<s>
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
is	O
an	O
online	O
web	O
browser	O
sailing	O
race	O
simulator	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
mobile	O
app	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
seen	O
a	O
significant	O
number	O
of	O
users	O
shift	O
to	O
this	O
platform	O
in	O
recent	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
was	O
created	O
in	O
France	O
by	O
Philippe	O
Guigné	O
,	O
CEO	O
of	O
ManyPlayers	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
2006	O
edition	O
of	O
the	O
Route	O
du	O
Rhum	O
,	O
with	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
Offshore	O
established	O
as	O
a	O
real-time	O
yacht	O
routing	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
developed	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
Inshore	O
,	O
a	O
fleet	O
racing	O
game	O
(	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
car	O
racing	O
games	O
)	O
,	O
in	O
partnership	O
with	O
World	O
Sailing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
virtual	B-Application
regattas	I-Application
have	O
routes	O
identical	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
actual	O
race	O
and	O
the	O
same	O
start	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
each	O
race	O
,	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
simulates	O
the	O
real	O
meteorological	O
conditions	O
experienced	O
by	O
the	O
skippers	O
and	O
allows	O
its	O
players	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
real-time	O
from	O
their	O
computers	O
or	O
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
this	O
success	O
2008-2009	O
Vendee	O
Globe	O
and	O
2009-2010	O
Volvo	O
Ocean	O
Race	O
,	O
the	O
French	O
Sailing	O
Federation	O
granted	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
the	O
status	O
of	O
a	O
nautical	O
club	O
,	O
where	O
one	O
can	O
obtain	O
a	O
sailing	O
license	O
,	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
organized	O
challenges	O
with	O
famous	O
skippers	O
Loïc	O
Peyron	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
Samantha	O
Davies	O
in	O
2010	O
and	O
Roland	O
Jourdain	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
3	O
skippers	O
participating	O
in	O
the	O
virtual	O
race	O
alongside	O
the	O
other	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
is	O
a	O
autobiographical	O
recount	O
of	O
the	O
author	O
's	O
personal	O
adventure	O
on	O
board	O
his	O
virtual	O
boat	O
,	O
“	O
MacAII	O
”	O
on	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
during	O
the	O
2008-09	O
Vendée	O
Globe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2012-2013	O
Vendée	O
Globe	O
saw	O
460,000	O
players	O
,	O
a	O
fleet	O
so	O
big	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
servers	O
experienced	O
issues	O
at	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
the	O
race	O
(	O
though	O
these	O
were	O
fixed	O
soon	O
after	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Vendée	O
Globe	O
2016	O
brought	O
together	O
some	O
451,000	O
skippers	O
,	O
during	O
which	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
introduced	O
"	O
certified	O
players	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Every	O
night	O
at	O
20:00	O
during	O
a	O
race	O
,	O
participants	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
tune	O
into	O
“	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
News	O
”	O
,	O
a	O
10-minute	O
news	O
show	O
about	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
regatta	I-Application
with	O
weather	O
information	O
and	O
routing	O
advice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
organized	O
the	O
virtual	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Volvo	O
Ocean	O
Race	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Application
Regatta	I-Application
Inshore	O
in	O
an	O
online	O
regatta	O
simulator	O
based	O
on	O
short	O
course	O
racing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
the	O
IOC	O
along	O
with	O
5	O
international	O
sports	O
federation	O
are	O
hosting	O
the	O
first	O
IOC	O
endorsed	O
e	O
sports	O
event	O
which	O
included	O
World	O
Sailing	O
utilising	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
regatta	I-Application
platform	O
.	O
</s>
