Imoca : les dernières infos Tip & Shaft

Four years after his first appearance, Nicolas Rouger will be back on the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe this November, having been awarded a wildcard by the organisers. The 46-year-old sailor from Marseille, whose previous boat fell from its cradle in August 2023 and who is still awaiting the outcome of the legal case against the boatyard where it was stored, explains to Sailorz how he intends to relaunch his Vendée Globe campaign.

Having embarked on his sixth consecutive Vendée Globe campaign, Arnaud Boissières is among the 120 skippers (a record entry) set to line up in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin on Saturday for the 2026 edition of the Drheam-Cup aboard his IMOCA April Marine-Tahiti Déménage Tout. The 53-year-old skipper will notably be joined by Tahitian crew member Henri Michel. It was the perfect opportunity for Sailorz to catch up with him.

Having progressed through the Mini, Class40 and Figaro Beneteau classes, Robin Marais is taking the next step this year by launching his IMOCA campaign aboard a daggerboard-equipped boat, the former Coup de Pouce sailed by Manu Cousin. With the Route du Rhum–Destination Guadeloupe later this year and the 2028 Vendée Globe firmly in his sights, Sailorz takes a closer look.

In recent weeks, two latest-generation Imoca boats have been unveiled: DMG Mori Global One and TR Racing, designed respectively under the direction of Guillaume Verdier and Antoine Koch. Two yachts with distinct philosophies, shaped to meet the expectations and programmes of their skippers, Thomas Ruyant and Kojiro Shiraishi. Sailorz takes a closer look with their architects. 

Having joined the Ligue de Voile de Normandie in 1994 before becoming its director in 2001, Francis Le Goff witnessed Charlie Dalin’s gradual emergence, “a kid like any other” in his early 420 sailing days. For Sailorz, he reflects on the rise of the man who would go on to win the Vendée Globe at the age of 40.

Thursday’s announcement of the passing of Charlie Dalin, aged 42, following a rare gastrointestinal cancer, prompted an outpouring of sadness and tributes to the winner of the latest Vendée Globe. To retrace his career and character, Sailorz gathered testimonies from sailors who raced alongside and against him.

After a successful first season in 2025 aboard her IMOCA Association Petits Princes-Quéguiner, Élodie Bonafous (30) heads into 2026 with confidence. As she prepares to compete in her first solo IMOCA race, the 1000 Race – a 1,000-nautical-mile loop starting from Port-la-Forêt on 3 May at 13:00 and finishing in Concarneau – the skipper reflects on a project that fully meets her expectations.

After a transitional 2025, the Imoca class welcomes new skippers and boats in 2026 and opens a solo racing cycle, the highlight of which will be the Route du Rhum–Destination Guadeloupe. The programme also includes a crewed segment with The Ocean Race Atlantic, between New York and Lorient. In a difficult economic climate that is making sponsorship harder to secure, the fleets are expected to be uneven. 

After a successful first season in 2025 aboard her IMOCA Association Petits Princes-Quéguiner, Élodie Bonafous (30) heads into 2026 with confidence. As she prepares to compete in her first solo IMOCA race, the 1000 Race – a 1,000-nautical-mile loop starting from Port-la-Forêt on 3 May at 13:00 and finishing in Concarneau – the skipper reflects on a project that fully meets her expectations.