IMOCA First-Timer Claims Rolex Fastnet Race Honours

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, there was great delight on the dock in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin's Port Chantereyne with the arrival of the first IMOCA, Association Petits Princes-Queguiner, skippered by the IMOCA class’ newest skipper 29-year-old Elodie Bonafous on the class’ latest launch. Setting off from Cowes ten minutes after the multihulls, it was the Justine Mettraux-skippered Teamwork-Team SNEF that was first IMOCA to exit the Solent, just astern of the lead IRC SZ monohulls. As the IMOCAs, with their giant ‘Dali’ foils and their unique fully enclosed cockpits, speared out southwest into the Channel, Association Petits Princes-Queguiner first got her nose into the lead. At this point Sam Davies’ Initiatives Coeur was trailing the fleet, but taking the deepest course into Lyme Bay meant Initiatives Coeur benefitted most from a favourable shift and better pressure to lead the IMOCAs out past Start Point. This was a small victory though as Jérémie Beyou's Charal took the lead soon after, passing the Lizard well offshore shortly after midnight on Saturday. Come 03:00 Sunday 27 July the leaders simultaneously tacked to funnel north through the narrow lane between the Land's End TSS and the Scilly Isles, with Charal continuing to lead Association Petits Princes-Queguiner, prior to the upwind slog, in fickle breeze, across the Celtic Sea. Halfway across, the leaders separated into two pairs – with Charal and Association Petits Princes-Queguiner in one, and Yoann Richomme's Paprec Arkea and Initiatives Coeur in the other – a situation that would continue to the finish. Read more: https://www.rolexfastnetrace.com/en/imoca-firsttimer-claims-rolex-fastnet-race-honours #RolexFastnetRace #RORCracing #Rolex #Yachting ©️ Rolex / RORC / Tidal Pulse