1996–1997 Vendée Globe
Sailing competition
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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.
| Event title | |
|---|---|
| Name | 1996–1997 Vendée Globe |
| Edition | 3rd Edition |
| Sponsor | Vendee Region of France |
| Event details | |
| Start location | Les Sables-d'Olonne |
| Finish location | Les Sables-d'Olonne |
| Course | Solo non-stop round-the-world race |
| Start date | 3 November 1996 |
| Finish date | 3 November 1996 |
| Yachts | IMOCA 50 IMOCA 60 |
| Results | |
 Gold |  Christophe Auguin (FRA)Geodis |
 Silver | Marc Thiercelin (FRA) Crédit Immobilier |
 Bronze | Hervé Laurent (FRA) Groupe LG-Traitmat |
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.[citation needed] The rest of the fleet raced to the Southern Ocean, where a second attrition began: Yves Parlier and Isabelle Autissier broke rudders,[citation needed] leaving Christophe Auguin to lead the way into the south.
The race was won by Christophe Auguin.[1] 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.[2] Ten of the sixteen boats that started the race did not finish.[3]
The book Godforsaken Sea by Derek Lundy profiles the 1996–1997 running of the race.[4]
Incidents
Gerry Roufs
The yacht Groupe LG 2[5] 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.[6][7]
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.[8][9] Then, within a few hours of each other, two other boats capsized, with both rescues undertaken by the Royal Australian Navy.[10]
Pete Goss was later awarded the Légion d'honneur for his rescue of Dinelli.[9] The capsize of several boats in this race prompted tightening up of the safety rules for entrants, particularly regarding boat safety and stability.[11]
Results
Table: Order of Finish, 1996–1997 Vendée Globe[12]
| Pos | Sailor | Yacht | Time | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christophe Auguin (FRA) | Geodis | 105d 20h 31' (new record) | |
| 2 | Marc Thiercelin (FRA) | Crédit Immobilier | 113d 08h 26' | |
| 3 | Hervé Laurent (FRA) | Groupe LG-Traitmat | 114d 16h 43' | |
| 4 | Éric Dumont (FRA) | Café Legal-Le Goût | 116d 16h 43' | |
| 5 |  Pete Goss (GBR) | Aqua Quorum | 126d 21h 25' | IMOCA 50[13] |
| 6 | Catherine Chabaud (FRA) | Whirlpool-Europe 2(H) | 140d 04h 38' | |
| Did not finish | ||||
| DNF | Isabelle Autissier (FRA) | PRB (1) | broken rudder | |
| DNF | Yves Parlier (FRA) | Aquitaine Innovations | broken rudder | |
| DNF | Bertrand de Broc (FRA) | Votre Nom autour du Monde - Pommes Rhône Alpes | capsized | |
| DNF | Tony Bullimore (GBR) | Exide Challenger | capsized | |
| DNF | Thierry Dubois (FRA) | Amnesty International | capsized | |
| DNF |  Nándor Fa (HUN) | Budapest | collision | |
| DNF | Didier Munduteguy (FRA) | Club 60è Sud | dismasted | |
| DNF |  Patrick de Radiguès (BEL) | Afibel | beached | |
| DNF |  Gerry Roufs (CAN) | Groupe LG 2 | Boat and skipper lost at sea[6] | |
| Unofficial Starter | ||||
| N/A | Raphaël Dinelli (FRA) | Algimouss | capsized Unofficial Starter | |
Gallery
Competitors
Entries gallery
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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.
| Skipper | Nat. | Prev. participation (Start/Finish) | Name of boat | Sail no. | Naval architect | Builder | Launch date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bertrand de Broc | France | 1 / 0 | Votre Nom autour du Monde - Pommes Rhône Alpes | Philippe Briand | ATA Jeanneau | 1989 | [14] | |
| Catherine Chabaud | France | Never | Whirlpool-Europe 2 | Philippe Harlé Alain Mortain | CDK Technologies | 1991 | [15] | |
| Christophe Auguin | France | Never | Geodis | Finot-Conq | JMV Industries | 1994 | [16] | |
| Didier Munduteguy | France | Never | Club 60 Sud | Philip Morrison | Rowsell & Morrison (GBR) | 1990 | [17] | |
| Éric Dumont | France | Never | Café Legal-Le Goût | Finot-Conq | CDK Technologies | 1992 | [18] | |
| Gerry Roufs | Canada | Never | Groupe LG 2 | Finot-Conq | Mag et JMV | 1995 | [19] | |
| Hervé Laurent | France | Never | Groupe LG-Traitmat | Luc Bouvet Olivier Petit | Chantier Capitaine Flint | 1989 | [20] | |
| Isabelle Autissier | France | Never | PRB (1) | Finot-Conq | Marc Pinta | 1996 | [21] | |
| Marc Thiercelin | France | Never | Crédit Immobilier de France | Finot-Conq | Marc Pinta | 1990 | [22] | |
| Nándor Fa | Hungary | 1 / 1 (5th) | Budapest | Nándor Fa | Fa Hajo Kft | 1996 | [23] | |
| Patrick de Radiguès | Belgium | Never | Afibel | Philippe Harlé Alain Mortain | Garcia | 1989 | [24] | |
| Pete Goss |  United Kingdom | Never | Aqua Quorum | Adrian Thompson | Pete Goss – Plymouth GBR | 1996 | IMOCA 50 [13] | |
| Tony Bullimore | United Kingdom | Never | Exide Challenger | Noble et Smith | Wesley Massam | 1992 | [25] | |
| Thierry Dubois | France | Never | Pour Amnesty International | Joubert-Nivelt | chantier Hervé et Pinta | 1989 | [26] | |
| Yves Parlier | France | 1 / 1 (4th) | Aquitaine Innovations | Finot-Conq | Composite Aquitaine Thierry Eluère | 1996 | [27] | |
| Raphaël Dinelli | France | Never | Algimouss | Marc Lombard | Jeantot Marine | 1998 | [28] |