life at the same moments.

You can learn or improve your routing skills. Similarly, the polars are those of the current IMOCA 60, and the sails wardrobe is also equivalent. This game is both a tool and a very addictive simulator.

If you are interested in doing even better, you can combine the Esail4vr software with Virtual Regatta and work like a pro. The software was developed by professional routers and allows you to further refine your routes and export them to Virtual Regatta. Your routes can be defined by compass angles, by wind angles to maintain your VMG, and by waypoints and the weather grid is 28km by 28km, providing great precision.

Click here to now more about Esail4vr.

For those who want to join me on this great adventure, my boat is called FROGGY.

I recommend paying to have a full pack option, which brings many advantages for your performance. You also need to take Esail4vr; otherwise, you will not be able to work or go to sleep. Weather changes are frequent, and no one wants to see their boat run aground, turn back, or be slower than FROGGY.
It’s not a problem if you start in the coming days because the algorithm will place you in the fleet at the level of the accompanying boat, and in a 3-month race, nothing is decided.

Finally, if we form a group of at least 10 people, I propose organising a weekly evening at the club during the race for fun and to improve everyone’s navigation knowledge: Speed polars, sail polars, weather forecasts, trajectory, among others.

Good wind to everyone! Be careful this game is very addictive!

Philippe Charret,

Head Coach

Contact: training@rmys.com.au