Vendée Arctique: Straight through the middle, or perhaps the west of Ireland?

Sam Goodchild won’t quite be able to wave to his hometown of Bristol as he travels between Great Britain and Wales on one side and Ireland on the other, but his adopted home of France comes the British frontrunner Take a closer look at the Vendée Arctique now.

Vendée Arctique: Goodchild leads, Bonafous is closing in

On Saturday morning, Sam Goodchild still had a good 600 nautical miles to sail in the Vendée Arctique before reaching the start and finish port. He had already extended his lead over Élodie Bonafous (“Association Petits Princes – Queguiner”) to more than 210 nautical miles. On the morning of 13 June, it was still 175 nautical miles, whilst Élodie Bonafous was at times sailing a few knots faster. Click here for the live tracker.

Little by little, the Vendée Arctic fleet is returning from the northern polar regions to familiar waters – and is reorganising itself. Seven of the eight solo sailors still at sea have crossed the Arctic Circle in recent days. The times are shown in the “certificates” in the photo gallery. For most, the second half of the race has long since begun. Only Manu Cousin on “Coup de Pouce” still had more than 100 nautical miles to go to the “Cercle polaire” on Saturday morning, whilst frontrunner Sam Goodchild was already heading for the Isle of Man between the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Speeds on board the Imocas had recently risen significantly once again. Propelled by 25-knot winds and gusts of up to 30 knots, and challenged by waves of up to four metres, the solo sailors in the Vendée Arctique have once again achieved average speeds of over 20 knots. The foils whistle as the bows cut through the salt water, and the miles fly by.

Vendée Arctique: the Northern Channel or the West Irish Outer Route?

From the outside, it looks fast and easy, but on board the sailors have their hands full once again. On top of that came another challenge: choosing the route home. The narrow passage between Ireland and Great Britain has its advantages, but it doesn’t appeal to everyone. The difficult choice of route divides the participants. It’s a matter of balancing performance, risk-taking and caution.

With its unusual route from Les Sables-d’Olonne to the Arctic Circle and back, the Vendée Arctique had already captured the imagination of competitors and spectators alike on the outward leg. The Hebrides, the Faroe Islands, the Arctic Circle and Iceland, which flashed into view between two banks of fog: these were all waypoints that you don’t come across every day in regattas.

The route back to the port of destination is no less remarkable: to return to the Atlantic, several competitors have opted for the North Channel passage between the Emerald Isle and Great Britain. At its narrowest point – near the Strait of Moyle – the two coasts are only about twenty kilometres apart. It is a narrow course, made into a strategically extremely demanding task by currents, shipping traffic and traffic separation schemes in the final third of the Vendée Arctique.

Goodchild determined to sail through the North Channel

The setting is steeped in history and mythology. According to a famous Irish legend, the giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill is said to have built the Giant’s Causeway in this region to reach Scotland. Today, it is Imoca yachts that race past at high speed. Their concerns and plans are very different from those of the heroes in the Celtic tales. For the sailors, this sea route is not merely a curiosity. It marks one of the most important strategic decisions in the Vendée Arctique.

Sam Goodchild didn’t hesitate. The race leader has already opted for the North Channel crossing. Élodie Bonafous (“Association Petits Princes – Quéguiner”), currently in second place, is following his strategy. On paper, the option is tempting. It is more direct, shorter and, according to current forecasts, above all faster.

But not everyone is tempted. Ambrogio Beccaria (“Allagrande Mapei”), who overtook Violette Dorange (“Initiatives - Cœur”) on Friday, initially took third place and had also lapped Élodie Bonafous in a long-distance duel by Saturday morning, decided otherwise. With speeds of 24–25 knots, the Italian decided to sail around Ireland to the west, where he initially made very good progress.

Best in the West: more miles, less risk

“Allagrande Mapei” skipper Ambrogio Beccaria commented on his thoughts during the return leg of the Vendée Arctique and the decision to take the route along the west coast of Ireland: “When I look at what’s in store: strong winds, high seas, a counter-current and a traffic separation zone to navigate through a narrow passage – to be honest, it makes my stomach churn. I don’t have a good feeling about it.”

Beccaria has very deliberately opted against the northern channel route taken by Goodchild and Bonafous. He knows what he is missing out on and has spoken openly about it: “The worst thing is that I know this is probably the winning route. My route calculations sometimes give it a lead of 50 to 60 nautical miles.” Yet, for his first major IMOCA solo race, Beccaria’s calculations go far beyond a simple cost-benefit analysis.

He has only just got over a scare with the autopilot. On the way to the Arctic Circle, he had to deal with a blackout during the opening stages of the Vendée Arctique and later dive into the icy North Atlantic five times…to free the keel of the “Allagrande Mapei” from a fishing buoy that had become snagged on it. The autopilot failure reinforced his conviction. “If the same thing happens in the wrong place, it can quickly turn into a real disaster.”

Violette Dorange: competing in the Vendée Arctique final without a key headsail

Violette Dorange sounded a little more undecided early this morning, even though her course, like Frankie Clapcich’s, had recently seemed to be following that of Ambrogio Beccaria on the outside lane. She said: “I’ve been mulling the problem over for several hours now. At the moment, I’m leaning more towards taking the western route. The inside route looks very tempting on paper, but it’s also much riskier.”

Since losing her masthead zero, Violette Dorange has been sailing at a disadvantage, particularly in lighter winds. She tried to cheer herself up by saying: “I’ll try to make up for it with strategic decisions and make the best of what I’ve got left on board.” Some 60 nautical miles behind her, Francesca Clapcich took a different view.

“My intention is still to sail through the North Channel. I know it’s a more challenging option, but it’s the one I want to choose for myself.” Francesca Clapcich

She added that she would slow down if she felt it necessary. Behind this statement lies the clear realisation that, in reality, the shorter route will place a heavy strain on the increasingly weary solo sailor, given the strong currents, heavy shipping traffic and the need for frequent manoeuvring in changeable winds. Strong gusts and sudden lulls in the wind are a given between the cliffs that line the inner course at certain points.

The fleet is spread across an entire country in the final third

Sam Goodchild, on the other hand, is likely to sail out of the narrow St George’s Channel between Ireland and Wales as early as Saturday afternoon. The overall situation in the Vendée Arctique has been shaped by the split in the fleet, which will soon separate the whole of Ireland, six days following the eventful start on 7 June gained momentum.

As a reminder, here is an overview of the Vendée Arctique route. Although the preliminary plan envisaged Arctic Circle options to the west and east of Iceland (all boats have passed the Arctic Circle to the east of Iceland), it did not include the North Channel route, which frontrunner Sam Goodchild and other solo sailors have just chosen or are yet to choose: