IMOCA first-timer claims Rolex Fastnet Race honours

09:00 Tuesday 29 July 2025

In the early hours of this morning there was great delight on the dock in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin's Port Chantereyne with the arrival of the first IMOCA, Association Petits Princes-Queguiner, skippered by the IMOCA class’ newest skipper 29-year-old Elodie Bonafous on the class’ latest launch.

Setting off from Cowes ten minutes after the multihulls, it was the Justine Mettraux-skippered Teamwork-Team SNEF that was first IMOCA to exit the Solent, just astern of the lead IRC SZ monohulls.

Despite trailing the fleet out of the Solent, Sam Davies pulled ahead after a tactical deep dive into Lyme Bay, but ultimately fell behind and finished in fourth place © Rick Tomlinson/RORC 

As the IMOCAs, with their giant ‘Dali’ foils and their unique fully enclosed cockpits, speared out southwest into the Channel, Association Petits Princes-Queguiner first got her nose into the lead. At this point Sam Davies’ Initiatives Coeur was trailing the fleet, but taking the deepest course into Lyme Bay meant Initiatives Coeur benefitted most from a favourable shift and better pressure to lead the IMOCAs out past Start Point. This was a small victory though as Jérémie Beyou's Charal took the lead soon after, passing the Lizard well offshore shortly after midnight on Saturday. 

Come 03:00 Sunday 27 July the leaders simultaneously tacked to funnel north through the narrow lane between the Land's End TSS and the Scilly Isles, with Charal continuing to lead Association Petits Princes-Queguiner, prior to the upwind slog, in fickle breeze, across the Celtic Sea. Halfway across, the leaders separated into two pairs – with Charal and Association Petits Princes-Queguiner in one, and Yoann Richomme's Paprec Arkea and Initiatives Coeur in the other – a situation that would continue to the finish.

Charal gave Association Petits Princes-Queguiner a fair fight, nosing ahead at times throughout the race but ultimately lost the lead in the final leg to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin © ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo 

At the Fastnet Rock Association Petits Princes-Queguiner was first around, holding a modest lead over Charal with Paprec Arkea third. From here the leaders chose to commit to a long leg south and when they gybed east at around 09:00 on Monday they were on a layline taking them south of the TSS south of the Scilly Isles. In this manoeuvre Charal was able to nose ahead, but in the next gybes –  including another long leg south, committing them to the passage south of the Casquets TSS – Association Petits Princes-Queguiner caught up. Charal tried hard to keep themselves between their opponent and the finish, but in the last gybe east of Guernsey Association Petits Princes-Queguiner was able to nose in front and from there clung on to the lead.

With the breeze lightening further overnight Association Petits Princes-Queguiner crossed the line at 01:37:05 this morning with an elapsed time of 2 days 14 hours 7 minutes 5 seconds. Seven minutes 15 seconds later, Charal arrived with Arkea Paprec following at 02:06:42 and Initiatives Coeur at 02:17:57. There was then a massive leap of more than five hours back to Teamwork-Team SNEF.

Paprec Arkea skippered by Yoann Richomme finished third in class © Arthur Daniel/RORC 

Thus Elodie Bonafous becomes the first female to win the IMOCA class, although Vendée Globe skipper Catherine Chabaud won the Fastnet Race outright in 1999, prior to the IMOCA 60s getting their own start.  

“We are very happy to be here,” Bonafous said, beaming upon her arrival. “We are in good shape. It was tight at the end. It was a great victory, we really enjoyed it and it's really nice for the project that we launched very recently. We were second in La Course des Caps (round Britain) and we have now won the Rolex Fastnet Rolex. This is a big success for our partners Queguiner and the Association Petits Princes as well as for all our technical team. We did this race with the aim of getting a good result without creating too much pressure. It was the first time I have done this legendary race. It's absolutely incredible so it's nice to have our name on the trophy.”

Bonafous was especially impressed with the massive start that saw a record 444 yachts set sail down the western Solent, although the IMOCAs were among the first away. “It was in medium or even light winds so not as amazing as two years ago, but still impressive with the sheer number of boats on the water. It was beautiful with so many boats.” 

The winning crew of Association Petits Princes-Queguiner included Vendée Globe skipper and Solitaire du Figaro winner Yann Eliès (far right) © Arthur Daniel/RORC 

Her boat, a Verdier design, developed in conjunction with MerConcept, was only launched in February and so remains on a long road to full development. “We continued to discover the boat,” Bonafous continued. “We tried different things and lined up with the other boats.”

But victory in fact came down to sailing skill. “All four of our crew are Figaro sailors which is good training for a finish like we had. We were really focussed on the sails, boat speed etc, which was difficult given the number of gybes we made.”

Among Bonafous’ crew was the highly experienced Vendée Globe skipper and Solitaire du Figaro winner Yann Eliès, who not only coaches Bonafous personally, but was brought in for his technical IMOCA knowledge. “I think Charal is faster than us in 15-18 knots,” he observed. “They use the smaller sails than us and with their rudders they can fly earlier than us – as we saw at the finish when the wind was increasing. But we are faster than them in light winds.”

Winning IMOCA class skipper Elodie Bonafous is just 29-years-old © Arthur Daniel/RORC 

Of his pupil, Eliès compared her to Ellen MacArthur who also started her IMOCA career aged 24. Eliès has raced the Rolex Fastnet Race on many occasions and still is in awe of the start…“all the beautiful boats of the Admiral’s Cup and the Ultims... Then, passing the Fastnet Rock – it's an important moment, although its light is so small now, it is not how I remember it!” 

Second-placed Jérémie Beyou was pleased to line up with Eliès, whom he has been racing for “more than 40 years…” Comparing boats he added: “When the wind is steady, I think we are quicker, but when it's light, we are stuck. But it was a lot of fun and it was never over until the finish.”

Beyou previously won the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2019 and is a big fan, having also competed on the VO65 Dongfeng Race Team. “This was a very classic Fastnet race, upwind to the Rock and then the wind coming from behind on the way back. It was nice to sail with a crew on the IMOCA and to race it at 100% so you could carry out all the strategic tacks and gybes you wanted. It's always intense in an IMOCA race, but a bit more like this.”