Rolex Fastnet Race: For The Planet takes third place, IMOCA Class, in Cherbourg

For The Planet - 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race © Pierre Bouras / TR Racing

Another podium for the Sam Goodchild - Antoine Koch duo, who had already achieved a similar third place in the Guyader Bermudes 1000 in May. FOR THE PLANET, the Verdier design launched in 2019 under the name LinkedOut, has once again successfully competed against the latest designs.

British sailor Sam Goodchild, supported by French navigator-architect Antoine Koch, is once again proving his extraordinary ability to adapt to all types of watercraft. Fresh from The Ocean Race, he jumped behind the helm of a perfectly optimized and accomplished FOR THE PLANET foiling IMOCA. His duet with Antoine Koch has worked wonders, and the two men have signed a flawless record in this particularly arduous Rolex Fastnet race, once again proving their ability to sail just right, in the right tempo with the weather, and capable of competing with such a fierce opposition in an increasingly high-performance and demanding IMOCA class.

For The Planet - 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race - photo © Pierre Bouras / TR Racing

Sam Goodchild from the finish line:

"We 'sailed clean', and we're proud of this performance. There were 29 boats at the start on Saturday, and all the big names in sailing. We're very satisfied with this third place, especially as we did it in the right way. We worked well together, and our human management was top-notch. Antoine is a valuable co-skipper, and I'm learning a lot from him. We sail with a great deal of rationality, and are constantly identifying areas where we need to make progress. My confidence and pleasure in sailing this boat increases with each navigation. We've been watching the competition a lot, and learning from them wherever possible. The end of the race was stressful, with this shifty, irrational wind. We didn't lose our unity. We finished tired, because there was no downtime, but very happy, with a big thought for our friends Thomas and Morgan who suffered damage on... "their FOR PEOPLE boat."

For The Planet - 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race - photo © Pierre Bouras / TR Racing

Rolex Fastnet Race 2023 IMOCA Class Results:

1. Macif: Dalin - Bidégorry
2. Paprec Arkea: Richomme- Eliès at 4 mn and 6 sec.
3. FOR THE PLANET: Sam Goodchild - Antoine Koch at 27 mn and 7 sec.