Red Bull Studios to take elite sailing docuseries global

Red Bull Studios will handle international distribution rights for elite sailing docuseries Solo At Sea: The Vendée Globe Sailing Race. 

The series, produced by Federation Studios, Box Fish Productions and Bonne Pioche Télévision in partnership with Red Bull Studios, covers the Vendée Globe; a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world by boat. The 24,300-mile race sees competitors at sea for over 70 days, facing isolation, extreme weather, technical breakdowns and more. 

The production uses a system of onboard cameras installed on each vessel and is directed by documentarian Thomas Sametin (For The Sake of Peace). It focuses on the journeys of six sailors - Jérémie Beyou (France), Conrad Colman (New Zealand), Clarisse Crémer (France), Violette Dorange (France), Pip Hare (Great Britain) and Thomas Ruyant (France). 

The production team includes Myriam Weil (Federation Studios), Eve Pajot-Brémond (Box Fish Productions), and Alexandre Soullier (Bonne Pioche Télévision), with Philipp Manderla, Charlotte Cheung, Tatiana Villacob Melendez, Sebastian Burkhardt and Georg Aschauer producing for Red Bull Studios. 

The six-episode series will debut on France Télévisions later this year. 

Sametin said: “Behind the sporting achievement of the Vendée Globe, unfolds powerful human stories. This series takes us deep into the heart of the toughest race on Earth. Over the course of several months, the sailors, their loved ones and race management agreed to let our cameras capture their most intimate moments, from their preparation to their return home.

“This rare access allows us to tell the story of the race from a new perspective, as close as possible to those who experience it first-hand. I am convinced that this series will mark a milestone in the history of offshore racing by revealing the full human depth of these modern-day adventurers.”

Red Bull Studios’ Burkhardt added: “Solo at Sea gives us extraordinary, insider access to a world that has never been captured at this level. Set against one of the toughest endurance challenges in sport, the series combines high-stakes action with deeply compelling, character-driven storytelling. We’re confident it will connect strongly with international buyers and audiences alike.”

Producers Weil, Pajot-Brémond, and Soullier commented: “Nicknamed ‘The Everest of the Seas’, the Vendée Globe takes place every four years, drawing sailors from all over the world to gather on the French Atlantic coast, to take on the most difficult challenge a skipper can face. The Vendée Globe is legendary and its sailors are heroes. We are thrilled to tell this extraordinary human and sporting adventure story to an international audience.”

Alain Lebœuf, president of the Vendée Globe, said: “The Vendée Globe is an extraordinary race, a unique event in the world that embodies an exceptional human and sporting adventure. Its international reputation brings a whole region into the spotlight: the Vendée.

”With this documentary series, a new milestone has been reached in the way this legendary competition is told. It offers an unprecedented insight into the lives of the skippers and all those who make this challenge possible. It is a new way of portraying the everyday lives of these sailors capable of achieving the extraordinary, and of bringing to life for the public all the intensity of this legendary race that is the Vendée Globe.”