Vendée Globe

The Vendée Arctique is a single-handed (solo) yacht race, from France to the Arctic Circle and back.

The Villa Blanche is a historic townhouse in Les Sables-d'Olonne, Vendée, France. It was built in 1913, and designed by architect Maurice Durand. It was a tearoom until 1914, when it was used by an estate agent named Fraud. It became a private residence in 1925.

For the village in Argentina, see Villa Mirasol. The Villa Mirasol is a historic residential building in Les Sables d'Olonne, Vendée, France.

Les Sables-d'Olonne (French pronunciation: [le sabl dɔlɔn] ; French meaning: "The Sands of Olonne"; Poitevin: Lés Sablles d'Oloune) is a seaside town on the Atlantic coast of western France. A subprefecture of the department of Vendée, Pays de la Loire, it has the administrative level of commune. On 1 January 2019, the municipalities of Olonne-sur-Mer, Château-d'Olonne and Les Sables-d'Olonne merged, retaining the latter name.

Les Sables-d'Olonne station is a railway station serving the town Les Sables-d'Olonne, Vendée department, western France. The station is served by high speed trains to Paris and by regional trains towards La Roche-sur-Yon and Nantes.

The Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne was a minor naval battle fought on 23 February 1809 off the town of Les Sables-d'Olonne on the Biscay Coast of France between a French Navy squadron of three frigates and a larger British squadron of ships of the line. The French squadron had sailed from the port of Lorient on 23 February in an effort to link up with a fleet from Brest under Jean-Baptiste Willaumez, but missed the rendezvous and was pursued by a British blockade squadron under Rear-Admiral Robert Stopford. The French commander, Commodore Pierre Roch Jurien, anchored his squadron under the batteries which protected the town of Les Sables-d'Olonne in the hope of dissuading an attack. Ignoring the batteries, Stopford ordered his squadron to attack at 09:00 on 24 February, HMS Defiance leading the line. Shortly after the main batteries of Stopford's ships of the line came into the battle, the French ships were overwhelmed one by one and shortly after noon all three had been driven ashore with heavy casualties. British histories recount that all three were destroyed, although French histories report that they were salvaged but found to be damaged beyond repair. The fleet under Willaumez was trapped in the anchorage at Basque Roads on 26 February and defeated at the Battle of Basque Roads in April with heavy losses.

The canton of Les Sables-d'Olonne is an administrative division of the Vendée department, western France. Its borders were modified at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Les Sables-d'Olonne.It consists of the commune of Les Sables-d'Olonne.

The arrondissement of Les Sables-d'Olonne is an arrondissement of France in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region. It has 71 communes. Its population is 235,082 (2016), and its area is 1,914.7 km2 (739.3 sq mi).

L'Armendèche Lighthouse is a French lighthouse located along the coast of the Vendée department; it is located in La Chaume, a district of Les Sables-d'Olonne. It was the last major lighthouse to be constructed on French territory, and takes its name from that of a place just down the coast.The lighthouse was constructed in 1968 to a design by local architect Maurice Durand; unlike his other lighthouses, it was not meant to replace a tower which had been destroyed during World War II, but was instead built new as a landfall light. It was constructed in response to criticisms from local sailors, who said that due to development along the shoreline they could no longer see the harbor lights at the entrance to the town harbor.The lighthouse is a hexagonal concrete tower, with lantern and gallery, designed in the Art Deco style. It is 38.96 metres (127.8 ft) tall, and is white; the lantern is painted red. The light shows three white flashes in a two-one pattern every fifteen seconds. It was automated at the time of its construction, and is controlled from Les Sables-d'Olonne; it is government property, and may not be visited. It is a listed monument since 2012.

Olonne-sur-Mer (French pronunciation: [ɔlɔn syʁ mɛʁ], literally Olonne on Sea) is a former commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the commune Les Sables-d'Olonne. It is home to the basketball team Pays des Olonnes Basket, which plays its home games at the Salle Beauséjour.

The Côte de Lumière (French pronunciation: [kot də lymjɛʁ]; English: Coast of Light) refers to the seaside resorts located along the coast of the Vendée, France. Communes situated on the coast, from north to south, include: Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile Barbâtre La Barre-de-Monts Notre-Dame-de-Monts Saint-Jean-de-Monts Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie Bretignolles-sur-Mer Brem-sur-Mer Olonne-sur-Mer Les Sables d'Olonne Château-d'Olonne Talmont-Saint-Hilaire Jard-sur-Mer Saint-Vincent-sur-Jard Longeville-sur-Mer La Tranche-sur-Mer La Faute-sur-Mer