France - New Zealand - France
around the three capes
From a sports point of view and financially, the SolOceans is an intermediary race situated between the entry-level single-handed transatlantic races and the Vendée Globe, regarded as the ultimate in ocean racing. The SolOceans will run every two years in the traditional West to East direction around the three legendary Capes: Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn, with about a month stopover in New Zealand. Single-handed sailors on their Veolia Oceans® monohulls will face a 26,000 nautical mile voyage (48,000km) in two legs through the most treacherous seas of the planet.
The first leg of the SolOceans goes from France to New Zealand via the Cape of Good Hope, at the South of Africa, and around Cape Leeuwin, at the extreme southwest tip of Australia. Sailing to the far south of these capes will lead the sailors through the roaring forties and furious fifties of the Indian Ocean. The postcard-like landscape of the northern part of this ocean turns into a hell on earth on the way down to New Zealand. The single-handed sailors and their 16-meter Veolia Oceans® monohulls should cover the 14,000 nautical miles (26,000km) in about 52 days.
The second leg of the SolOceans goes from New Zealand to France. Competitors will come up against extremely strong winds in this part of the planet where few yachtsmen venture. They will have to traverse areas with drifting icebergs and head south into the Pacific Ocean towards Cape Horn, the extreme southern tip of the American continent. They will then head back north through the Southern and Northern Atlantic towards France. It should take them about 54 days to cover these 12,000 nautical miles (22,000km). Although shorter than the first leg by almost 2,000 nautical miles (3,700km), this second leg is also the most difficult of the two because of strong adverse winds.
In the two most southern parts of the race, on each side of New Zealand, sailors will have to go through way points in order to avoid the well-known iceberg-drifting areas, and remain within reach of aerial rescue in case of serious damage.
Single-handed sailors will twice have to face stormy and tricky areas around the doldrums near the Equator, firstly on the way to New Zealand during the first leg, then on the way back between France and New Zealand.
With its two 50 day-long legs, the SolOceans fits between the single-handed transatlantic races onboard the Mini Transat 6.50 (also known as Transat 650, a solo transatlantic yacht race onboard 6.50m one-off boats) or the 10.10m Bénéteau Figaro boats (a well-known French single-handed offshore series) both around 20 to 30 days long, and the 80 to 90 days long Vendée Globe - the quadrennial single-handed race non-stop around the globe without assistance onboard 18.20m long one-off monohulls.
The SolOceans will be held every two years which effectively means one race per year: first leg France - New Zealand during the last quarter of 2009, followed by the second leg New Zealand - France at the beginning of the following year in 2010. The second edition will depart from France in 2011 and leave New Zealand early 2012… and so on.
