Sailing-France's Horeau wins Route du Rhum IMOCA race on debut

France's Corentin Horeau sailed his monohull ​MACSF to victory on Wednesday in his first appearance ​in the Route du Rhum, dominating the ‌transatlantic ​race to take his first IMOCA class win.

The 37-year-old skipper crossed the finish line in Pointe-a-Pitre at 1:14 a.m. on Wednesday (0514 GMT), completing the 3,542-nautical-mile race from Saint-Malo ‌to Guadeloupe in 9 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes and 9 seconds. Horeau took the lead during the second day of racing before opening up a gap off the Azores.

"It was a bit of a dream track. Even in my wildest dreams, I ‌couldn't have imagined it," Horeau said. "By the time I made the break, I was already in a good rhythm, ‌because I had decided to set off at the highest pace possible.

"A first like this with MACSF is just incredible. I’m very happy they gave me this chance." He also benefited from his rivals' misfortunes.

Jeremie Beyou, skipper of Charal and winner of last year's Transat CAFE L’OR, dropped out ⁠last week ​while second in the IMOCA ⁠fleet after suffering a head injury and several vertebral and rib fractures. Italy's Ambrogio Beccaria, one of the main contenders after his maiden IMOCA win ⁠at the Vendee Arctique - Les Sables d'Olonne in June, also retired on Thursday due to severe back pain after a fall on board ​his Allagrande Mapei boat.

Horeau is emerging as a serious contender for the next Vendee Globe, which is scheduled ⁠to start in November 2028. He has mastered his 60-foot monohull, which finished second at the 2024-25 Vendee Globe when sailed by Yoann Richomme under the ⁠Paprec ​Arkea name.

The Frenchman was so dominant in the 13th edition of the Route du Rhum that he finished just two minutes behind the first Ocean Fifty — the 50-foot (15.24-metre) multihulls considered faster than the IMOCAs. The transatlantic race in the IMOCA ⁠class was also marked by the first major setback of Violette Dorange's young sailing career.

The 25-year-old skipper, who became ⁠the youngest competitor to finish ⁠the Vendee Globe in 2025, withdrew on Friday, five days after a collision with Romain Pilliard shortly after the start. France's Tom Laperche, skipper of SVR-Lazartigue, won the ULTIM class of ‌the race on Sunday ‌in record time.