The 1996–1997 Vendée Globe was a non-stop round-the-world yacht race for IMOCA 50- and IMOCA 60-class yachts crewed by only one person. It was the third edition of the race, starting on 3 November 1996 from Les Sables-d'Olonne. The overall winner was Christophe Auguin who crossed the finish line on 17 February 1997 after a total time of 105 days, 20 hours and 31 minutes.
Summary Another heavy-weather start in the Bay of Biscay knocked Nándor Fa and Didier Munduteguy out of the race early, and several others returned to the start for repairs before continuing. The rest of the fleet raced to the Southern Ocean, where a second attrition began: Yves Parlier and Isabelle Autissier broke rudders, leaving Christophe Auguin to lead the way into the south.
The race was won by Christophe Auguin. Catherine Chabaud, in sixth place, was the last to cross the finish line and the first woman to complete a solo navigation of the globe without stopping. Ten of the sixteen boats that started the race did not finish.
The book Godforsaken Sea by Derek Lundy profiles the 1996–1997 running of the race.
Incidents Gerry Roufs The yacht Groupe LG 2 and its Canadian sailor Gerry Roufs were lost in the Southern Ocean; his body was never found, but his boat was found five months later off the Chilean Coast.
Retirement causes Heavy weather took a serious toll on the sailors in the far Southern Ocean.
Unofficial competitor Raphaël Dinelli's boat capsized, and he was rescued by Pete Goss. Then, within a few hours of each other, two other boats capsized, with both rescues undertaken by the Royal Australian Navy.
Pete Goss was later awarded the Légion d'honneur for his rescue of Dinelli. The capsize of several boats in this race prompted tightening up of the safety rules for entrants, particularly regarding boat safety and stability.
Results
Table: Order of Finish, 1996–1997 Vendée Globe PosSailorYachtTimeRef.1 Geodis105d 20h 31' (new record)2 Crédit Immobilier113d 08h 26'3 Groupe LG-Traitmat114d 16h 43'4 Café Legal-Le Goût116d 16h 43'5 Aqua Quorum126d 21h 25' IMOCA 506 Whirlpool-Europe 2(H)140d 04h 38'Did not finishDNF PRB (1)broken rudderDNF Aquitaine Innovationsbroken rudderDNF Votre Nom autour du Monde- Pommes Rhône AlpescapsizedDNF Exide ChallengercapsizedDNF Amnesty InternationalcapsizedDNF BudapestcollisionDNF Club 60è SuddismastedDNF AfibelbeachedDNF Groupe LG 2Boat and skipper lost at seaUnofficial StarterN/A AlgimousscapsizedUnofficial Starter
Gallery
Competitors Entries gallery
Entries boats Fifteen skippers started the race a qualification passage was required to validate the registration of each boat, this course could have been carried out as part of another sailing race.
+List of participants and equipment used Skipper Nat. Prev. participation(Start/Finish) Name of boat Sail no. Naval architect Builder Launch date Ref. Bertrand de Broc 1 / 0 Votre Nom autour du Monde- Pommes Rhône Alpes Philippe Briand ATA Jeanneau 1989 Catherine Chabaud Never Whirlpool-Europe 2 Philippe HarléAlain Mortain CDK Technologies 1991 Christophe Auguin Never Geodis Finot-Conq JMV Industries 1994 Didier Munduteguy Never Club 60 Sud Philip Morrison Rowsell & Morrison (GBR) 1990 Éric Dumont Never Café Legal-Le Goût Finot-Conq CDK Technologies 1992 Gerry Roufs Never Groupe LG 2 Finot-Conq Mag et JMV 1995 Hervé Laurent Never Groupe LG-Traitmat Luc BouvetOlivier Petit Chantier Capitaine Flint 1989 Isabelle Autissier Never PRB (1) Finot-Conq Marc Pinta 1996 Marc Thiercelin Never Crédit Immobilier de France Finot-Conq Marc Pinta 1990 Nándor Fa 1 / 1 (5th) Budapest Nándor Fa Fa Hajo Kft 1996 Patrick de Radiguès Never Afibel Philippe HarléAlain Mortain Garcia 1989 Pete Goss Never Aqua Quorum Adrian Thompson Pete Goss – Plymouth GBR 1996 IMOCA 50 Tony Bullimore Never Exide Challenger Noble et Smith Wesley Massam 1992 Thierry Dubois Never Pour Amnesty International Joubert-Nivelt chantier Hervé et Pinta 1989 Yves Parlier 1 / 1 (4th) Aquitaine Innovations Finot-Conq Composite AquitaineThierry Eluère 1996 Raphaël Dinelli Never Algimouss Marc Lombard Jeantot Marine 1998
References
External links
Official You Tube Channel