Three IMOCA skippers went to the wire for fifth place in the Route du Rhum on Thursday evening, the lead changing hands completely during a brutal lap of Guadeloupe.
Rounding the Tête-à-l'Anglais, the order was Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil-Air Caraïbes), Davy Beaudart (Bureau Vallée), then Maxime Sorel (Vaincre la Mucoviscidose). By the finish, the positions had flipped entirely: Sorel crossed fifth, Simon sixth, Beaudart seventh. The gap between all three was just 2 minutes and 16 seconds.
Sailors often warn that the lap around Guadeloupe can be brutal, and this time it proved true. Guirec Soudée (Liamm, Ultim) found that out days earlier, becalmed for more than twelve hours with no wind at all. Later, Corentin Horeau (MACSF, IMOCA) led the way north-west of the island before being overtaken by his mate Basile Bourgnon (Edenred, OceanFifty), the pair trading banter rather than treating it as a genuine rivalry, since they race in different classes.
Élodie Bonafous (Association Petits Princes-Quéguiner) had a handy 60-mile cushion approaching the island on Thursday morning. That lead shrank to just 1.5 miles before she had the final say.
As night fell, the real drama was playing out further back in the fleet. Just 2 minutes and 11 seconds separated Sorel in fifth from Simon in sixth, with Beaudart a mere five seconds behind Simon. Sorel, sounding every bit the seasoned campaigner afterwards, put it down to local knowledge, saying Simon and Beaudart were "rookies" when it came to managing the lap around the island.
Both "losers" of the day took it well. Simon, visibly moved, said he had no regrets and spoke warmly about the promise shown by his new IMOCA. Beaudart, beaming, could not have asked for a better first Route du Rhum.
Later that evening, Francesca Clapcich brought her race to a close in eighth. The 11th Hour Racing skipper finished after 11 days and 11 hours at sea, a fitting number, and in doing so wrapped up a strong first solo IMOCA season. Fifth at the Vendée Arctique, second in The Ocean Race Atlantic, the Italian-American sailor claimed the IMOCA Globe Series title, the season-long ranking for the class's top skippers.
Sorel explained where the race was decided: "Everything happened in the Canal des Saintes. Sébastien and Davy are two rookies. I'm not sure they'd sailed the Canal des Saintes before. At that point the wind shifts by 15 degrees. Depending on the wind, you can choose to hug the coast even if it feels like you're going to hit trouble. They made two tacks, I made zero. That's basically where it was decided. I'd also chosen different sails, smaller ones. I was slower through manoeuvres but faster in a straight line. And I kept a big sail up front too."
Simon reflected on a tough final stretch: "Even though the race wasn't the one I imagined, I needed to fight to the end. I have the chance to sail this magnificent boat, to rely on my whole team's work, on my partners' commitment and the Dubreuil family. I wanted to give everything and show good things. I got to see the boat's potential, including in very tough conditions with up to 45 knots of wind, climbing from 17th to 5th. The ending didn't go the way I'd hoped, but that's what makes good sporting stories. There's a bit of frustration, sure, but finishing here with this boat, launched just three months ago, is quite an achievement.
"Generally I feel better and freer sailing alone out front. But going round the island, which is beautiful, it was a bit of a trap. I saw Davy and Maxime coming back at me. Maybe I was too tired, but I fought to the end. I made the final manoeuvres so I'd have no regrets, gave everything, and didn't back off. But it was a magnificent race."
Beaudart's finish left him in tears, something he says never happens. "It was a very intense day. When I crossed the line I took thirty seconds to take it all in and everything just mixed together. And I started crying, me, who never cries. This was a race I'd wanted to do forever, the dream I had when I was 10 years old. Right now I'm exhausted: I've been in the gym inside the boat for 24 hours straight, must have sweated 20 litres onto the deck. It's all happened so fast, six months ago I shouldn't even have been here. Now, it's clearly worked out. The lap of the island is fun but brutal. I tried to do everything but I was wrecked all over."
Clapcich, meanwhile, reflected on what the result meant beyond her own finish. "I think between the boat and me, we showed we were capable of fighting for the podium. I was in the match, in the battle. And even though the boat wasn't at 100 percent, I gave everything. I think the last three days have been the hardest of my whole sailing career. But despite everything, I managed to enjoy what I was doing and simply savour being at sea. It's wonderful to be the first woman to win the IMOCA Globe Series. It shows where women's sport is today. Élodie Bonafous had an incredible race, she made the podium and that's magnificent. It was great being at sea, pushing the boat, racking up the miles, enjoying the sunsets and sunrises with no one around. Life is so simple out there. Sometimes we should all remember that when things feel really complicated, they can actually be very simple."
