In terms of having poison poured into one’s ear on a super yacht, it was not quite Peter Mandelson to George Osborne in Corfu, but, asked about the quality of the British skippers, the stilted response of the technical guru of one of the leading French teams spoke volumes. “Great boats, great projects . . . ” he said.

No Briton has won and only five have completed the Vendée Globe, the quadrennial non-stop solo race around the world, the sixth edition of which begins at noon tomorrow from here in Les Sables d’Olonnes, France.

There are seven Britons in the field of 30, the largest and most competitive to start the race. Every French solo yachtsman worth his sails is here and although they have been out-spent by the British, money does not buy respect in this world.

Five of the seven British boats, Mike Golding on Ecover, Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss, Dee Caffari on Aviva, Brian Thompson on Bahrain Team Pindar and Jonny Malbon on Artemis head campaigns that have spent at least £5 million, perhaps considerably more, on new boats and crew costs during the most recent four-year cycle. Even in a race that has 20 new boats (compared with only four in the previous edition), that is big money.

Samantha Davies has an eight-year-old boat, Roxy, but it has the best pedigree: it is the former PRB that won the past two Vendées and has been completely overhauled. Davies has an engineering degree from Cambridge and is the best equipped of the Britons to fix her own boat when things go wrong. Michel Desjoyeaux, of France, may be considered a marginal favourite ahead of Loïck Peyron, his countryman, who won the leading solo transatlantic races in each of the past two years.

By contrast with the other Britons, Steve White is the sport’s equivalent to the credit crunch. He remortgaged his house in Dorchester three times, but his place on the start line has been secured only in the past few weeks by a group of private backers who have renamed his boat Toe in the Water, the charity that helps servicemen.

Thomson has spent more in the past three weeks — about £300,000 — fixing his boat after it was hit by a French fishing vessel, than White has spent on his boat. The monumental effort to get Hugo Boss to the start line was continuing last night after Will Best, the electrician, was flown in on Sir Keith Mills’s private jet to fix the batteries on board.

Only Golding, 48, who has circumnavigated the globe five times, has earned the respect of the French. He was third in the previous edition of the Vendée, after battling back from his main halyard breaking three times only for his keel to fall off 50 miles from the finish while challenging for the lead.

Pindar is the dark horse and has been the talk of the pontoon, with her giant 30-metre mast and broad 6.4-metre beam and ten tonnes in weight — most are closer to eight tonnes — setting her apart from the fleet. Thompson has set world records as a watch leader on crewed multihulls, but has little solo monohull experience.

Fifteen boats have a realistic chance of winning this race, but only 15 may finish, given past attrition rates, so it is an unforgiving place to learn.

“To finish first, first you have to finish” is the law of the Vendée Globe, sailing’s equivalent of the Grand National. To win the race requires luck as well as skill and experience. That may be tested from the start.

Iceland is being blamed for most things in the present financial climate, so why should the weather be any different? A huge area of low pressure settling over the troubled country is leaving disturbed and changeable conditions over the Bay of Biscay, which means 35 knots plus on the nose for 30 intrepid sailors.

The leading lights

Michel Desjoyeaux, 43 , France, Foncia
The winner in 2000-01 is back from his exploits in solo multihull racing. If victorious, he would be the first to win the Vendée Globe twice.

Loick Peyron, 48 , France, Gitana 80
Second in the inaugural Vendée Globe in 1989-90 after stopping to rescue Philippe Poupon, his stricken countyryman. Stunning return to the top in the past two years. Brother of Bruno Peyron, skipper of Orange II, round-the-world record-holder.

Vicent Riou, 36, France, PRB
Looks like the actuary who went to war. Stepped out of the shadow of Desjoyeaux, for whom he crewed, to win last time. His mast has broken twice since PRB was launched.

Mike Golding, 48, Britain, Ecover
The fireman from Slough who is tough enough to be the man to stop the French sweeping all the top places. Third in the previous Vendée, but will he make his own luck this time?

Sébastien Josse, 33, France, BT
The rising star since finishing fifth in an uncompetitive boat in the last Vendée. Dame Ellen MacArthur is in town and as more than a spectator, having directed and funded the campaign.