A Stellar Fleet Embarks on the Historic Course des Caps, Marking the Start of the 2025 IMOCA Globe Series

Regarded as one of the world’s classic competitive waterways, the Course des Caps signals the start of the 2025 IMOCA Globe Series Championship. This race is the first step in the four-year journey towards the 2028 Vendée Globe. Commencing from Boulogne-sur-Mer in the Pas-de-Calais on June 29th, this epic, non-stop sprint circles the British Isles, touching the northernmost point of the Shetland Islands. The race showcases an impressive fleet of 11 IMOCA boats, each operated by a team of four skilled sailors, mandatorily including one female participant. Each team is additionally accompanied by an Onboard Reporter, documenting their remarkable oceangoing experiences. With a wide range of entrants, prominent teams include sailors such as MACIF Santé Prévoyance’s Sam Goodchild and Charal’s Jérémie Beyou. Justine Mettraux leads the Teamwork-Team Snef and Elodie Bonafous marks a debut onboard the Associations Petits Princes - Queguiner. Covering a daunting 2,000 nautical mile stretch, Course des Caps provides a rigorous challenge to sailors and navigators alike. The route presents ever-changing coastal weather, headlands, tidal gates, and physical obstacles like oil rigs, wind farms, and bustling commercial shipping lanes. Brittany’s British sailor Sam Goodchild faces his first race as an IMOCA skipper riding the Verdier-designed MACIF Santé Prévoyance. Goodchild views the race as a thrilling start to the new sailing season, emphasising the array of challenges it brings and its potential for excitement. Course des Caps veteran Sam Davies, helming Initiatives-Coeur along with rising French star Violette Dorange, holds the record for the fastest female crew. The growing prevalence of wind farms in the North Sea, according to Davies, adds a layer of complexity to the already intricate race.