28 Imocas set off from Lorient on 15 September for a circuit of the Atlantic. The boats were divided into two fleets: a single-handed fleet with 24 starters and a group of four Imocas that want to take part in the Ocean Race and started the race with full crews. Only Ocean Race candidate Kévin Escoffier sailed his "Holcim PRB" solo. His crew for the crewed circumnavigation has not yet been officially announced. Paul Meilhat and his Biotherm team had to cancel their participation a few weeks after their launch shortly before the start of the race due to technical problems.
German sailors finished second and third in the first test of strength in the Défi Azimut
Victory in the small field of the "Ocean Race Imocas" in the Défi Azimut was secured by the highly experienced 11th Hour Racing Team led by US skipper Charlie Enright. Boris Herrmann, his co-skippers Will Harris, Rosalin Kuiper and Nico Lunven and on-board reporter Antoine Auriol defended second place for long stretches, eventually finishing third behind the French-German Guyot Environnement - Team Europe with co-skippers Benjamin Dutreux, Robert Stanjek and their team-mates.
Boris Herrmann was positive after the endurance test for his new boat: "I'm very happy with the race. It was a good time, because it was the first time we had been in race mode and travelling with competitors for 48 hours. That gave us a lot of useful information: Are we at the right angle? Is it the right speed? Is the boat really fast or not? I am very satisfied because it seems that the boat has a lot of potential. Now it's up to us as a team to realise that potential. It was a great test and a great achievement by the whole team to have a reliable boat so soon after the start."
The Ocean Race starts on 15 January 2023 in Alicante, Spain. Until then, Team Malizia will complete training sessions, for example in Port-La-Forêt, while also focussing on the crew configuration. Boris Herrmann will also take part in the Route du Rhum from Saint Malo to Guadeloupe in November this year, his first solo regatta since completing the Vendée Globe 2020/21.
Benjamin Dutreux: "We have to learn quickly!"
Guyot Environnement - Team Europe also used the Défi Azimut for testing and training purposes. Co-skippers Benjamin Dutreux and Robert Stanjek, along with Annie Lush and Phillip Kasüske, took the opportunity to compete with the other Imoca teams in preparation for the Ocean Race 2023. Benjamin Dutreux said: "It's the first year for me on a foiling boat. I started four months ago. Together with the team, it's the first week on the boat. So we have to learn quickly!" For Dutreux, like Boris Herrmann, the solo Route du Rhum is on the agenda from 6 November. After that, his team will also switch back to crew mode and concentrate fully on the Ocean Race.
Exhausted but happy, Robert Stanjek returned to Lorient after two challenging days in the Bay of Biscay: "Our first week of training on this boat and the race served to familiarise us with the hardware after we sailed on a non-foiler for The Ocean Race Europe. I have to say: A foiling Imoca is amazing! The boats can withstand unimaginable forces, in certain conditions moving around on the Imoca is a challenge that can't be mastered without knee pads in a bent position and with a few bumps." However, the exhilarating foil passages are a nice compensation for the exertions, says Stanjek.
The Berliner continued: "I am amazed at how stable the boat sails when you have it on the foils. But every flight is followed by a hard landing. On the second night of the Défi Azimut, we foiled through the night on a pointed space wind course. The wave was still against us after a wind shift, so we flew through a tunnel of spray. A brutal experience!"
Robert Stanjek: "The learning process for the crew will extend into The Ocean Race"
The team's realisation: the tried and tested yacht, which had previously been sailed by 11th Hour Racing, coped well with the conditions and showed potential. "We now have to develop the team. This will be a learning process that will extend into The Ocean Race," says Stanjek, explaining the steep learning curve they are aiming for. He is not the only one who knows: "At the moment, 11th Hour Racing is clearly superior. They have a unique selling point compared to the other teams: they have been focussing on preparing for The Ocean Race for three years."
For Guyot Environnement - Team Europe, further preparation for the start on 15 January in Alicante after the Route du Rhum has begun. "The crew will use the yacht's return from the Caribbean for intensive training on the Atlantic," reports team manager Jens Kuphal. "After returning directly to Alicante, the Imoca will be intensively checked and prepared for the start in final training sessions," says Kuphal.
