24 motivated sailors, twelve finely tuned IMOCA yachts, and fair weather – the Défi Azimut Lorient Agglomération 2025 is shaping up to be a perfect back-to-school rendezvous for the IMOCA family. The first act kicks off tomorrow, Wednesday, with the Runs, followed by a choreographed parade of the 60-footers in Lorient Bay.

The spotlight was on the youngsters today at Lorient La Base! Schoolchildren from across the local area had the honour of doing the countdown as the IMOCA yachts tugged at their moorings in the harbour. Out of the 12 entries, only two were missing tonight: Bureau Vallée, delayed leaving Saint-Malo due to bad weather but expected on the start line tomorrow, and New Europe, stuck in Les Sables d’Olonne with engine trouble. The other ten were all set and ready for their “back-to-school” moment!

It was a special opportunity for the kids to meet skippers who were relaxed and approachable on the eve of racing, with the first Runs scheduled for tomorrow in sunny conditions with a gentle south-westerly breeze. Will they fly or won’t they? “There could be just enough to take off without putting too much pressure on with guests on board,” suggested Race Director Francis Le Goff, who was out today checking the course of Wednesday’s grand parade in Lorient Bay (from 4:30pm), which the IMOCA fleet will join after the Runs.

Sitting on a pontoon bollard, artist Alexandra Pister was sketching the graceful lines of Initiatives Cœur in pencil. Her challenge? One boat drawing per day. Her work will be exhibited at the Karré affaires, the home base once again this year for the Défi Azimut – Lorient Agglomération organisation team.

Racing within the race

On the sporting front, the 24 co-skippers of five different nationalities are here to measure up against each other with their direct rivals clearly in sight. At the top of the podium, a fierce duel is expected between the big favourites: defending champions Macif Santé Prévoyance (Sam Goodchild and Lois Berrehar) and Charal (Jérémie Beyou and Morgan Lagravière). But competition looks tight everywhere if co-skipper Xavier Macaire (TeamWork Team Snef, with Justine Mettraux) is to be believed:
“With Initiatives Cœur, Bureau Vallée, 4 Cad-La Mie Câline among others, there’s a strong group of very close boats, so we’ll need to sail smart. That’s what we’re here for: good trajectories, sharp manoeuvres, commitment and strategy – that’s racing!”

This group will also need to keep an eye on the brand-new Les P’tits Doudous (Armel Tripon – Tanguy Leglatin), built on the same VPLP hull as Malizia Sea Explorer, but with a different deck plan and optimised layout, as well as the much older Fortinet – Best Western (Romain Attanasio – Maxime Sorel). Their story is remarkable: last year Romain dismasted in the Défi Azimut just two months before the Vendée Globe, and Maxime lent him his spare mast. One year later, Romain is the one offering a helping hand to Maxime, who is currently short on sponsors.

Others are also changing gear: Manuel Cousin is taking the helm of his new foiling IMOCA Coup de Pouce (ex La Mie Câline) with Jean-Baptiste Daramy, while Nicolas d’Estais moves up from the Class40 to the IMOCA aboard Café Joyeux, the fastest of the daggerboard IMOCAs. That sets up an interesting sub-competition with the other two “classic” IMOCAs: New Europe (Szalbocs Weores and Ari Huusela) and Fives Group Lantana Environnement, less quick on paper but in the hands of Louis Duc, a Vendée Globe finisher, now teamed up with Marie Tabarly.

Boosted live coverage

This year, extra focus has been placed on live broadcasts of the Défi’s first two stages. Tomorrow, as the boats leave the pontoons at 11:30am, the entire Runs will be filmed and commentated, with a mix of drone footage and onboard images from the catamaran Royale. The same set-up will apply on Thursday with a two-hour live show on YouTube, also available on the race website, starting at 2:45pm.