Tom Dolan joins Jérémie Beyou aboard Charal for his first IMOCA race
by Tom Dolan Racing 24 Jun 11:17 BST
Tom Dolan joins Jérémie Beyou aboard Charal © Eloi Stichelbaut
There's a hint of an Irish lilt echoing along the docks of northern France, carrying with it a quiet but unmistakable sense of excitement. Tom Dolan, reigning champion of the Solitaire du Figaro, is about to experience a major first: his debut race in the IMOCA class. And it's no ordinary occasion—he's joining the crew of Charal, skippered by none other than Jérémie Beyou, fourth in the last Vendée Globe, for the Course des Caps - Boulogne-sur-Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, which sets sail on 29 June. Onboard: an elite line-up featuring Nicolas Andrieu, Lou Berthomieu—renowned name in in Olympic sailing and Marin Le Roux, Onboard reporter.
For Tom Dolan, this isn't just a step up—it's a direct bridge to his ultimate ambition: becoming the first Irish sailor to complete the Vendée Globe.
"It's honestly incredible. I'm living a dream, heading offshore in an IMOCA. It's like something out of a TV show—I even have foulies with my name on the back!" he grins.
Immersion at the Highest Level
While this will be Tom's first foray into the demanding world of IMOCA racing, he's diving straight in at the deep end. Charal is one of the most refined boats in the fleet, and he's surrounded by sailors who embody excellence, experience, and team spirit.
"I'm proud and thrilled to be joining Jérémie Beyou's crew. He's hugely talented, incredibly efficient, but also a brilliant teacher. He loves to share knowledge."
This deep dive into a tightly run crew fits perfectly with the spirit of the Course des Caps, which is designed as a platform for transmission and collaboration. Here, rising talents rub shoulders with the sport's top names in a team dynamic built like a high-performance unit. Every crew member is chosen for their unique strengths, energy, and perspective—and Dolan ticks every box.
"It's my first ever race on a 60-footer, and I get to do it on one of the best boats out there, with one of the best skippers. It's a massive leap forward."
A Challenging Route Around the British Isles
Covering nearly 2,000 nautical miles around the British Isles, the Course des Caps promises a technically rich and varied course: headlands and tidal races, the moody North Sea, oil fields, shipping lanes, sandbanks... For Dolan, who knows the Irish coastline inside out, this route feels especially meaningful:
"The course is wild—we're heading as far north as Cape Horn is south! It'll be daylight the whole time. It's going to be tough and technical. The sea up there, as always, will be rough and testing. We're going to love it!"
The Charal team's ambitions are clear: aim for the front of the fleet. Since the last Vendée Globe, the boat has undergone upgrades with one goal in mind—optimising performance, particularly in heavy weather. The winds off Scotland and Ireland may well deliver those exact conditions.
A Key Role Onboard—and a Personal Milestone
Tom Dolan will be in charge of navigation and weather analysis in the lead-up to the race—no small responsibility for a first IMOCA campaign.
"Racing as a crew means the workload is better shared, which takes the pressure off a bit."
This team setup is an ideal environment to learn quickly from some of the sport's best, while also feeding into his own solo project.
"What really strikes me is the fluidity within the team. And I'm really enjoying discovering what it's like to sail these high-tech boats."
For a sailor who's made a name for himself on the Figaro Beneteau circuit with his grit, seamanship, and rapid rise, this IMOCA adventure is more than just a new challenge—it's the opening chapter of something bigger. A chapter he hopes will one day lead him to Les Sables-d'Olonne, at the helm of his own boat, heading into the Southern Ocean alone. And when you hear him speak about this opportunity—with equal parts admiration, clarity, and unshakable passion—you can't help but feel (and hope) that Tom Dolan is indeed plotting a bold and exciting course toward the Vendée Globe.