COVER N. 638 - FRANCE

Postmark: Vendée Globe TAAF - District de Kerguelen 1er Jour 07.11.2024 

Posted on the 11th November 2024; Received on the 29th September 2025

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Totally unexpected and for that even more appreciated, a cover from the frozen south with a truly outstandingly beautiful stamp lands in my letterbox.

Un énorme Merci, Jean-Pierre!

The Vendée Globe yacht race is not for the faint of heart, nor for the inexperienced; in fact, the solo round the world unassisted race, that takes place every 4 years following the course of the ancient clippers in the southern seas, has got to be the most demanding single handed yacht race in existence.

And if all the circuit is downright tough to handle, the segment between the 40 and 50 degrees south, beginning after the Kerguelen Islands where the roaring forties and the furious fifties blow, must be where the fun really begins, and it will last for quite a long time, for the sailors will only come out of it on their way back after re-entering the Atlantic passing alongside Cape Horn.

Entering this segment is what I believe is called passing through La Porte des Glaces, the theme for the amazingly beautiful 2,58€ stamp, issued on 07NOV2024, on the occasion of the start of the 2024-25 race, that took place at the bay of les Sables d’Ollone on the, 10th November.

The illustration in the stamp, done in France’s national colours, shows one of the outlandish sailboats that take part in the race passing in front of a rock formation that is known as the Kerguelen arch, though today only the pillars of the arch subsist, since the arched part itself collapsed in the beginning of the 20th century.

The stamp carries the Vendée Globe logo on the lower left corner and the legend Vendée Globe La Porte des Glaces.

On the upper right corner, above the face value indication, the stamp carries the issuing place – District de Kerguelen - within the scope of the Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, as indicated in the upper frame.

As usual with covers from the TAAF, a stamped small rectangle indicates the coordinates of the posting place, in this case Port aux Français, the permanent scientific base that France keeps in the Kuergelen Islands.

The First day postmark shows the same vessel of the stamp navigating against the wind, barely touching the surface of the sea, just like in the illustration of the stamp.