logo
Sailing-Britain's Goodchild makes waves with breakthrough IMOCA victory

Sailing-Britain's Goodchild makes waves with breakthrough IMOCA victory

The Star10 hours ago
(Reuters) -British skipper Sam Goodchild is celebrating his first win in the ultra-competitive IMOCA class after guiding MACIF Sante Prevoyance to victory in the Course des Caps – a full-blooded 1,800-nautical mile dash around Britain and Ireland.
Goodchild took the lead near Fastnet Rock off the southwest tip of Ireland and never let go, completing the race in six days, one hour and 10 minutes, with French co-skippers Lois Berrehar, Guillaume Combescure and Charlotte Yven for company.
MACIF Sante Prevoyance crossed the line two-and-a-half hours clear of second-placed Elodie Bonafous on Association Petits Princes-Queguiner.
'It was intense, non-stop,' Goodchild said at the finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer. 'We started with no wind and finished with too much. It was kind of what we anticipated – a proper ride."
France's Bonafous, racing her first IMOCA event, finished 46 minutes ahead of third-placed compatriot Nico Lunven on Holcim-PRB, staking her claim as a serious contender in the class.
'During the race, I got it into my head that a podium finish was possible,' Bonafous said.
'Even mid-race, I felt like crying. I told myself 'this is so cool, we're having such a great race.' So I stayed really calm because the race was still long and anything could happen,' she told the IMOCA class website.
The route served up the full British Isles menu: shifty winds, sail changes on repeat, and a drag race down the North Sea.
'We really had it all,' said Goodchild, who was standing in for Charlie Dalin as the Frenchman is taking a break from the sport due to ill-health.
'On the first day, we hoisted every sail we had. And even over the past three days, we haven't stopped changing sails, changing conditions – changing everything. We truly got a full range on this race."
For Goodchild, a former IMOCA Globe Series champion who finished ninth in the last Vendee Globe, this win adds another line to a growing CV – and confirms he is now one of the men to beat on the IMOCA scene.
The IMOCA class is a fleet of high-performance 60-foot monohull yachts built for solo and short-handed ocean racing, best known for marquee events like the Vendee Globe.
The Course des Caps marked the launch of the 2025 IMOCA Globe Series.
Next up is the 100th anniversary of the Rolex Fastnet Race later this month, the Ocean Race Europe (August 10 to September 21), Defi Azimut–Lorient Agglomeration in September, and the Transat Cafe L'Or double-handed race from Le Havre in France to Martinique beginning in October.
(Reporting by Ossian Shine; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Motor racing-Hulkenberg's podium will boost belief in Sauber, says Wheatley
Motor racing-Hulkenberg's podium will boost belief in Sauber, says Wheatley

The Star

time2 hours ago

  • The Star

Motor racing-Hulkenberg's podium will boost belief in Sauber, says Wheatley

Formula One F1 - British Grand Prix - Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Britain - July 6, 2025 Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg celebrates with a trophy on the podium after finishing third place in the British Grand Prix REUTERS/Andrew Boyers LONDON (Reuters) -Nico Hulkenberg's breakthrough podium for Swiss-based Sauber at the British Grand Prix will boost belief in the future Audi works team, according to principal Jonathan Wheatley. Hulkenberg, 37, finished third at Silverstone for the German's first podium finish in 239 starts -- an achievement many thought would never happen for a driver who made his Formula One debut 15 years ago. He also started last on the grid in Sunday's chaotic and rain-affected race, another element that made his success even more surreal. "Really for me, what I've taken from today is people start believing in us," Wheatley told a much bigger crowd of reporters than usual outside the Sauber paddock hospitality on Sunday evening. "I can say the words, I can say we're gaining momentum, I can say we're putting performance on the car, I can say (overall boss) Mattia (Binotto) and all the hard work he's been putting in before I came here is coming to light. "But it's true. We've got a very long journey towards where we need to be as a team and it's a great step when you're starting on that journey." Sauber were last overall with just four points last season after finishing ninth out of 10 the year before, but new management has arrested a downward spiral and turned fortunes around. Former Ferrari boss Binotto has overall charge of the project, with Wheatley joining from Red Bull to run the team at the racetrack and prepare for the transformation into Audi next season. Sauber also have an all-new lineup this year of Hulkenberg and Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, last year's Formula Two champion. Already this season Hulkenberg has finished fifth in Spain to lift Sauber off the bottom of the standings and he has scored in his last four races, with the team now only 18 points behind fifth-placed Williams. His points tally of 37 in 12 races is already far more than the team scored in the last two seasons combined. Asked whether Sauber were further ahead than expected in their plan for the future, Wheatley refused to tempt fate. "You can think of the plan as a straight line and there's some hairpins on the way and there's some stoplights and traffic works," he said. "It's a great day for the team. Everyone's working so hard here. It was a mature race performance." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Clare Fallon)

Cycling-Belgium's Merlier edges Milan in photo finish after crash-marred stage
Cycling-Belgium's Merlier edges Milan in photo finish after crash-marred stage

The Star

time2 hours ago

  • The Star

Cycling-Belgium's Merlier edges Milan in photo finish after crash-marred stage

Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 3 - Valenciennes to Dunkirk - Dunkirk, France - July 7, 2025 Soudal Quick-Step's Tim Merlier celebrates after winning stage 3 REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier FRANCE (Reuters) -Tim Merlier won the third stage of the Tour de France on Monday after a sprint finish that resulted in a number of riders crashing saw the Belgian edge just ahead of Jonathan Milan. The Soudal Quick-Step rider needed a photo finish to confirm he ended narrowly in front of Italian Milan at the finish line in the coastal city of Dunkirk. The stage took a dramatic turn 60km from the end when Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen withdrew from the Tour following a heavy crash. The peloton rode closely together for most of the 178.3 km flat stage from Valenciennes to Dunkirk. Seemingly cautious, the riders held back from making any decisive moves, with nearly the entire group staying in the peloton until the final stretch, setting up a mass sprint finish that ended with several riders crashing in the closing metres. Germany's Phil Bauhaus of Bahrain Victorious was third. (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Soccer-Swiss weather havoc forces Swedes to change training plan
Soccer-Swiss weather havoc forces Swedes to change training plan

The Star

time3 hours ago

  • The Star

Soccer-Swiss weather havoc forces Swedes to change training plan

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Women's Euro 2025 - Group C - Denmark v Sweden - Stade de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland - July 4, 2025 Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson before the match REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo THUN, Switzerland (Reuters) -Sweden had to change their planned training session as soaring temperatures that have affected the Women's Euros gave way to torrential rain on Monday that soaked the pitch in Lucerne where they face Poland in their second Group C game on Tuesday. With several games played in temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius, a sudden change saw the weather cool quickly as violent rainstorms broke out on Monday that forced organisers to impose some restrictions on the Swedes' training on the stadium pitch. "We had planned a training session today and were told that we are not allowed to have plastic guys (defenders used for drills) or poles on the pitch," Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson told reporters ahead of their session. "That's the first time I had ever heard that you are not allowed to put them out. I suppose it's to protect the pitch." In keeping with the Swedish saying that "there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes", Gerhardsson said his side would train, regardless of the rain. "We're going to do this hour, there should be waterproofs and all those kinds of things," he said. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Ken Ferris)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store