For the first time in the history of IMOCA class racing two solo women racers lifted the top two places at a circuit event when Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) and Isabelle Joschke (Monin) topped the podium for the Drheam Cup, racing from La Trinité sur Mer - Cherbourg via the Fastnet.

Three times winner of La Solitaire du Figaro and the skipper who finished fourth in the last Vendée Globe Yann Eliès acknowledged with a smile, “Sailing is a modern, open sport and it is good to have the girls beating us.”
The domination of the only two women in the IMOCA fleet reflects their guile and skill in the initial light conditions but it was also tough between the Fastnet and Land’s End.

The two girls take stock:

Smart Options

Sam Davies: "The first hours of the race proved decisive. With Isabelle we opted for an offshore option that paid off and allowed us to open up a gap on the rest of the fleet. After that we had to protect and do what we could when a comeback return from the back was on the cards. 

Isabelle Joschke: "We sailed cleanly. We were kind of sailing in phase with each other, even if we separated a bit at the entrance to the Irish Sea when we negotiated a ridge. Sam went for it a bit more than me but I still managed to hold on to that second place. "
 

© Martin Keruzoré

Sisters solidarity? 

Sam: "It sure is nice. The fact remains that a race is a race.We just talked a bit before the race and that allowed us to calibrate against each other in speed, one compared to the other. Having a benchmark, a hare, makes you go faster ... "

Isabelle: "We had a chance to talk to each other and discuss our sail configurations and adjustments. But then we lost sight of each other until the last few miles. And there, everyone was in their own bubble. We realized on the pontoon after the finish. Considering the way Sam had lead she deserved to win. But so too I did not want Yann (Elies) to come and steal second place. "

The crucial preparation

Sam: "We did a lot of work with my team, especially to lighten the boat. I realized how good our preparation was. It is a result that will give confidence to our whole team. Now I realize how much I have evolved since my last Vendée Globe in 2012. In the meantime, there was the Volvo where I had the opportunity to be with lots of incredibly successful girls. It is now that I realize how much this experience has made me mature. "

Isabelle: "Even if I had not raced the boat solo, the crewed stuff, the deliveries, the Monaco Globe Series, it all ensured I felt comfortable aboard. With Sam we were among the best prepared competitors. I realized that I know the settings, the manouvres, the processes. Man or woman it is the quality of your preparation which makes the difference. 

A Sign?  

Sam: "It's always good for confidence. The next events like the Trophée Azimut and the Route du Rhum will be more difficult. The there will be the good guys who were not here like Alex Thomson, Vincent Riou, Paul Meilhat or even Jérémie Beyou. But it shows that we are competitors, not only here to make numbers. "
 

© Thierry Martinez

Isabelle: "The Route du Rhum will be an entirely different challenge. The fleet will be much stronger and the competition much tougher. But I think others see us in a different light now, it proves that we have our place we are legitimate. "

Sam Davies : 44 yers old, lives in Trégunc (Finistère)

4th in Vendée Globe 2008 - 2009

RET in Vendée Globe 2012 (dismasted)

6th in Transat Jacques Vabre 2017 with Tanguy de Lamotte

5th in Transat Jacques Vabre 2015 with Tanguy de Lamotte

Isabelle Joschke: 40 years old, lives in Lorient

2nd in Monaco Globe Series with Alain Gautier

8th in Transat Jacques Vabre 2017 with Pierre Brasseur

2nd in Transat Québec - Saint-Malo (Class40)

www.vendeeglobe.org