Onboard reporters in the Course des Caps: up close with the sailors
by Ed Gorman / IMOCA Globe Series 3 Jul 10:57 PDT
29 June 2025
Holcim-PRB - Course des Caps © Anne Beaugé / Holcim-PRB
In the Course des Caps - Boulogne sur Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, the Onboard Reporters, or OBRs, are back doing a wonderful job of bringing IMOCA racing to life with pictures, videos, interviews and reports from the boats.
After four days at sea, the OBRs on each of the now 10 yachts taking part in this 2,000-nautical mile race around Britain and Ireland, have been settling into life on board and finding ways to work so that they report on what is going on without obstructing their sailors.
Frenchwoman Anne Beaugé is an experienced operator in this context, having worked on the last The Ocean Race with the IMOCA Class on Biotherm and she is enjoying being back on board after taking time out to have a baby.
"I'm doing well," she told the Class last night as Holcim-PRB, skippered by Frenchman Nico Lunven, headed towards the Orkney Islands in fourth place behind leader MACIF Santé Prévoyance, skippered by Sam Goodchild.
Beaugé is filling her day working hard to capture everything going on on board, including flying her drone to capture spectacular panoramic shots of the boat and, as she put it, the "beautiful clouds, stunning rocks and incredible coastlines" of a course that has taken the fleet west down the English Channel, up the Atlantic coast of Ireland and over the top of the Scottish mainland.
Beaugé explained what it has been like to be back on board the fastest offshore monohulls in world sailing. "After nearly a two-year break, I feel right back at home with this new crew - like a fish in water!" she said of the Holcim-PRB team that, alongside Lunven, consists of the French sailing superstar Franck Cammas, the Dutch Olympic medal-winning match racer Annemieke Bes and the British yachtsman Alan Roberts. "I'm getting back into the IMOCA racing rhythm as if my last time had been just yesterday," she continued.
And she made the point that working alongside the sailors at close quarters means not distracting them from their crew work in what is a highly competitive first race of the 2025 IMOCA Globe Series Championship.
"First and foremost, I make sure never to get in the way or be a concern to the crew - I shouldn't be a problem for them," she said. "And then, when I can, I try to make daily life a little easier, like offering to fill the coffee thermos when I'm boiling water for myself, for example."
Amusingly, Beaugé likened her presence on board to that of a little... mouse. "My role as OBR is always like being a little mouse. I try to interact at the right moment when I want to film a reaction. I absolutely avoid distracting the person steering - even if it's tempting between two camera clicks." She says she regards being on board as a privilege, giving her such a close-up view of a team competing in high level professional sport. "I take in the focus, the bursts of speed, all the boat's movement - what a privilege," she said.
We asked her about the start on Sunday in light airs off Boulogne-sur-Mer. Beaugé said it was a memorable experience as the teams, each with four sailing crew on board, focused on trying to make the best getaway and not lose touch with the pack.
"The first hours were very intense, as always at a race start, but the light conditions meant the boats were still all within sight of each other, which kept the pace high and required constant vigilance," she said. She explained that despite the competitive setting, the light winds made things a bit easier compared to races which start in big winds and seas.
"I think these light conditions reduced the stress - the first days on board have been relatively easy. The crew has settled in very gently - for once. Everyone was super-focused but there wasn't any stress, even though crossing the start line and rounding the first mark still brought some pressure," she said.
Commenting on the way the Holcim-PRB crew is working under Lunven, Beaugé revealed that they are not using a formal watch system, an interesting decision given the nature of this racetrack which presents continuous challenges, with headlands, off-lying rocks, tidal gates and variable coastal weather to contend with. "There's no formal watch system," she said, "the sailors work in pairs and take turns. One particular thing about this race is they've all been helming a lot. I think they enjoy it - feeling the boat, being outside, steering for long stretches...this is not so common in an IMOCA race," she added.
On Holcim-PRB's rival TeamWork-Team SNEF skippered by the Swiss sailor Justine Mettraux, OBR Gauthier Lebec has been enjoying the time of his life. He said the first part of the race was quite smooth and calm on board in lighter winds, but things have changed in heavier air. However, going along the Irish coast after the Fastnet Rock on the southwestern tip of Ireland at sunrise has been an undoubted highlight. Lebec described it as one of the most beautiful days at sea of his entire life.
"It was an early morning on deck at 5.00am to get those beautiful Fastnet shots, then along the Irish coast - perfect weather," said Lebec. "It was so stunning that I quickly finished editing my Fastnet footage and went to grab something to eat outside, camera hanging round my neck. I wanted to photograph everything - it was just so beautiful."
With the TeamWork-Team SNEF crew, which, in addition to Mettraux, consists of the Spanish sailor Carlos Manera Pascual, and Xavier Macaire and Marie Riou of France, Lebec says there is a more traditional watch system in place. He noticed that the crew really began to gel the night before the start, when they went out to eat together and talk about the race ahead after a disappointing day during the speed runs at Boulogne-sur-Mer.
"Afterwards, we all went out to a restaurant as a full crew and I could really feel the tension lift," explained Lebec. "Everyone seemed to be thinking: 'OK, the real deal is about to begin, the actual race.' People started taking it more seriously. That's when the chemistry started to kick in."
He has enjoyed watching the team gradually build into their watch patterns as the race has unfolded. "As for the rhythm of the shifts and manoeuvres, the first day and night after the start were maybe a bit less organised, but then things really started to run smoothly. Xavier and Justine seem to be a bit more flexible with their watches than the rest. They still do their shifts, but they also make sure to stay available - Justine to keep an eye on the boat's trim, and Xavier for navigation," he said.
Lebec is loving getting to know this friendly crew and watching them work together. "I'm starting to get to know each person," he said, "and honestly, it's a real joy - a super-cool atmosphere. I'm learning about them both personally and through the lens of my camera, which is a whole different perspective. And I'm figuring out how best to approach each person when I want to film or photograph them, or ask them something on camera."
Back on Holcim-PRB, Anne Beaugé, talked about the challenge of the leg up the west coast of Ireland, which at that stage was still ahead. She knew it was going to be a rough ride. "We need to anticipate tougher conditions on board - more limited movement, worse sleep - and find creative ways to capture that atmosphere on film," she said.