Rade and runs : the show must go on !
The 15th Défi Azimut is open. This Wednesday kicks off with a day of pure spectacle as the traditional Runs launch the on-the-water festivities of the Lorient-based event.
New Europe (Szabolcs Weores and Ari Huusela), which only arrived this morning, will not be taking part in today’s sailing, but the 11 other IMOCAs, their skippers and their guests are expected to line up on a one-mile course set in the Courreaux de Groix, off the Pointe du Talud. From 1 p.m., they will dive headfirst into this playful yet technical exercise. It will then be up to them to make the most of the weather conditions to clock the best times.
Runs and fun
With a southwesterly breeze of 8–10 knots easing off, it’s unlikely that the monohulls will set the time sheets alight. Still, the ballet of these ocean racers chaining together short sprints under sail is always worth watching. And in light winds, the game remains wide open. The nine foilers will have little chance to unleash their full flying potential, so could the two daggerboard boats — Café Joyeux (Nicolas D’Estais and Simon Koster) and Fives Group Lantana (Louis Duc and Marie Tabarly) — take advantage? We’ll have the answer by 4 p.m., once this series of time trials is complete. But beware of traffic jams when the course opens: with the wind set to drop as the afternoon goes on, competition for the starting line could get crowded!
A musical parade
Once the Runs are over, it’s time for the parade — a brand-new feature of the 2025 Défi Azimut. The fleet will gather in Lorient harbour for a sail-past down to the peristyle, at the foot of the Maison de l’Agglomération. A guaranteed spectacle.
To top it all off, the Défi Azimut — a unique link between offshore racing, the local area and its artists — promises a moment out of time. At 5:30 p.m., at Pointe de Bernoulli, a site full of character between the fishing port and the Base, trumpeter Youn Kamm, invited by the C.A.M.P collective, will be on deck to accompany the IMOCAs in music. Not to be missed — especially knowing that the master of ceremonies is none other than Francis Le Goff, the Défi Azimut race director, who also orchestrated the Paris Olympics’ opening parade on the River Seine.
A final sail-past to greet the Lorient public, and the crews will return for the Runs prizegiving, scheduled at 7 p.m. in front of 727 Sailbags.