Vendée Globe Yacht Race Sets Off From France

The 2012-2013 Vendée Globe, the solo non-stop round-the-world yacht race, kicked off on Saturday with 20 competitors taking part in the 24,000 mile odyssey.

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SHOTLIST LES SABLES D'OLONNE, FRANCE, NOVEMBER 10, 2012, SOURCE: AFPTV SOUNDBITE 1 Samantha Davies (woman) British skipper, sole female competitor (English, 11 sec): "The weather looks good. And I think we're going to have a nice crossing across the Bay of Biscay. A bit bumpy off the start for everyone who's out there but once we're out there, it's going to be fun." SOUNDBITE 2 Samantha Davies (woman) British skipper, sole female competitor (English, 10 sec): "The boat knows the route really well and she's seen it all before so I think she's going to take care of me and I'm going to try my best to take care of her too. And I hope they're going to be proud of us." SOUNDBITE 3, Mike Golding (man) British skipper, 52 years old (English, 3 sec): "Fantastic. What an atmosphere here. Just wonderful." SOUNDBITE 4, Mike Golding (man) British skipper, 52 years old (English, 16 sec): "There's a big sense of excitement, anticipation for what is to come. But right now, we're thinking about the start. But it's hard to not ignore the fantastic who are supporting the event. It's just amazing." Images showing: - various of competitors making final preparation, saying goodbye to friends and family juste before the start ++ LES SABLES D'OLONNE, FRANCE, NOVEMBER 10, 2012, SOURCE: Vendée Globe/Nefertiti Production/ASO NO RESALE FOR NON-EDITORIAL PURPOSES Images showing: - various of the boats sailing away from Les Sables d'Olonne - aerials of the boats /// _______________________ AFP text story: Yachting-VendeeGlobe-start,lead Yachting: Vendee Globe sets off from France =(PICTURE+VIDEO)= LES SABLES D'OLONNE, France, Nov 10, 2012 (AFP) - The start was sounded on the 2012-2013 Vendee Globe, the solo non-stop round-the-world race, here on Saturday. Competitors taking part in the 24,000 mile (44,450km) odyssey were sent off with tens of thousands of spectators watching from the port. One of the 20 skippers, Frenchman Bertrand de Broc, missed the start as he had to return to base to carry out repairs on his boat after damaging it enroute to the start line. De Broc, 52, etched his name in Vendee folklore when in the 1992/93 edition he carried out an operation himself on his injured tongue, without anaesthetic, following instructions sent by fax to his boat from the race doctor. Another boat, Energa skippered by Polish yachtsman Zbigniew Gutkowski, returned to base after the start for reasons unknown. Eleven of the boats are from France, which has supplied every one of the six winners since the first Vendee in 1990. Among those trying to break France's Vendee monopoly are three British competitors - Samantha Davies, fourth last time, Mike Golding, who took third in 2005, and Alex Thomson, who has failed to finish in his previous two attempts at scaling the race known as the Everest of the Seas. The last edition in 2008-2009 was won by Michel Desjoyeaux in a record 84 days, three hours and nine minutes. Among the 2012-2013 line-up is Vincent Riou, seeking to repeat his success in 2005. France's Marc Guillemot, at the helm of Safran, led the field on their journey, followed by his compatriot Louis Burton and Bernard Stamm of Switzerland. Golding, a former firefighter tackling his fourth Vendee, this week described the event as "a strange and special beast". The three-time world champion, forced to retire in the last Vendee, added: "There are so many things to overcome but always there is the element of luck that you need in your favour." heg/nr/pi12