Stopwatches at the ready!
by Défi Azimut 16 Sep 17:56 BST
16-19 September 2026
Défi Azimut 2026 Skippers © Défi AZIMUT / Jean-Louis Carli
This Wednesday morning, the curtain rose on the 16th edition of the Défi Azimut. In line with tradition in this Lorient-based event, the focus is on the speed runs and which boat will be the fastest to cover the one-mile racetrack. Verdict from 5:30 pm local time, following a series of showstopping sprints against the clock.
Out on the water this Wednesday, a prevailing W'ly wind is setting the tempo in what is a fun yet technical exercise, relished by the skippers, their team members and their guests. A helmet and lifejacket are compulsory for those in the thick of the action as they sample the delights of IMOCA racing. The very light conditions at the start of the afternoon are set to build over the next few hours, with the prospect of some wonderful images and some supercharged speed runs by the foilers, whose teams will have some time to warm up before they really put pedal to the metal.
The fleet of 17 boats, including the surprise participation of DMG Mori Global One (Kojiro Shiraishi) and United by The Ocean (Paul Meilhat), which has just completed The Ocean Race Atlantic, are doing battle to the east of the island of Groix, offshore of the Gâvres peninsula. As the action gets under way on this protected body of water, it is sure to be a feast for the eyes with today's flat seas favouring acceleration.
With regards the Race Committee, everything is in place to organise this IMOCA ballet, but vigilance will be key to avoiding bottlenecks and guaranteeing safety down the highly coveted racetrack. "The most important part of our work revolves around managing the starts according to when the boats call us up. Speed runs aren't that simple to control," explains Carole Jaouen, from the Race Committee, alongside Gilles Bricout. "Rule number one for the crews is that they must announce their arrival one minute beforehand, at which point it's down to us to handle the traffic according to the speed potential of the different boats," says the person in charge of the stopwatch at the start.