World Odyssey 25: The first participants have left La Grande Motte

World Odyssey 25: The first participants have left La Grande Motte © Grand Large Yachting

On Monday, September 29 at 1 p.m., the first seven crews of the World Odyssey 25 left La Grande Motte for the Canary Islands. The fleet will meet up in Lanzarote in mid-November for a first technical stop before the official start of this second edition of the Grand Large Yachting group's round-the-world rally.

Emotions ran high on the dock when the World Odyssey 25 rally team made the rounds of the boats with arms laden with croissants, pains au chocolat, and baguettes. It was a final "French-style breakfast" for the seven crews setting off on an adventure that will take them around the world over the next three years.

After a morning spent finalizing the last details and rushing to the supermarkets to complete their provisions, the mooring lines were cast off at midday. Families, friends, and employees of the Grand Large Yachting group gathered on the quay to wave goodbye to the fleet, accompanied by a few other Outremer owners who had come especially to sail together on these emotional first miles.

The fleet's first stopover is in Tangier in a few weeks' time, where seven more boats will join them. The rest of the participants will join the adventure in Lanzarote for the official start at the end of November.

World Odyssey 25: several months of preparation

The crews setting sail on the World Odyssey 25 are supported in their dream of sailing around the world by the Grand Large Yachting teams for several months. Most of them have been registered for the rally for two years and have followed a dedicated training program:

• Webinars: Hosted by the rally team, these regular webinars aimed to cover the various stages of preparation to help participants stay on track. Topics included boat preparation, spare parts lists, crew preparation, and finding crew members.

• World Odyssey University: For one week last April, crews gathered in Lorient to discuss safety at sea, boat maintenance, and life on board. It was an opportunity to get to know each other and listen to helpful advice from those returning from a similar adventure.

• Meetings with former participants: In addition to their presence in Lorient, the crews of the first World Odyssey were involved in and attended every stage of the preparations. They were still there for the pre-departure in La Grande Motte for some welcome final discussions and to reassure the crews about the departure.

• Extra Training with Escale Formation Technique: Finally, most of the World Odyssey 25 crews chose to perfect their preparation by attending training sessions at Escale Formation Technique, the Grand Large Yachting group's training center. "Engine maintenance," "Safety and survival at sea," and "Medical care at sea " are the most popular sessions among the community.