Vendée Arctique: Italian counter-attack – Ambrogio Beccaria takes the win

The calm waters of the Bay of Biscay proved to be Sam Goodchild’s undoing. For almost the entire race, the British skipper of the “Macif Santé Prévoyance” had led the Vendée Arctique, at times very dominantly. Then Ambrogio Beccaria overtook him on the final evening and crossed the finish line first in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The Arctic Circle race to and from Les Sables-d’Olonne has a surprise winner who didn’t even think it was possible.

"I never thought I could win." Ambrogio Beccaria

Ambrogio Beccaria crossed the finish line aboard “Allagrande Mapei” at 3.07 am on 16 June, having covered 3,190 nautical miles. He secured victory in the Vendée Arctique after 8 days, 14 hours, 5 minutes and 50 seconds. Even he could hardly believe it. Shortly after crossing the finish line, Beccaria said: “After 24 hours in this race, I was on the verge of saying: I’m giving up, I can’t sail north without an autopilot. I don’t think I can do it.” And yet he managed it. And how!

“I have managed to overcome all the problems I faced.” Ambrogio Beccaria

According to the Milanese sailor, he had gained confidence in the boat and in himself. Then, in the Vendée Arctique, “the story unfolded bit by bit”. Yet both he himself and all observers remain astonished that Beccaria was able to make up a deficit of more than 200 nautical miles. “I never in my life would have thought I could make up 200 nautical miles,” said the 34-year-old naval architect, who in 2019 became the first Italian to win the Mini Transat.

First Imoca solo race, first victory for Ambrogio Beccaria

Now, seven years on, he has won the 3rd Vendée Arctique in his first major solo IMOCA race. He also remarked: “In sailing, there’s always a bit of luck involved. It’s a lovely way to round things off. And when you see that the opportunity is there, you forget everything, you forget all the pain, all the suffering, and you simply do what you love: fight!”

Ambrogio Beccaria achieved this in a Vendée Arctique race that was unprecedented in terms of its route: never before had an IMOCA skipper reached the Arctic Circle during a race. With its many twists and turns, the Vendée Arctique kept sailors and fans on the edge of their seats. Ambrogio Beccaria played a key part in this, having to deal with a 20-minute blackout on board right at the start. Off the Irish coast, he then had to set a northerly course dive under the hull of the “Allagrande Mapei” five timesto free the keel from a fishing buoy.

After that, he raced after the pack in fifth place. He reached the Arctic Circle in fourth place. He recalls: “We drove a long way north, and at some point we felt as though we’d almost reached the end of the world. There was a rather strange atmosphere. You could hardly see anything anymore; you didn’t really know where you were. The cold was pretty intense, too. But it was like a dream that never ends.”

The turning point in the Vendée Arctique: Goodchild heads into the wall of calm

On the return journey to Les Sables-d’Olonne, Ambrogio Beccaria had also decided, partly for safety reasons, against the narrow passage between Great Britain and Ireland that Sam Goodchild and Élodie Bonafous had previously chosen. He had opted for the coastal route along the west coast of Ireland was chosen, even though, by his own admission, his own route planning suggested that the others had better prospects. But things turned out differently.

When a light breeze tested the soloists’ nerves on Monday, the Italian overtook Élodie Bonafous, who, after passing through a traffic separation zone, had to serve her gruelling 12-hour sentence anyway, and Sam Goodchild too. For Ambrogio Beccaria, this is his first major victory in his first solo race aboard “Allagrande Mapei”. His triumph, achieved at an average speed of 15.5 knots, sealed Sam Goodchild’s “defeat”, who had also completed his 3,219 nautical miles at an average speed of 15.5 knots.

For the skipper of the “Macif Santé Prévoyance”, things had turned out almost exactly the opposite to Beccaria. The Briton had taken the lead on the first night and had the race under control throughout. Shortly before the finish, however, he was abruptly halted by light winds. Even the day before the final, Goodchild had wondered how one could possibly defend a lead without wind?

Violette Dorange finishes third in the Vendée Arctique

He then had to relinquish his lead to Ambrogio Beccaria in the final hours of the race. Sam Goodchild crossed the finish line 1 hour, 15 minutes and 3 seconds after the Italian. Despite this turn of events and the frustration that came with it, Sam Goodchild put in a near-flawless performance and underlined his claim to a top spot in the IMOCA world.

Third place went to “Initiatives Cœur” skipper Violette Dorange, who, two years after her Vendée Globe debut, demonstrated in the Vendée Arctique that she has made significant progress. Like Ambrogio Beccaria, Violette Dorange had also opted for the outer route along the west coast of Ireland on the return leg. Like Beccaria, she too was able to catch up with the leading boats. Whilst Élodie Bonafous served her penalty, Violette Dorange sailed her way onto the podium.

Replay! Here’s the live coverage of the finish line: