On 17 February 2021, Miranda Merron made landfall in Les Sables-d’Olonne to complete her first Vendée Globe after 101 days at sea, the 9th woman in the world to pull off this amazing exploit. As such, the GLOBE40 organisation team is thrilled to announce that this outstanding sailor and key figure on the offshore racing scene is set to become the next Race Director for the 2nd edition of the GLOBE40. In so doing, she will assume the mantle of Christophe Gaumont, who played a pivotal role in the success of the 1st edition, as much in the way the race was structured out on the water as in its development. Shouldering considerable responsibility within the FFVoile (French Sailing Federation) however, he must naturally hand over the reins to someone with the necessary availability to take on this important role.
Miranda Merron: a well-considered choice.
The English sailor clearly ticked pretty much every box for the role of Race Director in this round the world race in Class40. Leaving in her wake a promising career in marketing, for the past 25 years Miranda has participated in just about all the major offshore races: Transat Jacques Vabre, Route du Rhum, The Transat (OSTAR) and the Quebec St Malo, to name but a few. Equally, she has in-depth knowledge of the Class40 universe having built 2 boats in this category with her life partner Halvard Mabire and has competed in no fewer than 7 CIC Normandy Channel Races. She was back out at sea in recent days aboard the latest addition to the Class40 fleet, boat No.206, alongside Greg Leonard for the Round Ireland Yacht Race. She has also sampled the delights of the Southern Ocean during a Jules Verne Trophy attempt with Tracy Edwards, the Volvo Ocean Race, as well as Josh Hall’s Global Ocean Race (Josh was also Race Director for 2 legs of the 1st GLOBE40) and of course the Vendée Globe. Moreover, she has recently geared her career towards Race Management by joining the Race Direction team for the recent Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie le Havre and The Transat CIC. Nevertheless, in agreement with the FFVoile, between now and the start of the GLOBE40 in August 2025, she will continue to flesh out her work in the Race Direction domain as either Assistant Race Director or Race Director across several events. Finally, her international experience and multilingualism will also be a major asset in terms of her contact with the event’s international racers, who will represent at least 50% of the competitors in the next edition of the race, as well as all the maritime organisations right around the globe.
Miranda Merron: Q&A.
What is your mindset as you join the Globe40 team as Race Director?
“It obviously feels rather novel to make the switch from potential competitor to potential Race Director! It’s a real honour that the Globe40 organisation team is considering me for this role. It’s also a natural step forward in my involvement in the offshore racing environment following my experiences as an Assistant Race Director in two major races.”
How do you like the sound of the course for the 2nd edition, which was announced last week?
“The course is very appealing. It sounds wonderful and I think the competitors will have a fantastic adventure.”
How will the experience you’ve garnered throughout your career help you fulfil your new Race Management duties?
“I know what the racers will be going through on a day-to-day basis at sea and that helps you to understand what’s going on if there’s an issue and to deal with it in the best possible way. Hopefully there won’t actually be any problems of course.”
What do you remember from the 1st edition and what were the key moments in your view?
The competitors demonstrated the commitment you need for a circumnavigation of the globe, along with resilience and the ability to push the envelope. I also noted that damage can occur quickly and that nothing can be taken for granted until the finish line is crossed. My main takeaway message though is the fact that the race nevertheless proved once again that well prepared and well sailed Class40s are capable of circumnavigating the globe.”
The low-down on the leg coefficients and the on-the-water schedule.
Also published today is an updated Notice of Race from 1 July to follow up the big reveal on the complete course, which includes provisional start and finish dates for each leg and each stopover. The leg coefficients are also published with two main coefficient-3 legs (Cape Verde / Réunion and Sydney / Valparaiso) with 6,400 and 7,000 miles to be covered respectively. A new feature for this edition is that the prologue will now be worth 0.5 points, whilst the terms of access will remain broad. A point coefficient of 13.5 is up for grabs in all, which is worth noting when you consider that there were just 2 points or 1 place separating the top competitors in the last edition. Finally, as was the case in the first edition, the Race Management team will also boast Christian Dumard as the weather forecaster, Yann Groleau for the cartography and calculations elements, and an Assistant Race Director to support Miranda Merron.