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8:15 PM Sat 8 Nov 2008 GMT
For the Vend?e Globe veterans start day will be a heady cocktail of d?j? vu rushing into an immediate test of seamanship and brinksmanship. For the rookies - the first timers - a real baptism by fire awaits.
Those old hands, the likes of Wavre, Golding, Desjoyeaux, Peyron, may be better equipped mentally to deal with the inevitable flood of dockside emotions and will relish the warmth and strength of the completely unique send off from the hundreds of thousands of Sunday morning pilgrims who will line the port, the narrow channel to the sea and the beaches of Les Sables d'Olonne.
The first timers may be briefed to capacity with weather information and know that they have a rough night and first day to get through, but coming through both the mental maelstrom and the serious weather with everything intact are almost equally important through the first 24-36 hours of the race.
The forecasters promise little time for the 30 skippers to find their feet, but those who can maximise the gains through the first night have the best chance of making an early break as they cross the 300 miles or so from the Les Sables d'Olonne to Cape Finisterre before they slide south in lighter winds paralleling the coast of Portugal.
Conditions will be typical of an angry Bay of Biscay in November. The SW'ly wind, moderate at the start will gradually strengthen to 25 or 30 knots during the night, then 30 to 35 knots with gusts reaching 40-45 knots. However, more than the wind itself, it is the sea state that is going to immediately test skippers and their boats. The NW'ly swell mixed with a SW'ly wind will combine to create rough to heavy seas with waves reaching 5 to 6 metres (16 to 18 feet).
Then the wind will gradually veer through West into the NW'ly, perhaps favouring those who are out in front, continuing to veer into the north.
The weather picture is well known for this time of year and skippers are aware that the pattern can allow an early jump, separating the experienced from the less experienced, the well prepared from the programmes that struggled for time.
This first test is a real one, the need to stay with the vanguard to avoid missing the next weather system.
The biggest ever round the world race brings its own challenges to the organisers too. Getting the large fleet off the docks and into the channel in short order is a carefully planned operation which will begin at 0915h (local/0815GMT) when Dee Caffari's yellow-hulled AVIVA will lead off the fleet, who then leave their berths at four minute intervals. Three more British boats follow, BT, Hugo Boss and Ecover 3, with the 30th boat - Roland Jourdain's Veolia Environnement - due to slip her lines at 1111hrs.
After the gun sounds at 1302hrs (local/1202hrs GMT) the skippers will head off on port tack, unanimously agreed as the most direct route, so avoiding the need to make difficult early tacks when the fleet is so compact.
For both British skippers Alex Thomson and Steve White, it has been a battle to make the start line. Thomson's Hugo Boss shore team made their final hurdle by flying in a specialist electrician by private jet to complete their final checks, after making a last minute change to their electrical power system with the new parts driven overnight from the UK.
It was electrical problems that Steve White was dealing with as he struggled to get Toe in the Water ready. Skipper White admitted that he would be working late into his final night and had been forced to dig into his family domestic budget to complete his preparations. White is taking food for 100 days at sea with staple rations of porridge and golden syrup.
'I will be there. I have one issue with my wind generator to deal with and after that it is small things. But another week would have been better. The last weeks have been a constant mix from elation to frustration and back again. 45 knots does not bother me too much, it is a case of putting small sails up and riding through it. It will be unpleasant but I'll get on with it' promised White.
Artemis skipper Jonny Malbon, heading for his first solo round the world race: 'It's going to be horrendous you know, 45 knots gusting 50 at times, and then hopefully becoming a lot nicer so if we can get through that then life will be good!'
Hugo Boss' Alex Thomson, who has completed two circumnavigations but has only spent a maximum of 21 days solo at sea said: 'It's all about the start now - it's so daunting. The prospect of spending 100 days at sea alone is a very daunting one. Going up that canal is an experience and a half, and part of me loves it and part of me absolutely hates it. Luckily I did it last time so I know what to expect, but no matter what anyone says, when you go up that canal in some ways it's pretty horrific and in some ways it's one of the best experiences of your life. I'm certainly not looking forward to it [the weather]. Mike and I have both been through that with the Velux 5 Oceans and it's horrendous. We could see gusts of up to 50 knots which isn't very pleasant, but on the other hand if something breaks it's better it breaks on the first night than deep in the Southern Oceans.'
AVIVA's Dee Caffari: 'I thought I'd have lost the plot by now! But we've just got to get out there and do it. We know the forecast for the first 24 hours is horrendous, the Bay of Biscay is just not where you need 45-50 knots. We almost just need to nurse ourselves through that first day and then we can get going again in much better conditions. It is a really difficult time because the start's quite stressful anyway. It's quite an emotional drain saying goodbyes and then we've got to go through that heavy weather and really difficult sea conditions which is possible boat breakage time. You've just got to nurse your boat out there, then as soon as we get the front through we can point south it'll be okay, then we can start again at this game!
'The plan is to nurse the boat through the first 24-48 hours and then get into my rhythm. It's going to be a bit of a baptism of fire, and it will take a while to adapt, but then I'm sure I'll settle into a rhythm and get my head around the race.'
www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news
by Vend?e Globe media
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