Latest news with #MACIFSantePrevoyance
The Star
07-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Sailing-Britain's Goodchild makes waves with breakthrough IMOCA victory
(Reuters) -British skipper Sam Goodchild is celebrating his first win in the ultra-competitive IMOCA class after guiding MACIF Sante Prevoyance to victory in the Course des Caps – a full-blooded 1,800-nautical mile dash around Britain and Ireland. Goodchild took the lead near Fastnet Rock off the southwest tip of Ireland and never let go, completing the race in six days, one hour and 10 minutes, with French co-skippers Lois Berrehar, Guillaume Combescure and Charlotte Yven for company. MACIF Sante Prevoyance crossed the line two-and-a-half hours clear of second-placed Elodie Bonafous on Association Petits Princes-Queguiner. 'It was intense, non-stop,' Goodchild said at the finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer. 'We started with no wind and finished with too much. It was kind of what we anticipated – a proper ride." France's Bonafous, racing her first IMOCA event, finished 46 minutes ahead of third-placed compatriot Nico Lunven on Holcim-PRB, staking her claim as a serious contender in the class. 'During the race, I got it into my head that a podium finish was possible,' Bonafous said. 'Even mid-race, I felt like crying. I told myself 'this is so cool, we're having such a great race.' So I stayed really calm because the race was still long and anything could happen,' she told the IMOCA class website. The route served up the full British Isles menu: shifty winds, sail changes on repeat, and a drag race down the North Sea. 'We really had it all,' said Goodchild, who was standing in for Charlie Dalin as the Frenchman is taking a break from the sport due to ill-health. 'On the first day, we hoisted every sail we had. And even over the past three days, we haven't stopped changing sails, changing conditions – changing everything. We truly got a full range on this race." For Goodchild, a former IMOCA Globe Series champion who finished ninth in the last Vendee Globe, this win adds another line to a growing CV – and confirms he is now one of the men to beat on the IMOCA scene. The IMOCA class is a fleet of high-performance 60-foot monohull yachts built for solo and short-handed ocean racing, best known for marquee events like the Vendee Globe. The Course des Caps marked the launch of the 2025 IMOCA Globe Series. Next up is the 100th anniversary of the Rolex Fastnet Race later this month, the Ocean Race Europe (August 10 to September 21), Defi Azimut–Lorient Agglomeration in September, and the Transat Cafe L'Or double-handed race from Le Havre in France to Martinique beginning in October. (Reporting by Ossian Shine; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Straits Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Still hungry Dalin back to defend IMOCA crown
Sailing - Arrival of the Vendee Globe winner - Les Sables-d'Olonne, France - January 14, 2025 Macif Sante Prevoyance's Charlie Dalin holds the trophy onstage as he arrives in port after winning the Vendee Globe REUTERS/Stephane Mahe Charlie Dalin, fresh from rewriting the Vendee Globe record books, has set his sights on defending his IMOCA Globe Series title with the methodical precision that has become his trademark in offshore racing. The 40-year-old French skipper, who sliced nine days off the previous round-the-world record, approaches the 2025 season with characteristic understatement aboard MACIF Sante Prevoyance. "My objective this year? Well, it's to win races again," Dalin told IMOCA officials this week. "I'm still passionate as before and, you know, I love sailing IMOCAs." IMOCAs are 60-foot high-performance monohulls built for solo or short-handed offshore racing, known for balancing cutting-edge design - like hydrofoils and carbon fibre hulls - with the raw demands of long-distance endurance. Dalin will begin his 2025 campaign with June's Course des Caps, a 2,000-mile tactical challenge around Britain's demanding coastline, but has a special focus on October's Transat Cafe L'Or from Le Havre to Martinique, a race carrying personal significance. "It's an important race for me because I am from Le Havre and I couldn't race last time," said Dalin, who claimed victory there in 2019. "I have revenge to take on that event. I would quite like to win it a second time." The competitive landscape remains formidable. Dalin anticipates challenges from last year's runner-up Yoann Richomme on Paprec Arkea, Thomas Ruyant paired with Ambrogio Beccaria, and veteran Jeremie Beyou aboard Charal. Adding intrigue is newcomer Elodie Bonafous commanding Horizon 29, a sistership to Dalin's vessel. "It will be interesting to sail against a sistership of MACIF Sante Prevoyance and see how she performs," he noted. While acknowledging the physical toll of his Vendee Globe campaign, Dalin expressed confidence in his recovery timeline, targeting full readiness by the season's start. Now firmly established as the sailor everyone aims to beat, Dalin embraces his position with philosophical ease. "I'd rather be in this situation than the reverse," he smiled. The IMOCA Globe Series is a tiered circuit of offshore yacht races, ranging from short coastal duels to gruelling round-the-world marathons. At the top are Grade 1 epics like the Vendee Globe and The Ocean Race, while Grade 2 includes transatlantic tests such as the Route du Rhum and Transat Jacques Vabre. Shorter Grade 3 and 4 events - like the Course des Caps, Defi Azimut and Rolex Fastnet - demand precision, stamina and tactical sharpness. Together, they form a global proving ground for the world's best offshore sailors. Dalin claimed the 2024 title with 800 points in a dominant French showing. Fellow countrymen Richomme and Sebastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) took second and third with 730 and 595 points respectively. Germany's Boris Herrmann broke the French hold, steering Malizia – Sea Explorer to fourth on 571 points. The 2025 series kicks off with the 2,000 nautical-mile Course des Caps on June 29, and with his Vendee victory still fresh and the sails of MACIF Sante Prevoyance trimmed for another season, Dalin is plotting another year at the front of the fleet. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
