1000 Race: The Imocas are on the loose - who will win around Fastnet Rock?

A grey overcast sky, light winds and a very long start line were the ingredients for the start of the first Imoca race of the season off Port-la-Foret. The starting signal was given punctually at 12 noon on 3 May. Three female and four male skippers form the small but select field in which the players test and train early in the year, especially for the big races of the season, try out their set-ups and compare the qualities of their boats with each other.

The tracking for the 1000 Race can be found here.

1000 Race: three womenfour men on the starting line

Élodie Bonafous was the fastest out of the starting blocks with "Association Petits Princes - Quéguiner", and soon after was involved in exciting top duels with Sam Goodchild ("Macif Santé Prévoyance") and "Macsf" skipper Corentin Horeau. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman, who grew up in a sailing family in northern Finistère, is sailing her Verdier design from 2024. Together with Yann Eliès, she won the Rolex Fastnet Race in the Imoca class in 2025, so she has fond memories on the Fastnet Rocks course. In the 1000 Race, however, the challengers will have to go solo.

In addition to Élodie Bonafous, Francesca Clapcich ("11th Hour Racing", ex-"Malizia 3") and 25-year-old Violette Dorange with her Manuard design "Initiatives - Cœur" from 2022, two other Imoca skippers were in action. Almost two hours after the start, they were in fourth and sixth place, but the gaps were still very small. At this point, Nico D'Estais, who had joined the Imoca class last year, had worked his way up to third place.

The 34-year-old Mini-Transat runner-up from 2019 sails an Imoca from 2010 with a lot of history: his VPLP/Verdier design has already served as "Macif", "SMA", "Banque Populaire X" and most recently Benjamin Ferré as "Monnoyeur - Duo for a Job". Now the non-foiler is set to be a springboard for Nico D'Estais on his course to take part in the 2028/2029 Vendée Globe. But the 1000 Race will probably be won by others.

Four Imoca challengers sail solo for the first time

Nevertheless, race director Hubert Lemonnier said: "Nico D'Estais is a good sailor with a lot of brains. And he's a tough guy. I think he has the right profile for this type of sailing and is very focussed - he really concentrates on performance, even if he knows that his boat may lag behind a little in certain conditions."

Around 1200 nautical miles long, the 1000 Race leads its challengers almost like a sprint from Brittany to the legendary Fastnet Rock off the south-west tip of Ireland and back to beautiful Concarneau, where Vendée Globe winner Charlie Dalin is also based. Two virtual waypoints will be passed in the Bay of Biscay. The forecasts pointed to predominantly light winds. On the way back, there could be a few fast foiling flights after the Fastnet rounding in north-north-westerly winds heading south.

Four of the seven single-handed skippers are sailing solo for the first time: Corentin Horeau on the ex-"Parpec Arkéa", which was sailed to second place at the recent Vendée Globe by Yoann Richomme. Horeau is preparing for his Vendée Globe premiere in 2028 with the rocket, which will now be launched under the name "Macsf". Élodie Bonafous, Francesca Clapcich and Nico D'Estais will also be sailing solo for the first time.

The 100 Race: a short but challenging "sprint"

Among the solo rookies, the 36-year-old Horeau with the strong Koch/Finot design is considered one of the most promising newcomers in the Imoca class. As the brilliant winner of the Solitaire du Figaro 2023 and a fellow competitor of Yoann Richomme in the Ocean Race Europe, Horeau could hardly wait to contest his first race on a boat that was so successful under Richomme's leadership.

Horeau's outlook on the start of the 1000 Race was open and honest: "Listen, light conditions are pretty good for the first start. But you shouldn't forget that light conditions can also be quite demanding because you have to manoeuvre a lot and probably change sails a lot. So that costs a lot of energy. But overall, it's definitely better to spend these first 24 hours in relatively easy conditions. That takes the pressure off for the first race."

The 1000 Race may seem a little different to the big races like the Vendée Arctiquethe Ocean Race Atlantic or also the Route du Rhum seem like a short distance. In reality, however, it is technically very demanding: you have to round headlands, master strong tidal currents in the English Channel, juggle exclusion zones, avoid commercial and fishing traffic and parry constantly changing weather conditions.

The biggest challenge in the 1000 Race: finding peace

Horeau said the biggest challenge for him will be to leave the cockpit on this race course, to find some peace and quiet. He said: "As I've never done a race 100 per cent on my own on this boat, I need to find the right moments to rest properly. The big question is sleep - how I'm going to manage that. I'll try to force myself to get enough rest and then at the end of next week we'll take stock of how it went."

Corentin Horeau, just like other skippers in the fleet, is cautious about expecting too much: "Of course we want to achieve a good result. But the main aim is to learn and familiarise ourselves. We have a great boat that is very powerful. But we mustn't forget that it's my first time." In contrast to the four new soloists, Sam Goodchild ("Macif Santé Prévoyance"), Arnaud Boissières and the young Violette are already very experienced soloists.

It's a good mix of very good sailors and very good boats." Hubert Lemonnier

The race committee recently assumed that the fleet would find enough wind for the ride to Fastnet Rock after a tricky opening. The fastest Imocas in the 1000 Race are expected to arrive there on Tuesday afternoon. From there, the leaders should be able to enjoy a fast downwind leg to the second of the two virtual waypoints north-west of Cape Finisterre. The soloists are expected to reach the finish harbour of Concarneau after just under a week next Saturday.

REPLAY! Click here for the French-language replay of the live broadcast of the start of the 1000 Race:

Here Francesca Clapcich (11th Hour Racing) explains her first solo race and how it might go: