The press conference to present the 2016-2017 Vendée Globe took place on Wednesday 14th September in the magnificent splendour of the French Stock Exchange (Palais Brongniart) in Paris, in the presence of the 29 skippers. The line-up for the race, the internationalisation, media coverage, the race course, the official villages… In front of a large number of journalists, Yves Auvinet, President of the SAEM Vendée, presented the main features for the eighth edition of the non-stop solo round the world race, which will begin from Les Sables d’Olonne at 1302hrs CET (1202hrs UTC) on 6th November with the start being given by HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco. The next big date on the calendar is Saturday 15th October, when the official Vendée Globe Village opens in Les Sables d’Olonne.