HIS RACE IN FIGURES
Finished on 16/06/2026 at 05:23:53
Race time: 8 days 16 hours 21 minutes 53 seconds
Gap to the leader – Ambrogio Beccaria (Allagrande Mapei): 2 hours 16 minutes and 3 seconds
Gap to the previous finisher – Sam Goodchild (MACIF Santé Prévoyance): 1 hour 1 minute
Distance covered: 3,203.89 miles
Average speed: 15.4 knots
HER RACE IN BRIEF
For her first solo season aboard Initiatives-Cœur, Violette Dorange was determined to put in a strong performance. It was the best way to reward her team, who had been hard at work this winter – lightening the boat, fitting new ballast, reworking the ergonomics – to ensure she had a boat that suited her style. Violette was ready, having rediscovered the thrill of the channel at the start, less than two years after the record crowds for her arrival in the Vendée Globe. But right from the start, the sailor was fully immersed in her race. Battling it out in the leading pack from the very first hours, she was in 3rd place as she crossed the Arctic Circle.
She describes a “truly lunar landscape” and admits to feeling “a bit disoriented by the lack of night”. The descent is a race for the top spots. Like Ambrogio Beccaria, she decides to sail along the west coast of Ireland and, like the Italian, she closes in on the leaders in the final stretch. Whilst Élodie Bonafous served her 12-hour penalty, Violette took 3rd place and even closed the gap to within 20 miles of the leading duo. Her podium finish is a remarkable achievement, given her consistent performances under the Initiatives-Coeur colours. This honourable placing follows on from her results in the Rolex Fastnet Race (4th), the Transat Café L’Or (6th) and the 1000 Race (3rd). We can’t wait to see what’s next!
