The sailing scene in Europe is starting to heat up, especially in the IMOCA Class. It’s my favorite kind of Class because of their innovation and because it’s essentially a French creation and they like to disregard what can’t be done with a sailboat, and just do it anyway. I don’t mean to offend Anglo-Saxons, because they have added a little to the pot as well, but seriously, the French lead the way.
With that said, writing as an Anglo-Saxon, I am happy to report that one of us just kicked ass in the highly competitive 1000 Race. 36 year old Sam Goodchild, born in Bristol, England, won the first big race of the season. I bet that you have never heard of the race. The name says some of it. It’s a 1000 mile race, sailed solo, in IMOCA 60s.
It starts from Port-la-Forêt on the west coast of France. It’s tricky getting out of there because it’s a gulf and the winds are hard to deal with, but Goodchild took the lead right away in his Guillaume Verdier designed MACIF Santé Prévoyance, and led the whole 1,000 miles.
The course then led up to the famous Fastnet Rock off the coast of Ireland, then south into the Bay of Biscay to a point 150 nautical miles north of Cape Finisterre and back to the finish in Concarneau which is an ancient city just south of where they started.
My favorite sailor in the race (other that Sam) is Violette Dorange, such a rising star in France after her fantastic Vendee Globe and she came in third. Wake up Americans and pay attention. There is some amazing sailing going on in Europe while most of us here in the North East are just still launching our boats now that the ice has melted. – Brian Hancock.
