More and more decisions are being made at the 50th anniversary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race. This was the case in the Imocas, where Charlie Dalin and Pascal Bidegorry on "Macif" won the thrilling duel with Yoanne Richomme and Yann Eliès on "Paprec Arkéa". Only 4 minutes and 6 seconds separated the winners and runners-up at the finish line after their Fastnet thriller duel.
In the long-distance classic from Cowes via Fastnet Rocks in the Irish Sea to Cherbourg, it was clear to see that the tenth edition of the Vendée Globe will take place next year: Both new and older Imocas flexed their muscles. First and foremost, the foiling favourites: the reigning Imoca class champion Charlie Dalin with Pascal Bidegorry on "Macif Santé Prévoyance" and the eagerly awaited duo Yoanne Richomme and Boris Herrmann's Ocean Race competitor Yann Eliès on the new "Paprec Arkéa".
Young, powerful Imocas, experienced tamers
Charlie Dalin and Pascal Bidegorry had just five days to familiarise themselves with their new CDK-built Verdier design before the Fastnet start. But that was still a lot compared to Yoann Richomme and Yann Eliès on the equally new Groupe Finot design "Paprec Arkéa". Although the French duo had already taken part in a short regatta, they experienced structural problems that forced the team back to the shipyard. The restart had taken them straight to the starting line of the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race.
The latest Imocas sail with huge foils and closed cockpits from which the view to the outside is restricted. They are not designed for short turning manoeuvres in narrow waters. Especially not with massive pressure on the wind, as the participants in the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race had to experience and tame after the start on Saturday afternoon in the Solent. "Macif Santé Prévoyance" had initially left the Solent alongside "Charal" with Jérémie Beyou and Franck Cammas.
How the duel between "Macif" and "Paprec Arkéa" came to a head
Instead of sailing directly across to the French coast as in 2021, the leading Imoca teams chose to play the currents close to the English coast. "Paprec Arkéa" led the group that sailed south after the Needles and then turned west, crossing in front of the group that had left the Solent via the North Channel. Richomme and Eliès passed Start Point first and slowly extended their lead. Out in the Celtic Sea, they had an 18-mile lead over their pursuers. However, the lead did not last long as the chasers came ever closer.
On the way back from Fastnet Rock to Bishop Rock, "Macif" was able to equalise the entire lead of "Paprec Arkéa". From the Isles of Scilly onwards, the leading duo engaged in an intense and spectacular match race in fading winds. Over the last few nautical miles, the rivals had to fight their way through the strong tidal current with little wind. "Macif Santé Prévoyance" crossed the finish line on Monday evening at 21:31:26 German time with a lead of just 4 minutes and 6 seconds over "Paprec Arkéa". The fact that the first six boats crossed the finish line within 45 minutes of each other due to the final fleet compression shows just how exciting the Imoca final was.
The Imocas win the battle for line honours
Both leading Imocas were faster than Bryon Ehrhart's 88-foot racer "Lucky". This also applies if you take into account the additional 30 minutes that were added due to the later start of the boats in the IRC Super Zero group. This is how "Macif Santé Prévoyance" won the Line Honours in the monohull category. This was the first time in the history of the Rolex Fastnet Race that an Imoca had achieved this.
With a sailed time of just 2 days, 7 hours, 16 minutes and 26 seconds, "Macif Santé Prévoyance" also set a course record for the Fastnet course to Cherbourg. The French team beat the time of the ClubSwan 125 "Skorpios" from 2021, which completed the course in 2 days, 8 hours, 33 minutes and 55 seconds.
With almost 40 knots of speed to victory
"It was a very intense race from the first second with over 30 knots of wind in the Solent," said Dalin. "It was incredible with the big waves and winds coming out of the channel. Then there was the section from the Fastnet Rock to the Scillys when we reached almost 40 knots of speed several times. Crazy speeds! The boat just flew. Then the crazy battle at the end with Yoann and Yann. We caught up with them, they took off again. We caught up with them again and were able to overtake them, and then, when we had a two-mile lead, our keel caught seaweed! When we finally got rid of it, we were able to race to the finish."
Dalin paid tribute to his team and his co-skipper: "It's quite hard to describe how talented and skilful they are. I thought I would do most of the course with a permanently open toolbox. But we experienced that we had speed and that wasn't even necessary. That's just incredible! I'm really happy. Pascal and I have formed a good team - he is exceptionally talented." Charlie Dalin added that he wasn't worried about the heavy conditions on the first night as the Imocas were designed for it.
Imoca podium teams in luck
The crew on "Paprec Arkéa", who were so narrowly beaten, were also satisfied with how the race went. "Our boat behaved really well. We had fitted some reinforcements before the race. That was a good decision as we didn't have any major technical problems," said Yoanne Richomme. Imoca veteran Yann Eliès, who had just competed in the Ocean Race with Boris Herrmann on "Malizia - Seaexplorer", emphasised how fast the new generation of Imocas is upwind. "We are as fast as a multihull and make almost 18 to 20 knots in three-metre waves."
On the way back from Fastnet Rock, "Paprec Arkéa" had reached a boat speed of 37 knots. Richomme emphasised that the competitors' starting speed when foiling was around 13 knots, while his team reached 17 to 18 knots. Richomme said: "The step from the last generation to this one is big. The boats are much more seaworthy than the previous generation."
It's a great race track with lots of challenges. The new course after Cherbourg is fantastic!" (Bryon Ehrhart)
For Sam Goodchild, third place in one of his first major Imoca races was a welcome surprise. Goodchild said: "That wasn't really what we expected. That was good! We started sailing this boat in April. In our first race there were twelve boats on the start line and we came third. In our second race with 29 boats, we didn't think we'd finish third as well, but we're very happy with that."
Bryon Ehrhart's "Lucky" - the former record chaser "Rambler 88" - missed out on the line honours by just 15 minutes after the Imocas' successful power play. The crew led by America's Cup legend Brad Butterworth had given it their all. Ehrhart said at the finish: "It was really impressive to see the Imocas up close and see what they are capable of. It's a great race track with lots of challenges. The new course to Cherbourg is fantastic. What a great place. This race was an incredible experience."
It took every ounce of seamanship we had to keep the boat in one piece" (Bryon Ehrhart)
The "Lucky" owner continued: "The conditions shortly after the start were atrocious. This boat has never sailed with a J6 headsail and three reefs in the main before. It took every ounce of seamanship we had to keep the boat in one piece, but eventually we managed to get past the survival phase and into the real race. And I have to say: the race was really, really good. Rounding the Fastnet Rock again was very special, and some of the conditions afterwards were very exciting."
After the Imocas, the best in Class 40 will now battle it out for victory in the 50th Fastnet race. And from a German perspective, Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink are providing some good news. The young professionals made steady progress on Tuesday morning and were already in fourth place shortly after 11am. Fans of the crew on the Pogo 40 S4 "SignForCom" should bear in mind that two of the three crews ahead of the German team at the time - "Edenred Enjoy Racing 2" and "Ibsa" - have been hit with a two-hour time penalty after their early starts, which will be added to the time sailed to the finish.
Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink attack the Class 40 podium
Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink are currently hurtling towards the finish line in high spirits. They rounded the Fastnet rock in daylight during their first Fastnet race together and are currently benefiting from good sailing conditions for their Pogo. The fastest Class 40 boats are expected to cross the finish line off Cherbourg on the night of 26 July. If Burke and Fink continue to make such good progress, they could even be in with a chance of a podium finish.
The second German Class 40, "Cantaloop40", sailed towards the finish line in 13th place with Sebastian Ropohl, co-skipper David Rowen and Per Dalheimer. The Offshore Board of the North German Regatta Association had already reported at the start of the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race: "The start of the Class 40 was somewhat surprising when around half of the group crossed the line a minute too early."
The water poured metres high over the crew and the ship, we fell into sometimes infinitely deep wave valleys, it was a thunderous noise" (Sebastian Ropohl)
Sebastian Ropohl also reported on how things went: "There was still a moderate 20 knots of wind, but our decision to start with a second reef and staysail was to pay off just minutes later. The first gusts of 30 knots of wind already hit us in the Solent, but the cross to the west to the exit of the Solent went according to plan and without any problems. However, with the increasingly brutal conditions and an increasingly chaotic sea, we decided not to go through the Needles but through the North Channel."
Ropohl continued: "The water was boiling here too, but it was manageable, despite the first gusts of up to 40 knots, and that with wind against the current! An almost unimaginable sea, almost impossible to steer. The wind continued to pick up during the night, and the waves reached four metres in height in some places in an unbelievable cross sea, even with the wind against us. Unfortunately, the tackline of the staysail broke quite early on, so that we had too little luff tension and could hardly go upwind. We were able to repair it provisionally, but our speed and height were considerably reduced. The water poured metres high over the crew and the boat, we fell into sometimes endlessly deep wave troughs, it was a thunderous noise."
"Gingko" is the best German IRC boat in contention for a top ten place
The conditions did not leave the "Cantaloop40" unscathed: "Our life raft tore out of its mooring and the brand new DanBuoy broke out of its mount. At least we were able to save the life raft. It remained brutal until around midnight. Then the wind died down a little, the sea calmed down and the crew got some rest, even some sleep. In the morning we had the best sailing conditions, a marvellous cross with 17 knots of wind, 9 knots of boat speed, J1 and a full main."
While the Class 40 field is approaching the finish, the crew on the Humphreys 39 "Gingko" from the Kieler Yacht-Club was the best German boat in the overall IRC standings in 13th place with around 200 nautical miles remaining to the finish, fighting for a top ten place in the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race. In 23rd place in the field of 207 of the 364 IRC yachts still in the race, the Carkeek 47 "Störtebeker" with Max Gärtner was well in the running on Tuesday morning. Her arrival time is calculated for Wednesday afternoon.
