Sam Goodchild has done it again. The Franco-British skipper aboard MACIF Santé Prévoyance posted the fastest Défi Azimut run in history, averaging a blistering 32.1 knots to set a new all-time IMOCA record for the Azimut Runs. Jérémie Beyou on Charal, sporting a brand-new hull, and Défi Azimut debutant Corentin Horeau on MACSF rounded out the podium in a day that showcased the extraordinary speed of modern ocean racing machines.
The 17 IMOCAs gathered on the Lorient racecourse completed a combined 80 attempts in just three hours. Conditions started slowly, with the fleet tiptoeing through very light winds, but around an hour after the line opened the breeze began to build offshore from Groix, and the race for speed ignited.
Goodchild’s winning run surpassed the time set in 2023 by Beyou aboard Charal, taking advantage of ideal wind and sea conditions that allowed these cutting-edge technological marvels to demonstrate their full potential. It marked back-to-back victories in the opening act of the Défi Azimut for the MACIF Santé Prévoyance skipper.
At around 3 p.m., after an initial series of attempts that favoured the six remaining daggerboard boats holding their own against the foilers, gusts accompanying the arrival of the sea breeze transformed the picture. The foil-equipped IMOCAs, designed to lift clear of the water, began to take off. Their acceleration was breathtaking, bows throwing up spray as they switched into what can only be described as rocket mode.
With 14 to 18 knots of wind, the spectacle was remarkable. Newcomers such as Groupe Dubreuil-Air Caraïbes, helmed by Sébastien Simon and launched just this summer, joined established contenders like Beyou’s extensively refitted Charal. These crewed sprints provide a valuable opportunity to refine settings and improve flight stability while giving onboard guests extraordinary sensations.
Corentin Horeau, who has taken over Yoann Richomme’s former boat under the MACSF colours, made a particularly impressive debut. With seven attempts under his belt, the 2023 Solitaire du Figaro winner approached the event with the humility of someone embarking on a long learning curve, yet showed he will be a force to reckon with on the circuit.
Behind the podium, the battle was incredibly tight. Initiatives-Cœur with Violette Dorange, Association Petits Princes-Quéguiner with Élodie Bonafous, and Les P’tits Doudous with Armel Tripon occupied seventh, eighth and ninth places, separated only by their second-fastest run, with all three averaging more than 25 knots.
Goodchild was beaming after the record. “I don’t know if there’s a recipe, but the boat is fantastic and the team is fantastic, so that’s a pretty good recipe,” he said. “If we could have ordered a perfect day for the runs, this would have been it. Wind, not too much sea — it was ideal. We’re happy because, apparently, we’ve just completed the fastest run in Azimut history, which is pretty cool.”
Horeau reflected on a near-miss that still earned him a podium spot. “We got the boat perfectly dialled in and the timing was good. We were above 30 knots pretty much the whole time, but towards the end of the leg we had to bear away hard to avoid a RIB, so we ended up with 29.8 knots. But it’s not a big deal. We’ll always take a podium.”
Bonafous, joint seventh, captured the sheer thrill of the day. “It was incredible, full-on sensations. The partners absolutely loved it — we definitely have some new IMOCA fans! Everything happened so fast. We would have loved to keep going for hours, to have more time to look at the settings and improve even further.”
The event also saw the sea, sailors and the public come together to pay tribute to Charlie Dalin. With the fleet in this kind of form, the remainder of the Défi Azimut promises to be unmissable.
