Crew dynamics will be decisive in the Course des Caps
by Ed Gorman / IMOCA Globe Series 27 Jun 12:01 PDT
29 June 2025
Team Malizia © Marin Le Roux - polaRYSE / Team Malizia
With just two days to go before the start of the first race of the eagerly-awaited 2025 IMOCA season, all eyes are on Boulogne-Sur-Mer as 11 crews prepare to race around the British Isles in the Course des Caps-Boulogne sur Mer-Banque Populaire du Nord.
On board Thomas Ruyant's well-travelled foiler Vulnerable, is the Italian Mini and Class 40 racer Ambrogio Beccaria who says the 2,000-mile sprint round Britain and Ireland is unlikely to be won by the fastest boat, but by the crew that works best together.
Beccaria, 33, originally from Milan, told the Class at the race village that crew dynamics will be key in a challenging and technical race that features four crew in total on each boat, one of whom must be a female sailor. Alongside the sailing teams, there will also be an Onboard Reporter or OBR to help bring the action from the first race of the 2025 IMOCA Globe Series Championship to race fans all over the world.
"It won't necessarily be the fastest boat that wins," said Beccaria, one of many non-French sailors taking part in this event. "I think a key factor will be who handles the crew dynamics best. There's a lot of potential, but if you don't tap into it, it's just extra weight. But if you manage to set up good watch systems, get constantly sharp trim adjustments, and so on, you can quickly gain a lot in terms of performance."
The Italian sailor can't wait to get started on the race, alongside his skipper, Ruyant, and French crewmates Manon Peyre and Morgan Lagravière.
"The competition - that's what makes the difference. That's what makes me love sailing with a crew. It's exciting, you never get to slack off. This is the first time we are sailing this IMOCA as a crew, so we'll see if the crew setup really adds value," he said.
Beccaria knows this is going to be a demanding challenge on a racecourse with plenty of obstacles to avoid. "Crossing the Channel is always very technical," he explained. "Especially now with (no-go zones) everywhere, heavy shipping traffic, currents, not much wind, thermal breezes from one coast or the other, tons of islands and fishing pots all over the place - it's intense," he said.
Beccaria mentioned the English east coast where the North Sea is full of wind farms, shipping, oil and gas rigs and sandbanks. "And then there's the far north, which I don't really know," he added, referring to Scotland and the turning mark at the top of the course off the Shetland Islands and the west coast of Ireland. "These are pretty wild areas. We're hoping they're going to be windier," he said.
But wind may be in short supply on this 2,000-nautical mile racetrack, with forecasts predicting light winds at the start and elsewhere on a course where becoming becalmed is always a danger. Race director Jacques Caraës is grappling with the decision, whether to send the fleet clockwise or anticlockwise around the British Isles.
"We're mainly facing a very soft start on Sunday with very little wind," he said. "That presents a real challenge for getting the race under way. As for the course rotation, whether we go clockwise or counterclockwise - that decision hasn't been finalised yet. That said, we're closely analysing the current patterns, especially given the light wind conditions, as they could ultimately determine the direction we choose."
Caraës says there is a possibility the boats may be forced to anchor along the English south coast if the wind does fall light amid strong spring tides. And he is not expecting a record breaking circumnavigation of the British Isles. "Based on our current projections, we're looking at around seven and a half days, maybe slightly more," he said. "But that seems achievable in either direction. Weather-wise, there are no major dangerous systems expected - it's actually quite anticyclonic at the moment."
On board 4Cad-La Mie Caline, the two-time Vendée Globe veteran Benjamin Dutreux, who is sailing with Arnaud Boissières, Axelle Pillain and Damien Seguin, has been enjoying the pre-race atmosphere at the race village in Boulogne-Sur-Mer. "There's a fantastic vibe here in Boulogne - lots of people around, it's great," he said. "There are loads of school groups and kids, many of whom followed the Vendée Globe and other round-the-world races. I think they're really happy to be able to come and see the boats here in Boulogne."
Dutreux particularly loves the fact that the IMOCA Class is using Boulogne for the start. "We're mixing things up a bit," he said. "We often go to the same places, so it's really nice to be able to show our boats somewhere new and to start a race from the Channel."
The Frenchman who finished 10th in the last Vendée Globe, is relishing what he predicts will be a very competitive race. "When I look at the level of the fleet here, it's clear - it's going to be incredibly tight right to the end. That's why the goal, first and foremost, is to stick with the group...we're going to give it everything we've got to stay with the pack, and I think it's going to be super-close between the boats," he added.
The Vulnerable and 4Cad-La Mie Câline teams apart, the Course des Caps entries also include Will Harris and crew on Malizia-Seaexplorer, Szabolcs Weöres and his team on New Europe, Fabrice Amadeo and his crew on FDJ United-Wewise, and teams led by Jérémie Beyou (Charal), Nicolas Lunven (Team Holcim-PRB), Sam Davies (Initiatives-Coeur), Justine Mettraux (TeamWork-Team SNEF), Elodie Bonafous (Association Petits Princes-Quéguiner), and Sam Goodchld (MACIF Santé Prévoyance).
The Course des Caps Boulogne-sur-Mer-Banque Populaire du Nord marks not just the beginning of the 2025 season, but the beginning of the 2025 IMOCA Globe Series Championship. This also includes the fully-crewed Rolex Fastnet Race in July, the fully-crewed Ocean Race Europe in August, the Défi Azimut-Lorient Agglomération in September and the two-handed Transat Café L'OR at the end of October.