They are three of the best-known skippers in the Imoca world and have now started the new season as early as possible with a joint intensive training programme: Elodie Bonafous ("Association Petits Princes-Queguiner"), Violette Dorange ("Initiatives-Cœur") and Francesca "Frankie" Clapcich ("11th Hour Racing"). The two Frenchwomen and the Italian-American skipper of Boris Herrmann's former "Malizia 3" took part in their first offshore training week as a trio.
Breton "girls' week": strong together in the Imoca class
The starting point of the Breton "girls' week" was Port-la-Fôret, also known as the home of the famous offshore training centre Pôle Finisterre Course au Large. The three top female sailors met here for compact preparation for the challenges of the season, which starts directly with the first solo on 3 May. The 1000 Race will take seven skippers from Port-la-Fôret around Fastnet Rock and back to Concarneau.
Elodie Bonafous bodes well for this: She made a convincing start to her Imoca career by winning the Rolex Fastnet Race 2025. She won the legendary race last year alongside Yann Elies on the 2024-built "Association Petits Princes-Queguiner" as the first woman in the Imoca class.
Elodie Bonafous was also the first woman to finish on the podium in a stage of the highly demanding Solitaire du Figaro in 2022. The 30-year-old continues to leave nothing to chance. In keeping with the motto "the early bird catches the worm", she met up with Violette Dorange and Francesca Clapcich for an intensive training camp. The opportunity to sail together and challenge each other proved to be a successful start to the Imoca sailing year from the skippers' point of view.
Training with three female skippers: "demanding, serious, rigorous"
Elodie Bonafous then reported on a very effective week, she said: "The other girls had clearly trained hard during the winter. I had no doubt about that. But they were really ready. Even though I had about a week's head start because I had put my boat back in the water earlier, it was still demanding, serious and rigorous."
The highly competitive Elodie Bonafous continued: "We even realised that it was perhaps no coincidence that the three of us were back on the water earlier. Perhaps we were better organised over the winter? Or maybe we had simply set ourselves the goal of starting sailing again early." This also fitted in well with the plans of "long-distance runner" Frankie Clapcich.
Inspired by the strong second placeClapcich also came out of the starting blocks early this year, following on from her victory with Boris Herrmann's longstanding co-skipper Will Harris at Transat Café L'Or last year. The 38-year-old, who campaigns with her team for equal opportunities in sailing and regattas, ended the training week on a high with Bonafous and Dorange.
Having three women on the water training against each other, helping each other and debriefing together was really great." Francesca Clapcich
Francesca Clapcich, whose campaign is also co-hosted by Team Malizia, described the training atmosphere as "super co-operative" and said: "Yes, I think we all sailed pretty well. We learnt a lot." For all three women, the 1000 Race marks the start of a season with several solo focal points: The Vendée Arctique will follow in June and the Route du Rhum with destination Guadeloupe in autumn.
Vendée Arctique and Route du Rhum: the big solo races of the season
Elodie Bonafous explained that the main focus of the joint offshore training week with the Imocas was on handling on board: "For me, the main goal for the start of the year was to continue learning how to handle the boat, operate it and become confident when sailing solo." She sees the 1000 Race as a preparation race for the first big Imoca challenge in the Vendée Arctique.
The Vendée Arctique is a much bigger challenge because the weather conditions could be tough. I'm glad that I can sail a lot beforehand." Elodie Bonafous
According to Bonafous, her Imoca team "didn't spend too much time overhauling" during the winter. The power player wanted to have "more time for sailing". Comparing the two big solo races of the season - Vendée Arctique and Route du Rhum - Elodie Bonafous said: "I would rate them almost equally, even if the media presence, the commitment of the partners and the general prestige of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe are higher. In terms of difficulty, I think there are more unknowns with the Vendée Arctique."
Like Elodie Bonafous, Frankie Clapcich is also working on solo handling on "11th Hour Racing". Her view ahead: "In this first race (Red: 1000 Race), I hope above all to be mindful of how I approach things on board - perhaps taking a little more time with each manoeuvre." Her goals when setting off solo: "Thinking about the right moves, not damaging the boat, always being one step ahead of the weather and setting the right sail at the right moment."
The trio's long-term goal: the Vendée Globe 2028/2029
Francesca Clapcich says she is "not really concerned with the result" at the start, but rather "the process of how I get there and how I prepare for the whole season". Elodie Bonafous is pursuing a similar strategy. The Frenchwoman, who is known as an intensive analyser, explained: "I don't like to talk about numerical goals because this is practically the beginning of my solo career. It's more about the approach."
I have a boat that runs well. And I think I'm capable of performing well, but I don't want to put too much pressure on myself." Elodie Bonafous
For them as well as for Frankie Clapcich and Violette Dorange, who is only 25 years old, the Vendée Globe 2028/2029 remains the big long-term goal. For the youngest of the bunch, it will be the second solo round the world after the highly acclaimed premiere in 2024/2025. Still competing in the Opti in 2016, the young Frenchwoman has experienced an incredible rise.
11th Hour Racing: challenged solo and in a team
"The fact that I can now follow in the footsteps of my childhood idol is simply incredible," said Violette Dorange when she took over "Initiatives - Cœur" from skipper Sam Davies. After a year of handover, Dorange is now back as a soloist. Elodie Bonafous and Francesca Clapcich are aiming for their Vendée Globe première. It is certain that all three women will be heard a lot more on their Imoca summit course.
And Frankie Clapcich is also involved in team operations: like Boris Herrmann's Malizia team with the new "Malizia 4", her team is also taking part in the Ocean Race Atlantic which will take its challengers from New York to Lorient from 1 September.
Do you still recognise her? Francesca Clapcich's "11th Hour Racing" is the former "Malizia 3" of Boris Herrmann and Team Malizia. Here you can see her in her new look:
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
