To meet this challenge, sailors need a lot of support.
Meet all the team assisting the skipper on this round-the-world voyage.
The Vendée Globe may be a solo race, but the adventure is a group effort! To successfully complete their round-the-world project, skippers are far from alone: they are helped by a group of multi-skilled people known as the “Team”. Depending on each person’s skills, a team will contain between 5 and 15 people.
One of the logistician's crucial tasks is to prepare the victualling, i.e. everything to do with food – a factor essential to the skipper's well-being. Once the shopping list is finalised, the logistician organises everything with meticulous care, eliminating packaging, vacuum-packing food and preparing daily packs.
The outfitter is a specialist in the installation, assembly and maintenance of all deck equipment. In this role, they install and fix the various sailing and handling equipment (cleats, winches, pulleys, rudder, pianos, etc.) as well as fitted components (pulpits/pushpits, guardrails, portholes, etc.).
The press officer promotes the skipper and the partners. They are the keystone of the project's communication: explaining and highlighting the project in advance, responding to media enquiries, monitoring what is being said about the team or simply managing unforeseen events.
The physical trainer’s job is not just to strengthen the skipper's muscles. They are there to supervise several things: physical strength, endurance, balance, mental fitness, etc. A Vendée Globe is won with body and mind alike!
The doctor is rather like the skippers' guardian angel, able to treat skippers' day-to-day ailments from a distance, and even various major problems. That's why, before the race, the two of them talk a lot, because the doctor needs to know their patient inside out to provide the proper guidance.
In any project, the engineer may wear several hats: in terms of electronics – making sure connections with the shore are properly planned and reliable – and as regards the operation of the various on-board computers and weather tools. The engineer also finds the best solutions for producing energy from wind- or hydro-generators, solar panels, etc.
Involved in all aspects of the fixed and mobile components of yachts, the rigger can work on spars (mast, boom, etc.) as well as ropes, i.e. everything used to trim and handle sails.
As both administrative and financial manager, the person who can be described as a bursar is in charge of all the finances: the lifeblood of any project, large or small. The bursar keeps a close eye on the budgets allocated to all expenditure, including equipment purchases, human resources and overheads.
Safety involves lifebuoys, fire extinguishers, GPS distress rockets and beacons, survival suits and rafts, and so on. Even if there isn’t an official Mr Safety in the teams, this is a crucial aspect and one of the most regulated. Mr Safety is in fact just about everyone in a team.
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Discover the full story of this remarkable race, nicknamed the Everest of the Seas
