A scientific mission to the next Vendée Globe.

The boat of scientific observation is a racing yacht that is comparable to those of the Vendée Globe. 
 
Sailors will follow the prestigious round the world and make samples of air and water in the Deep South.


The project is noise in the world of racing. Reportedly, a scientific mission will be organized at the time of the next Vendée Globe round the world race which will start the Sables d'Olonne 10 November 2012. The project should be formalized soon.
Three boats will mingle with the pack of runners on board any scientific equipment to sample air and water. The objective of this mission called "ocean-science program" is to enjoy a race around the world to go to the Deep South, where competitors spend the Vendée Globe but where few scientists venture. The atmospheric data will be used at Météo-France, high demand for data on these remote areas to enrich its files and weather models. Water data - content of water in carbon dioxide and phytoplankton in particular - will be aimed at Ifremer, the German Institute Geomar as well as NASA. The aim is also to send the runners along ice zone to better understand the changing composition of the water at the approach of icebergs and determine the change in salinity.
This project is a first ever since a scientific expedition had collected both aquatic and atmospheric data in the Deep South. It was initiated by Yvan Griboval, a former professional cyclist and journalist whose dream is to make the racing useful knowledge of the planet and its protection.

The use of a racing yacht is unique: one, a beautiful machine competition from 52 feet, slightly smaller than the 60 feet of the Vendée Globe, will enable sailors to move at the speed of weather systems and especially to make Prével pure air. Samples taken from motorboats are indeed often disturbed by the thermal emission of the ship.
During the next Vendée Globe, the "sailing ships of ocean observation" will be assigned to two sailors for safety reasons and so as not to encroach on the turf media runners for the Vendée Globe single-handed, which intersect in the same waters with the only competition in sight. But he already said that the racing yachts oriented scientists might return to the Vendée Globe 2016, this time in competition, and that this combination of racing to scientific missions could be generalized.
The Velux 5 Oceans solo round the world with stopovers (formerly BOC Challenge) will host the ships from 2014. Ultimately, the goal would be to conduct sampling in the Southern Ocean every two years by taking advantage of various races around the world. In Vendée, the subject is highly political. Retailleau Bruno, president of the General Council of Vendée and successor to Philippe de Villiers at the head of the Vendée Globe, has his paw print on the most popular sailing event in France. He has the support of Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, who joined the project in the key actions of the Grenelle of the sea "Achieving a campaign oceanographic science around the world on real racing yachts, it is both of experimental science and a huge human and sporting adventure, said Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet. I welcome this initiative which will enable a better understanding of the oceans and climate change. "