The 33 Vendée Globe competitors set out to sea one hour late, due to difficult weather conditions.
The skippers positioned themselves along the sands of Olonne while waiting for the starting signal.
A launch also upset by the coronavirus: the public was not allowed.
The start of the ninth edition of the Vendée Globe, initially scheduled for 1:02 p.m., was delayed by one hour on Sunday due to heavy fog preventing visibility, the organizers of the round-the-world solo race announced.
The 33 competitors, who had left the port early in the morning, positioned themselves off Les Sables d'Olonne, in front of a 2 km long starting line while waiting for the sound signal to set off.
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A special atmosphere
The skippers boarded their boat in Port Olona in the absence of any public due to the strict rules linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Behind closed doors is also the rule on the beach, at sea but also along the channel used by sailors to reach the sea.
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A departure in a very special atmosphere therefore.
"It adds a lot of majesty to this start in the end, the fact that it is completely empty, it will be super quiet, it tells something", said Fabrice Amedeo (Newrest - Art & Fenêtres) who, like all the other competitors , tested negative for Covid-19 during a final test on Friday.
The skippers, who have respected strict confinement, will benefit from a mild weather with a south-easterly wind to start this sporting and human adventure completed in 74 days four years ago by Armel Le Cléac'h.