After Romain Attanasio and Yannick Bestaven arrived in Les Sables d’Olonne on Sunday, it’s possible we’re going to see no less than eight Vendée Globe finishers today…

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Les Sables d’Olonne, France (February 2, 2025; Day 85) – Arnaud Boissières (FRA), skipper of the recently dismasted La Mie Câline has been forced to retire from the race in the end. He took this decision today and made it official with race management. The solo racer who was bidding to complete his fifth consecutive Vendée Globe dismasted on January 30 at the latitude of the Cape Verde islands whilst on his climb back up the Atlantic.

Since then, ‘Cali’ looked for every possible solution, in particular by cutting his mainsail to create a makeshift jury rig. But even that solution did not allow him to make useful northwards progress. And so he has decided to retire.

“I tried to sail north again with this piece of mainsail and the jib set on the the bow but it didn’t work. The boat is pretty roughed up and won’t really sail like this. I already got that feeling yesterday: it’s my last day of this Vendée Globe. I think I’ve tried everything; I don’t want to tempt the devil. I’m in the trade winds and so downwind and I am heading to the West Indies. I don’t have a solution.

“My children can be proud of me, I have really tried everything. I don’t like the term “abandonment” because I still have 10 to 12 days at sea to reach the West Indies. These days, this will be my therapy. And as my consolation prize, I get to spend time on the ocean, which is what I love most in the world.”

For ETA updates, click here.

Final Results – Top Ten
1. Charlie Dalin (FRA): 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, 49 seconds
2. Yoann Richomme (FRA): 65 days, 18 hours, 10 minutes, 2 seconds
3. Sébastien Simon (FRA): 67 days, 12 hours, 25 minutes, 37 seconds
4. Jérémie Beyou (FRA): 74 days, 12 hours, 56 minutes, 54 seconds
5. Paul Meilhat (FRA): 74 days, 22 hours, 38 minutes, 15 seconds
6. Nicolas Lunven (FRA): 75 days, 07 hours, 49 minutes, 41 seconds
7. Thomas Ruyant (FRA): 75 days, 16 hours, 47 minutes, 27 seconds
8. Justine Mettraux (SUI): 76 days, 01 hour, 36 minutes, 52 seconds
9. Sam Goodchild (GBR): 76 days, 02 hours, 01 minutes, 45 seconds
10. Benjamin Dutreux (FRA): 77 days, 03 hours, 39 minutes, 24 seconds

Race updates – Tracker – Ranking – Arrival times – Facebook

Attrition:
Nov. 15: Maxime Sorel (FRA), V and B – Monbana – Mayenne, ankle injury, mast damage
Dec. 4: Louis Burton (FRA), Bureau Vallée, rigging failure
Dec. 15: Pip Hare (GBR), Medallia, dismasted
Dec. 16: Szabolcs Weöres (HUN), New Europe, broken D2 shroud
Dec. 30: Yannick Bestaven (FRA), Maître CoQ V, steerage damage
Jan. 12: Éric Bellion (FRA), STAND AS ONE – Altavia, broken J2 forestay pin
Jan. 30: Arnaud Boissières (FRA), La Mie Câline, dismasted

The Vendée Globe, raced in the 60-foot IMOCA, is the elite race round the world, solo, non-stop, and without assistance. On November 10, 40 skippers started the 2024-25 edition which begins and ends in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.

Armel Le Cléac’h, winning in 2017, previously held the record for the 24,300 nm course of 74 days 03 hours 35 minutes 46 seconds. Only one sailor has won it twice: Michel Desjoyeaux in 2001 and 2009. This is tenth running of the race.

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The embattled Houses of Ratcliffe and Ainslie are expected to stage a brief truce, this weekend, for the first meeting of the teams involved in the 2027 America’s Cup…

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After Boris Herrmann on Malizia-Seaexplorer finished the Vendée Globe, Sam Davies arrived in Les Sables d’Olonne, with both skippers greeted by huge crowds and a flotilla of boats to escort them down the channel.

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Expect the unexpected is an epithet which is never far from front of mind for the solo skippers on the Vendée Globe…

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It could not have gone much worse for the USA team at the New Zealand SailGP  on January 18-19 in Auckland, New Zealand. They finished last.

While Italy and Brazil finished 6th and 9th, respectively, in their second-ever event, the USA languished at the bottom in their 10th competition.

USA helm Taylor Canfield’s team struggled with Auckland’s unstable sea state and recorded 7-6-10-10-9-8-9 fleet racing results. Noted SailGP broadcast commentator Emily Nagel, the U.S. team “didn’t just come last” but “got beaten by Canada.”

The Canadians were unable race on the second day of the event due to the injury of flight controller Billy Gooderham. The team finished in 11th overall, one spot ahead of the United States.

After the U.S. finished third overall in the Season 5 opener, commentator Stevie Morrison observed how that was “light winds and four crew on the boat. They’ve come to Auckland and it’s six on the boat, big crew and fast, foiling sailing and they’ve finished last.”

Canfield said the team would be “going back to the drawing board in the big breeze conditions. We’ve got to be heads out and looking for intersections around the track because it’s tight and everyone is going so fast, so things are changing quickly. It’s a bit of a shame, but we still know we’ve got more in the tank and we’ve got to keep on pushing.”

The next event is on February 8-9 in Sydney, Australia.

Auckland Final Results
1. Australia, 5-1-2-2-1-2-10-(1), 64 points
2. Spain, 2-4-4-8-5-3-3-(2), 57 points
3. Great Britain, 1-2-9-4-2-4-6-(3), 57 points
4. New Zealand, 4-8-6-1-4-6-2, 46 points
5. Denmark, 6-5-5-5-8-1-1, 44 points
6. Italy, 3-3-7-7-3-9-8, 37 points
7. Switzerland, 11-10-1-3-10-10-4, 28 points
8. Germany, 8-11-11-9-6-7-5, 20 points
9. Brazil, 10-9-8-11-7-5-7, 20 points
10. Canada, 9-7-3-6-11-11-11, 19 points
11. USA, 7-6-10-10-9-8-9, 18 points
Note: France did not take part due to a wingsail issue.

SailGP information – YouTube – Facebook

Season 5 Leaderboard (after 2 of 14 events)*
1. Great Britain, 17 points
2. New Zealand, 17 points
3. Australia, 16 points
4. Spain, 16 points
5. Denmark, 10 points
6. France, 10 points
7. United States, 8 points
8. Switzerland, 6 points
9. Germany, 6 points
10. Canada, 6 points
11. Italy, 5 points
12. Brazil, 3 point
* Ten of the 12 teams are privately owned, with the league having ownership of New Zealand and Spain.

Season 5 Schedule – 14 events
2024
November 23-24 – Dubai, UAE

2025
January 18-19 – Auckland, New Zealand
February 8-9 – Sydney, Australia
March 15-16 – Los Angeles, USA
March 22-23 – San Francisco, USA
May 3-4 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 7-8 – New York City, USA
July 19-20 – Portsmouth, Great Britain
August 16-17 – Sassnitz, Germany
September 6-7 – Taranto, Italy
September 20-21 – Geneva, Switzerland
October 4-5 – Andalucía – Cádiz, Spain
November 7-8 – Middle East *
November 29-30 – Grand Final – Abu Dhabi, UAE
* Venue to be announced

Format for Season 5:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• Five qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes may be scheduled for each regatta.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the prize purse (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $400,000.00 USD prize purse with winning team earning $200k at each event).
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing with the winner claiming a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $2 million USD prize).
• The top team on points ahead of the three-boat Championship Final will get a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had a $350,000.00 prize).

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

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On October 19th 2024, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, on behalf of the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, accepted a Notice of Challenge for the 38th America’s Cup (AC38) from Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd and were duly announced as the Challenger of Record for the 38th America’s Cup. But now that the British team has imploded, how does the next America’s Cup proceed?

The acrimonious split between two knights, Sir Ben Ainslie and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has cast uncertainty over the next edition of the America’s Cup, with crucial negotiations unable to move forward while the disputing parties engage in legal proceedings.

The Guardian understands that a commercial dispute over who owns what within the Ineos Britannia partnership, which was dissolved by Ratcliffe this week, has meant progress over the “protocol” for the 38th America’s Cup will have to be put on hold. – Full report

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

Defender New Zealand will work with the Challenger of Record from Great Britain to organize the 38th America’s Cup. Anticipated to be held in 2027, the two teams have agreed on some details with the venue to be confirmed by June 2025 after Barcelona declined hosting another edition.

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Emerging relieved and happy out of a dark, windy night off Les Sables d’Olonne, Jérémie Beyou crossed the finish line of his fifth Vendée Globe this morning at 00:58 (UTC) to take fourth place from the record fleet of 40 starters…

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If you believe everything you read, the news that Sir Ben Ainslie had been removed from the team he skippered to the 37th America’s Cup Finals came as a surprise. That’s the message coming from this update:

The British Challenger for the 38th America’s Cup, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, was astounded to read today’s statement from INEOS and Mercedes F1 regarding their planned challenge for the 38th America’s Cup. This plan raises significant legal and practical obstacles for them that will play out in the coming days and weeks.

Furthermore, Sir Ben Ainslie’s British America’s Cup team will be known as Athena Racing going forwards, aligning with the British Women’s and Youth America’s Cup team, the Athena Pathway.

How did we get here? It appears that when Ainslie partnered with INEOS Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe after the 2017 America’s Cup, Ainslie signed over the rights to the team. Ratcliffe wanted control, which appears to have included team assets, with Ainslie now an employee.

As to why Ainslie got fired, another guess is that Ratcliffe recognized the challenge in both leading a team and sailing on the team. But Ainslie probably wanted to win as a helm, so the split occurred. Will Ainslie now start his own team? That is implied by Athena Racing, but starting over at this level isn’t how you win the America’s Cup after losing three times.

Interestingly, the INEOS Britannia website – www.ineosbritannia.com – now jumps to the Athena Racing website – www.athenaracing.com. Apparently, Ainslie held on to that asset.

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

Defender New Zealand will work with the Challenger of Record from Great Britain to organize the 38th America’s Cup. Anticipated to be held in 2027, the two teams have agreed on some details with the venue to be confirmed by June 2025 after Barcelona declined hosting another edition.

Read more on Scuttlebutt

Vendée Globe Race – Conrad Colman – Life onboard MS Amlin : Day 73 & 74 – No shortage of solar energy on the Equator – but where’s the Black Line gone?

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With the 2025 edition of the Show about to start in a few days, lets see how far back in time our video archive can go, with footage from early shows. The best we can do is 1937…

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Climbing the 29 mast on on an IMOCA yacht is a daunting task, but when repairs need to be made it’s an essential job for the skippers in the Vendée Globe. Both Sam Goodchild and Jean Le Cam had to go up the rig on Saturday.

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This Monday evening, Team Malizia’s skipper Boris Herrmann crossed the Equator and returned to the Northern Hemisphere, ticking off one of the last milestones along the Vendée Globe race course.

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Benefiting from being slightly further west than Vendée Globe leader, Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), Yoann Richomme has remained slightly faster and so has continued to shave a few more miles off his deficit to the leader.

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Looking back, 2024 has been year that can be metaphorically bookended by mighty Ultims and tiny Alma Globe 5.80s…

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by Peter Swanson, Loose Cannon
The sailing world was abuzz with skepticism recently as the U.S. Coast Guard reported rescuing three men in a sailboat that wasn’t sinking. Why? According to the Coast Guard, they were experiencing up to 20-knot winds and 10-foot seas and feared the boat would capsize.1

On December 12, the trio abandoned a 2005 Beneteau Oceanis 523 that was 150 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras—sails furled, a $225,000 purchase left to drift toward Scotland.

The wind and seas were as reported by the Coast Guard at the time of rescue.

“Capsizing seems unlikely in those stated conditions, but we weren’t there,” wrote Tad Roberts, a Canadian naval architect. “Cape Hatteras in December is too late in the year. Big, fat, snap-rolling boat with short crew, the one experienced person gets exhausted after four days, and they give up.” – Full report

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At six weeks into the Vendée Globe, with the leading duo Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) and Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) set to round Cape Horn late tomorrow, fatigue is the constant, gnawing, universal presence..

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Because of irreparable damage to the D2 shroud on his IMOCA, New Europe, Hungarian skipper Szabolcs Weöres has made the difficult decision to retire from Vendée Globe 2024-25…

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