The first part of the race will see the competitors tackle the tricky exit from the English Channel. This is one of the busiest stretches of water in the world.

The big tides can also be troublesome and the coastal weather effects can have considerable impact on sailing conditions. Crews will have to navigate between the English and French coastlines whilst keeping an eye on the weather systems awaiting them once they reach the North Atlantic.

This often results in crews adopting very different strategies in the first few hours at sea. As far as the general wind is concerned, two major possibilities exist: a wind from the east, allowing the multi-hulls to take a direct route, or a wind from the south-west/north-west sector forcing crews to tack.

>> More Challenge Mondial information from the BBC Weather Centre