Élodie Bonafous is known as a methodical planner and aggressive skipper. Growing up in northern Finistère in a dedicated sailing family, she was the first woman to achieve a podium finish in a Figaro stage. Now she wants to storm the ultimate stage of her sport. Her new Imoca "Horizon 29" is a sister ship to Charlie Dalin's winning yacht from the tenth anniversary edition: "Macif Santé Prévoyance".
With Figaro successes into the Imoca World League
The launch of the new Bonafous boat this week is a clear sign of the growing ambition of the often furious Frenchwoman to be competitive in the next regatta. She represents what the best female sailor of the 10th Vendée Globe and other top competitors are hoping for in the future. Justine Mettraux had said: "I think it (ed.: a female Vendée Globe win) will happen when there are more women with real winning projects and new boats. In this edition, only Sam Davies had a new boat."
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This is set to change in the future. Élodie Bonafous has given the starting signal. She has proven her potential for Imoca success in the World League many times in the demanding Figaro class. She sailed into the top ten twice, finishing sixth and eighth in 2023 and 2024. She was also the first woman to achieve a stage podium finish in the modern history of the race.
The 29-year-old trains with the best from the Pôle Finistère Course au Large, where Boris Herrmann is also active. The Frenchwoman is surrounded by an experienced team and now has four years to maximise her preparation for her start at the eleventh Vendée Globe. Naturally, Èlodie Bonnafous has not been able to take part in the tenth edition of the solo round-the-world race (Click here to go directly to the Race Tracker) intensively observed.
The speed at the front of the Vendée Globe fleet blew me away." Élodie Bonafous
Her conclusion: "To be honest, I was completely blown away by the pace set at the front of the fleet. Especially at the beginning of the race and during the descent into the South Atlantic. It was really impressive and intense. The guys and girls showed that they had their boats perfectly under control. The standard was incredibly high. That motivates me even more, because apart from the adventure, I love the competition. It's all about the details and that's exciting!"
An "excellent tool" for the Vendée Globe
Bonafous followed the Vendée Globe, which is coming to an end these days, with great interest, recognising above all the enormous increase in competitiveness of the fleet. Dalin's marvellous 64-day record has raised the Vendée Globe to a new level. In addition, Justine Mettraux was the best female skipper on a six-year-old boat, finishing eighth in 76 days, confirming that women can shine in the top ten in this demanding discipline.
The fact that her boat is something of a "fraternal twin" to Dalin's winning rocket brings both confidence and challenge to Élodie Bonafou. She says: "It's reassuring and a little intimidating at the same time, because it proves that this boat is an excellent tool for the job. We have a solid base and now it's about working well, being rigorous and doing everything we can to realise its full potential."
The early start to the new Vendée Globe cycle was chosen deliberately. Bonafous has made a strategic decision by launching four years before the next start - expected in November 2028. She explains: "It gives me time to learn, analyse every step and make progress without rushing. Rather than betting on a boat of a completely new generation, it seemed more important to me to have it as early as possible in order to sail as much as possible and gain experience."
Maximum performance is the Vendée Globe goal
The skipper, who switched to the Imoca camp in 2023 and has her base camp in Charlie Dalin's home port of Concarneau, does not want to be specific about her goals just yet. She says: "It's difficult to talk about numerical results because we don't yet know who will be at the start in 2028. But one thing is certain: the adventure is great, but I'm mainly here for the races. The main goal remains performance."
In order to achieve this performance, it is important to know your boat well "so that I can get the best out of it". The Guillaume-Verdier design was built by CDK and MerConcept. It is intended to carry Élodie Bonafous on her course and help turn her long-cherished childhood dream of successfully competing in the Vendée Globe into a reality.
