IMOCARacing Articles

CHARAL STORMS TO VICTORY

The French duo crossed the finish line off Martinique in dramatic tropical rain on Friday, November 7, completing a 5,467.42-nautical-mile course from Le Havre, France, in just 11 days at an astonishing average speed of 19.25 knots. For Beyou — a five-time Vendée Globe veteran — this marks his long-awaited return to the top of the podium, while for Lagravière it represents an extraordinary third consecutive Transat Café L’OR victory (following wins in 2021 and 2023).
BEYOU AND LAGRAVIÈRE DOMINATE THE 2025 TRANSAT CAFÉ L’OR
© IMOCA

Speed, grit, and glory — Beyou and Lagravière master the Atlantic to claim Charal’s long-awaited triumph.

13-11-2025

Beyou and Lagravière Power Charal Toward a Historic Victory Across the Atlantic

Transat Café L’OR 2025
© Vincent Curutchet / Alea
For Beyou, 49, this race could mark a long-awaited return to the top step of the podium — his first major win since the 2020 Vendée Arctique. For co-skipper Lagravière, victory would cement his dominance in this transatlantic classic, giving him an unprecedented third consecutive win following triumphs in 2021 and 2023 with Thomas Ruyant. Charal in Command – A Masterclass at Sea Now on the 11th day at sea, the duo has widened the gap to over 114 miles ahead of Sam Goodchild and Loïs Berrehar aboard MACIF Santé Prévoyance, the reigning IMOCA Globe Series leaders.
10-11-2025

18 IMOCAs Blast Off..... its the Transat Café L’OR 2025

LE HAVRE, FRANCE | The final IMOCA race of the 2025 season has officially roared into life, as 18 of the world’s fastest foiling yachts crossed the start line of the Transat Café L’OR, bound for Fort-de-France, Martinique. Stretching 4,350 nautical miles across the North Atlantic, the race marks the dramatic finale to a year of relentless competition for the IMOCA fleet — and with conditions building out of the English Channel, this one promises to be fast, furious, and full of fireworks.
05-11-2025

MACIF Santé Prévoyance Wins

In the world of offshore sailing, some boats earn a reputation for being more than just fast—they become legends. This week at the Défi Azimut – Lorient Agglomération, that legend grew as British skipper Sam Goodchild, sailing with French co-skipper Loïs Berrehar, drove the IMOCA MACIF Santé Prévoyance to yet another victory.
24-10-2025

IMOCA and Magenta - Expand Female Leadership - Vendée Globe 2028

An IMOCA initiative designed to shift the balance in ocean racing and the wider marine industry is stepping up a gear this season, setting bold goals on the road to the next Vendée Globe in 2028.
20-10-2025

Biotherm Crowned in Boka Bay

The Boka Bay Coastal Race, sailed against the dramatic backdrop of Montenegro’s mountains and calm turquoise waters, was the perfect finale to this summer’s edition of The Ocean Race Europe 2025. It had everything: close-quarters duels, tactical brilliance, and one last show of dominance from Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm, who sealed overall victory with yet another flawless performance.
08-10-2025

Biotherm Clinches Final Leg in Montenegro to Seal Dominant Victory in The Ocean Race Europe 2025

Paul Meilhat’s French-flagged IMOCA Biotherm has crowned a masterclass campaign with victory in the fifth and final leg of The Ocean Race Europe 2025, securing an emphatic overall championship win in the five-week, 4,500-nautical-mile sprint around Europe.
22-09-2025

The Ocean Race Europe Fleet Battles Storms and Shifty Mediterranean Winds

The Ocean Race Europe 2025 fleet four days into the gruelling fifth leg, a 1,600-mile Mediterranean marathon from Genova, Italy to Boka Bay, Montenegro — and the battle at the front is as intense as ever.
20-09-2025

Paprec Arkéa edges ahead in a dramatic dash past Sardinia.

The Ocean Race Europe fleet has finally shaken free of the light airs that dogged their departure from Genova, Italy, and now the competition is back at full throttle. With fresh Mediterranean breezes filling in overnight, the IMOCA fleet has sprung into life, powering south at speeds of over 30 knots. For the French entry Paprec Arkéa, skippered by Yoann Richomme, it’s been a near-perfect start to Leg 5 — and their early efforts were rewarded at the crucial Santo Stefano Scoring Gate, where they crossed first to claim two vital bonus points.
17-09-2025

Final Push to Montenegro: A Grand Mediterranean Showdown

The stage is set for a finale worthy of The Ocean Race Europe 2025. Seven hardened IMOCA crews, battle-tested from weeks of light-air duels, bone-shaking sprints, and sleepless nights, now line up for the ultimate test: a 2,000-nautical mile marathon from Genoa, Italy to Boka Bay, Montenegro.
13-09-2025

Allagrande Mapei Racing Triumphs in Genova

It was the finish Ambrogio Beccaria had dreamed of since the start: an Italian skipper, sailing an Italian-flagged IMOCA, flying into his home waters of Genova under the glare of floodlights and the roar of a midnight crowd. After 600 hard miles, Allagrande Mapei Racing delivered the goods, claiming victory in Leg 4 of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 and proving that sometimes, yes, fairy-tales do come true.
12-09-2025

Allagrande Mapei Racing Locked in a Genoa Dogfight

The Gulf of Genova has become the stage for high drama in The Ocean Race Europe 2025. After more than 400 nautical miles of pressure-cooker racing on Leg 4, the fleet is compressing once again. And right at the heart of the action – in home waters – is Italy’s own Allagrande Mapei Racing, fighting tooth and nail for the lead.
11-09-2025

Fleet Departs Nice in Glamour Conditions as Leg 4 of The Ocean Race Europe Gets Underway

The Ocean Race Europe 2025 has reached its penultimate chapter, and it opened today in pure Mediterranean style. Nice delivered a sun-splashed send-off, the Bay of Angels shimmering as seven IMOCA crews unfurled their Code Zero sails and slipped the lines for Leg 4, a 550-mile loop around Corsica before the grand finale in Genova.
09-09-2025

Fresh Breeze, Fresh Battles: Fleet Accelerates Toward France After a Gruelling Night off Mallorca

After a long, sticky night of light airs downwind sailing close along Mallorca’s rugged northern shoreline, Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm (FRA) has emerged with an 11-nautical mile advantage over Holcim-PRB (SUI), the pair locked together for much of the night in a bruising battle of patience and precision.
03-09-2025

Biotherm’s Perfect Finish in Cartagena

In the early hours of Saturday morning, under the faint glow of dockside lamps, Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm ghosted across the finish line in Cartagena. The time was 04:53 local, the crew exhausted yet elated, as they completed Leg 2 of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 with a clean sweep of every scoring opportunity on offer.
01-09-2025

Mediterranean Chaos: Leaders Stumble, Fleet Closes In

The Mediterranean has once again lived up to its trickster reputation, turning the charge to Cartagena into a drifting match. Only hours after blasting through Gibraltar at 30 knots, Paprec Arkéa were wallowing along at barely one – watching Biotherm and Holcim-PRB slip north and the chasing pack roar back into contention.
31-08-2025

Fleet storms away from the Solent as Ocean Race Europe Leg 2

Portsmouth turned on the sunshine this evening as seven IMOCAs thundered off the Royal Yacht Squadron line at 17:00, launching the second leg of The Ocean Race Europe 2025. Ahead lies 1,400 nautical miles of hard running to Cartagena, Spain, with a midweek fly-by off Matosinhos-Porto to keep things lively.
23-08-2025

The Ocean Race Europe – Biotherm holding the cards

Upwind pace isn’t usually the party trick of an IMOCA, but Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm has been proving otherwise in Leg One of The Ocean Race Europe – and it’s giving them the edge.
15-08-2025

From Baltic grey to Adriatic blue, seven IMOCAs chase glory

Strap in for six weeks of offshore mayhem. Seven of the fastest, foiling, fully-crewed IMOCAs on the planet — and their multination, mixed-gender crews — are setting out from Kiel this weekend on a 4,500-nautical mile sprint-slugfest to Boka Bay, Montenegro.
11-08-2025