Despite undergoing several re-groupings throughout the race, skipper Sam Goodchild and the Leyton crew came out on top yesterday evening after a five-and-a-half day sail in the closing offshore leg of the Pro Sailing Tour.
Having skippered their yacht from Brest to La Rochelle followed by Las Palmas de Grand Canaria, Goodchild and his crew are crowned winners of this series of the Tour, adding yet another accolade to their already impressive tally. In the end, it was Leyton, skippered by Goodchild, which prevailed over Arkema 4.
Goodchild said, “We’ve been through all sorts of conditions….we’ve even raced under full sail. Working with the team has been great throughout the race. Aymeric did a brilliant job working on strategy and weather conditions.
“As for Seb, he knows multihulls very well and is excellent at ocean racing. I enjoyed learning from him. It really was a perfect five days, and the season has panned out a lot better than we could have ever hoped. There are three of us on board, but there are many more people behind the scenes who make the project work. It’s great to be able to share this race’s finish and this victory.”
These two crews, who have been consistent front runners in the offshore racing world, rightfully stand side-by-side on the podium at the end of this first season of the Pro Sailing Tour.
Vlamynck, skipper of Arkema 4, said, “I’m happy to be on dry land. Time has absolutely flown by. There was never a moment where we weren’t in action, working together, and manoeuvring. We’re also happy that we made it to the finish line before Thibaut….it was intense!
“We fought it out to the very end, particularly as we made a minor slip in Ushant which allowed them to catch up, putting pressure on us right up to the finish line. It was the first time we had spent so much time on the boat – it taught us a lot. We’re physically exhausted, just like the boat, so I think a good rest is in order after the race! “
The hotly fought after third place went to Ciela Village skippered by Erwan le Roux and his crew, who were also raising awareness for multiple sclerosis. Just 57 seconds stood between their arrival and that of Quentin Vlamynck’s Arkema 4 in Brest. Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and his crew, who also enjoyed a hugely successful showing great potential taking the early lead on the ‘Final Rush’, which is reflected in their final results.
Thibaut Vauchel-Camus, who skippered Solidaires en Peloton – ARSEP said, “The run we had for the ‘Final Rush’ was simply brilliant. We all agree that we’ve had an extraordinary race full of contact, transitions, u-turns, intensity, subtlety, tactics and wild pursuit. We’ve had an amazing time and we’re happy to have been quite successful and finishing with a spot on the podium for this Pro Sailing Tour. We’re reaping the rewards of the progress we’ve made over the season. We had our sights set and we fought for it.
“Reflecting on the season, we can see that the whole fleet is very level-pegged at such a high level. This Pro Sailing Tour has given us a good focal point in the wonderfully sporting atmosphere of the Ocean Fifty class, with its fair share of fighting as well as fair play.
“The format of the tour has allowed us to demonstrate what exactly our boats are capable of doing, not only offshore but inshore, too. It’s the first time we’ve raced so much on such varied water. I can’t wait for the next season!”
Overall Provisional Pro Sailing Tour 2021 rankings
1 / Leyton (Sam Goodchild), 43 points
2 / Arkema 4 (Quentin Vlamynck), 36 points
3 / Solidaires en Peloton – ARSEP (Thibaut Vauchel-Camus), 26 points
For more information, see: https://prosailingtour.com/en/
– Pro Sailing Tour
