Lorient La Base celebrates Défi Azimut 48 Hours finishers
by Défi Azimut 15 Sep 00:35 PDT
14 September 2024
Under a warm, summery sun at Lorient La Base, the skippers, fatigued by the two-day flurry of activities, celebrated the diverse nature of the course in the 48H Azimut.
While they all praised the exceptional performance of winner Charlie Dalin, the key takeaway from this 455-mile sprint was the close quarters of IMOCA racing and the high standards required to have a chance at dominating the leaderboard.
“Enjoyable,” “intense,” “amazing,” “challenging,” “demanding”… Saturday saw an abundance of adjectives to depict the 48H and its ‘Figaro leg’ atmosphere. A tougher race than in previous years, this 14th Défi Azimut-Lorient Agglomération had the skippers delving deep to maintain their positions. On that note, everyone concurred that Charlie Dalin delivered a flawless performance, moving to the front of the fleet at the halfway point and maintaining his lead until the end. His perfect performance was eloquently summed up by third-place finisher Jérémie Beyou (Charal): “He is incredibly consistent, makes no errors, and maneuvers effectively… You need to dig deep to have a chance of beating him.”
Dalin’s third victory
For the third time in his career, the skipper of Macif Santé Prévoyance secured the victory in this 48H Azimut, pleased to reinforce his success following his triumph in New York – Vendée Les Sables d’Olonne: “Flexibility brings rewards. The Vendée Globe isn’t solely downwind; there are upwind and reaching segments too, and you need a vessel capable of handling every scenario,” cautioned the Norman sailor, delighted with his Verdier design.
After one hour and forty minutes, Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) made an impressive entry at Lorient La Base in great form, achieving his seventh podium in the IMOCA class and surpassing many cutting-edge foilers. The Brit was modest, however. Focused on the fact that his new mast endured the strain, he provided a clear-sighted analysis: “I have a boat that isn’t always as fast as the others, so if I push to keep up, I might end up harming myself. In the Vendée Globe, I need to address that aspect too…”
The rigorous nature of elite racing
Dalin, Goodchild, and Beyou occupied the top three positions in this 48H Azimut, mirroring the lineup from Wednesday’s speed runs! Yet, to suggest that this race was a walk in the park for these sailors would be a significant misrepresentation. In fact, behind this leading trio, numerous skippers stoked the competition on the leaderboard, with Nicolas Lunven (Holcim PRB) frequently leading the pack, Samantha Davies (Initiatives Coeur) somewhat hampered by various maneuvers yet securing an excellent top five finish, and Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkea) asserting his presence: “I slightly spoiled my result at the end, but it was an incredible race that demanded tremendous physical effort and intricate maneuvers that required total reevaluation of the boat to regain speed. You’re constantly competing for position with every ranking, making it tough to find time to rest!”
Rest is something Thomas Ruyant likely lacked, which may account for his 7th place finish, still commendable: “Pretending to be a Figaro sailor in an IMOCA, phew… I’m pretty worn out, and my shoulders feel weak! My sailing wasn’t particularly clean. I had a minor issue on the first night with a fishing net, and given the quality of the fleet, it’s really challenging to re-enter the fray…” admitted the skipper of VULNERABLE. With a more philosophical take, Boris Herrmann, who placed 10th following two podium finishes this season, rightly acknowledged the expertise of the racing sailors, stating: “You can’t let it weigh you down too much! I aimed to make the most of my time out there and chose to experiment with my sail setups knowing they may not be optimal…” explained the skipper of Malizia Sea Explorer at the dock.
Rest and regroup
In 13th place, we see the first IMOCA equipped with daggerboards. Skipper Violette Dorange claimed the title in this official ranking aboard DeVenir following a determined performance that allowed her to maintain a slender edge over Louis Duc (Fives Group – Lantana Environnement) until the end. The youngest skipper of the class was candid about her excitement in attempting a strategy yesterday during the second downwind leg, which enabled her to overtake three vessels. “He who dares wins!” exclaimed the young competitor, thrilled to have harnessed the wind all the way to the finish and arrive in the early afternoon, allowing her a well-deserved nap ahead of the next event.
That next event is the traditional Tour de Groix in a crewed format, which departs at 12:30 pm tomorrow, Sunday, providing everyone the opportunity to share their passion with their guests and partners.
After that, it will be time to return to their preparations to ensure they arrive in Les Sables d’Olonne in the best possible condition. On the topic of preparations, Jérémie Beyou shared a humorous anecdote upon his arrival today: “There’s the Mike Golding method, where he arrived in Les Sables and immediately locked his boat for three weeks with someone left to sweep the deck! Then there’s the majority of us who couldn’t resist pushing until the very last moment! It’s probably a cultural difference…”
Défi Azimut 48 Hours Results:
1 – Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 09:14:32 in 1d 18h 14min 32s
2 – Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 10:56:47 in 1d 19h 56min 47s
Time behind first place 01h 42min 15s
3 – Jérémie Beyou (Charal): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 11:10:25 in 1d 20h 10min 25s
Time behind first place 01h 55min 53s
4 – Nicolas Lunven (Holcim – PRB): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 11:22:06 in 1d 20h 22min 06s
Time behind first place 02h 07min 34s
5 – Sam Davies (Initiatives – Coeur): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 11:25:41 in 1d 20h 25min 41s
Time behind first place 02h 11min 09s
6 – Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 11:33:33 in 1d 20h 33min 33s
Time behind first place 02h 19min 01s
7 – Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 11:51:09 in 1d 20h 51min 09s
Time behind first place 02h 36min 37s
8 – Justine Mettraux (TEAMWORK – TEAM SNEF): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 12:28:50 in 1d 21h 28min 50s
Time behind first place 03h 14min 18s
9- Benjamin Dutreux (TEAM GUYOT ENVIRONNEMENT – WATER FAMILY): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 12:35:49 in 1d 21h 35min 49s
Time behind first place 03h 21min 17s
10- Boris Herrmann (MALIZIA – SEAEXPLORER): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 12:52:13 in 1d 21h 52min 13s
Time behind first place 03h 37min 41s
11- Damien Seguin (Groupe APICIL): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 13:01:24 in 1d 22h 01min 24s
Time behind first place 03h 46min 52s
12- Isabelle Joschke (MACSF): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 13:02:52 in 1d 22h 02min 52s
Time behind first place 03h 48min 20s
13- Violette Dorange (DeVenir): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 13:34:08 in 1d 22h 34min 08s
Time behind first place 04h 19min 36s
14- Louis Duc (Fives Group – Lantana Environnement): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 13:37:42 in 1d 22h 37min 42s
Time behind first place 04h 23min 10s
15- Conrad Colman (MS Amlin): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 14:00:08 in 1d 23h 00min 08s
Time behind first place 04h 45min 36s
16- Tanguy Le Turquais (LAZARE): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 14:00:41 in 1d 23h 00min 41s
Time behind first place 04h 46min 09s
17- Manuel Cousin (Coup de pouce): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 14:28:29 in 1d 23h 28min 29s
Time behind first place 05h 13min 57s
18 – Szabolcs Weöres (New Europe): arrival time 14/09/2024 at 17:14:19 in 2d 02h 14min 19s
Time behind first place 07h 59min 47s
Follow the race at defi-azimut.geovoile.com/2024/viewer/?lg=en
