Route du Rhum 2026: the IMOCAs and their skippers
IMOCAs are the 60-foot (18.28 m) monohulls of the Vendée Globe; most recent boats partly fly on their foils. As of 12 October 2026, 22 IMOCAs are on the official skipper list, with sailors from Germany, Japan, Italy and the UK.
The skippers
| Skipper | Boat | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Fabrice Amedeo | FDJ United - Océan Calling | France |
| Pierre-Louis Attwell | Resilient | France |
| Davy Beaudart | Bureau Vallée | France |
| Ambrogio Beccaria | Allagrande Mapei | Italy |
| Jérémie Beyou | Charal | France |
| Arnaud Boissières | APRIL Marine + Recherche Co-Partenaire | France |
| Elodie Bonafous | Association Petits Princes - Queguiner | France |
| Francesca Clapcich | 11th Hour Racing | Italy, USA |
| Manuel Cousin | Coup de Pouce | France |
| Jean-Baptiste Daramy | Anett - Kalhyge | France |
| Nicolas d'Estais | Café Joyeux | France |
| Violette Dorange | Initiatives-Cœur | France |
| Sam Goodchild | Macif Santé Prévoyance | UK, France |
| Boris Herrmann | Malizia 4 | Germany |
| Corentin Horeau | MACSF | France |
| Robin Marais | Respire - Ma Chance Moi Aussi | France |
| Sébastien Marsset | Foussier | France |
| Nicolas Rouger | Demain c'est loin | France |
| Sébastien Simon | Groupe Dubreuil - Air Caraïbes | France |
| Maxime Sorel | Vaincre la Mucoviscidose | France |
| Masa Suzuki | Milai - Furuno | Japan |
| Armel Tripon | Les P'tits Doudous | France |
List taken from the official website on 12 October 2026; it may still change before the start. A dash marks a boat whose name has not been announced yet.
The class record
In 2022, Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut) won in 11 days 17 hours 36 minutes and 25 seconds, ahead of Charlie Dalin (Apivia) and Jérémie Beyou (Charal), who is racing again (Wikipedia, 2022 Route du Rhum). He broke François Gabart's record of 12d 4h 38m 55s from 2014 (Figaro Nautisme).
The defending champion will not start: on 21 September 2026, Thomas Ruyant withdrew, having found no partner to fund his new IMOCA's race (France 3 Bretagne).
Ambrogio Beccaria, second in Class40 in 2022, now races an IMOCA, Allagrande Mapei. Boris Herrmann (Malizia 4), Sam Goodchild (Macif Santé Prévoyance) and Violette Dorange (Initiatives-Cœur) are also in the fleet.
The other classes
The Ultims · The Ocean Fiftys · The Class40s · Vintage Multi · Vintage Mono
The course, the other class records and the best spots for the start are in Route du Rhum 2026: course, classes, skippers and records, where to watch the start in Saint-Malo and how to follow the race. The track is on the Route du Rhum page of the globe. The other races open to the 60-footers, including the Vendée Globe, are on the IMOCA offshore races page.