Ambrogio Beccaria’s Route du Rhum campaign ended painfully in the Azores after a violent fall aboard Allagrande Mapei forced the Italian skipper to withdraw from the legendary solo transatlantic race. What began as a masterful performance among the leading IMOCA fleet unravelled during the night of 5 to 6 November, leaving Beccaria stranded far from the finish line in Guadeloupe.
Arriving in Horta on Sunday 8 November, the Milanese sailor underwent medical examinations that ruled out any fracture. He is suffering from a severe muscle contusion to the rib cage, which explains the breathing difficulties and mobility problems he endured during his solo passage to safety.
Beccaria had been one of the driving forces of the race from the outset. After a perfect start and two days leading the IMOCA fleet, he chose on Monday evening to gybe north to cover Sam Goodchild on MACIF and search for a better route through a small front. But the front broke up and fell back, trapping some of the leaders in a windless zone, while Corentin Horeau on MACSF, who had stayed further south, managed to slip through. In 24 hours, Ambrogio lost more than 300 miles to the new leader. Once free of the calm, he fought his way back into contention, battling once again for second position.
Technical difficulties had already tested the campaign. While heading south-west to face a storm, Allagrande Mapei suffered a ballast failure that caused the onboard electronics to break down. Ambrogio managed to fix the problem and get back on course, keeping his chances of a podium finish alive.
Then came the moment that ended everything. As the boat emerged from the depression after several hours in very heavy seas with 6-metre waves and winds of up to 45 knots, a wave threw Ambrogio off balance and hurled him violently into the cockpit. It was 22:00 UTC. He felt severe pain in his back and chest area, as well as difficulty breathing.
Ambrogio first tried to slow the boat down. But after a few hours, it became clear he could no longer carry out even the simplest manoeuvres. Continuing would have been too risky.
“My mind couldn’t immediately take that step and say, ‘That’s it, the race is over,'” says Ambrogio. “I told myself I’d bear away a bit, slow down, and maybe in 24 hours we’d see whether the pain had eased. But after six or seven hours, I realised I couldn’t even turn a winch handle, even in calm conditions. I still had three or four days of sailing ahead in strong winds: carrying on would have been absolutely dangerous and senseless. I could no longer aim for the podium and, above all, I didn’t want to simply limp to the finish. We weren’t there just to complete a race.”
Once the decision to retire was made, another adventure began. Alone on board, Ambrogio had to sail 580 miles single-handed to reach Horta on the island of Faial with very limited mobility. Meanwhile, the Allagrande Mapei Racing team mobilised to travel to the Portuguese islands and organise a safe arrival.
“From that moment on, another race began. I still had to get to a port, because I was alone on a boat that remains a crazy machine. I had 580 miles ahead of me to reach the Azores, a little over two days of sailing, and with the pain I couldn’t do any manoeuvre on my own. I managed to take in a reef: it was an endless mission! Fortunately, I was then able to follow a route that didn’t require too many manoeuvres and make it to Horta.”
On arrival, the team was ready to assist him and take care of mooring the boat, which Ambrogio could not have done alone. He was then taken by ambulance to Horta hospital for tests. X-rays confirmed no fracture, only the severe muscle contusion to his rib cage.
Despite the disappointment of retiring, Ambrogio had time to gauge the boat’s potential and says he is pleased with the work accomplished this year.
“The boat delivered fantastic performance. We saw just how incredibly hard we had worked throughout the year: we had a perfect machine, one of the fastest in the fleet, as we saw during the first two days. It’s a small victory for the team. For as long as it lasted, the race lived up to its name: very intense, as the Route du Rhum always is. Even though the start was entirely downwind, on these boats downwind sailing is almost more intense than upwind: you’re sailing at 30 knots constantly and it’s extremely demanding on board.”
The sporting result may have slipped away, but this race confirms the competitiveness of the project and the strength of a close-knit team. The priority now is Ambrogio’s recovery after a crossing that undeniably put him to the test. His sponsor Mapei and his fans followed the race with great concern, awaiting news of his health.
“While I was sailing to the Azores,” Ambrogio concludes, “I watched a documentary about Florence Arthaud on YouTube. She raced it four times before winning it. That means I still have time!”
