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Allagrande
What to say about this month of June. It started with a boatyard to close, ended with a victory no one had predicted — and in between, everything else. A month we will hardly forget.
01
Les Sables d'Olonne
At the beginning of June, we are in Les Sables d'Olonne, at the start village of the Vendée Arctique. After a very demanding winter boatyard, a few weeks of sailing in May — some technical outings and Ambrogio's qualification — and very little rest, we arrive at the start with many unanswered questions about the boat. By our side, as always, Simona Giorgetta and the Mapei team.
Yet, before every start, there comes a moment when you have to stop modifying. Lock the state of the boat, close technical discussions, accept what is done and what is not yet. It's a way of letting go — necessary, and each time difficult in its own way.
On the pontoon, in the days before the start, the atmosphere is familiar to anyone who has experienced a major sporting event: accumulated fatigue, rising concentration, and that subtle euphoria that cannot be explained.
©Lorenzo Sironi
02
The Vendée Arctique 2026
Nine days. 3190 miles. From the Bay of Biscay to the Arctic Circle, passing through the Faroe Islands and the coasts of Iceland, then returning via the British Isles. A race that ended in the most sensational way possible.
Ambrogio Beccaria — "Allagrande Mapei"
Winner of the Vendée Arctique 2026 · First solo race in IMOCA
With this victory, Ambrogio Beccaria became the first Italian to win a solo race in the IMOCA circuit. And since 2002 — when Ellen MacArthur won the Route du Rhum — he is the first non-French sailor to win a major solo IMOCA race.
The "Gazzetta del Cammellone" — weather and strategy
Before leaving, Ambrogio analyzes the weather situation expected for the Vendée Arctique: Atlantic fronts, ridges, the route to the Arctic Circle and the pitfalls of the Bay of Biscay on the return.
Start — The channel of Les Sables d'Olonne
Start at 1:02 PM. Sun, light wind and a huge crowd in the channel. Ambrogio leaves Les Sables d'Olonne for his first solo IMOCA race, greeted by stadium-like cheering.
Blackout and speed along Ireland
An electrical fault leaves "Allagrande Mapei" in total darkness for about twenty minutes. Ambrogio stops the boat, restores the electrical panel and restarts. In the afternoon, conditions worsen: strengthening north-westerly wind, constantly rising sea, 30 knots and gusts along the Irish coast towards the Fastnet.
The fishing net — five dives in the Atlantic
At 3:45 PM, a net with a buoy wraps around "Allagrande Mapei"'s keel. Ambrogio has no choice: he stops the boat, lowers the sails and plunges into the cold waters of the North Atlantic. Five dives, almost two hours of intense physical work, with currents constantly drifting the hull. When the net is finally free and the boat restarts, the cry of relief is heard all the way to Italy. The video made with cameras beyond the GoPro goes viral: the cheering on social media explodes.
The Faroe Islands — "I'm about to cry from beauty"
Weather reprieve. Clear sky, calm sea, light winds and sun. Ambrogio rests, tidies up the boat and reconciles with it. Upon passing the Faroes, the words choose themselves. 100 miles from the Arctic Circle.
Arctic Circle — 66°N
Crossing the Arctic Circle live via video just before 8:00 PM, in the very short arctic night. The tacking battle with "Initiative Cœur" off Iceland begins immediately: Ambrogio moves into third position.
Route choice and the coasts of Iceland
Unlike Sam Goodchild, Ambrogio chooses the route west of Ireland for the descent — more conservative, but safer for a boat not yet at 100%. "I had never made such a cautious choice in a race." Meanwhile, the coasts of Iceland loom on the horizon: a breathtaking landscape.
Downwind over 25 knots — impossible to sleep
After rounding the Arctic Circle buoy, "Allagrande Mapei" finally finds its pace: downwind with sustained wind, foils biting, speed not dropping below 25 knots for hours. A night of exhilarating averages, practically impossible to sleep.
Blasket Islands and the calm
South of Ireland, the wind almost completely dies down. Ambrogio chooses to pass inside the Blasket Islands to stay close to shore: exposed rocks, strong currents, a delicate situation. Difficult moments for him but everything went well. In the afternoon, a ridge brings calm, sun and time to tidy up the boat for the final stretch.
Bay of Biscay — the thermal depression and the comeback
The thermal depression in the Bay of Biscay changes everything: Sam Goodchild, in the lead from the start, gets trapped first. Ambrogio, who stayed further north, takes advantage of the small window left open by the moving weather system. "Allagrande Mapei" catches up with "MACIF," overtakes it on the lateral separation to the north and starts a night match race of gybes.
3:07 AM — Arrival and victory
"Allagrande Mapei" crosses the finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne at 3:07 AM with over six miles lead over "MACIF". Ambrogio Beccaria wins the Vendée Arctique 2026. In the channel, the Italian flag.
«Right now I'm very surprised by this immense stroke of luck I've had. But I also believe I was opportunistic enough to take advantage of the small window left open by MACIF, we tried and it went very, very well. The race was amazing. So many things happened: it was an incredible journey. I saw so many different islands, the Faroes, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland. Rounding the Arctic Circle, however, was not very symbolic, because in the end it was just a number to reach. Anyway, it's a race in which I feel I economized myself quite a bit: I never went overboard. Also because at the beginning I seemed to struggle a bit, I couldn't keep up with the boat that had many problems. The first two days were quite challenging: I had many electronic problems, a blackout, I had to go underwater to free the boat from that cursed buoy. In short, a lot happened and this made me lose a bit of confidence. Then, little by little, the boat and I understood each other well again. In fact, to the point that I decided to take that route west of Ireland. I chose it precisely because I didn't feel like going inside: with a boat that wasn't in perfect condition, if there had been even a small problem in such a delicate passage it would have been dramatic. There was a lot of traffic, a lot of wind, traffic separation zones, which are precisely where Elodie ended up and for which she received a twelve-hour penalty. I wanted to avoid all these things. I had never made such a cautious choice in a race and, instead, this didn't bother me at all. In fact, I understood that I didn't want to do it and I didn't do it. I was very sure of myself, very sure of what I could do, and the boat and I understood each other wonderfully.»
— Ambrogio Beccaria, on arrival at Les Sables d'Olonne
©Lorenzo Sironi
03
Return to Lorient — post-race repair
After the celebration and the first hours of recovery in Les Sables d'Olonne, the team brought "Allagrande Mapei" back to Lorient. And almost without pause, on June 23rd the boat was pulled out of the water.
The reason for the stop is the daggerboard which sustained damage while sailing off Ireland, at the moment Ambrogio found the fishing net wrapped around the keel. Damage that did not compromise the race but needs to be repaired before resuming sailing.
This haul-out is also an opportunity for something important: changing the foil bearings. A small but fundamental preparation operation that paves the way for the installation of the new foils — those designed and built this winter, which patiently waited in storage while the old V1s carried "Allagrande Mapei" to the Arctic Circle and beyond.
“What we are doing now is the real end of the winter refit. This is the moment we are preparing to install the new foils. We have removed the old ones, modified the parts that needed modification, and their installation will conclude all the work this winter. At that point, the boat will be 90% in its final configuration. There will still be some small details to sort out, but structurally we will be in the right place.
— Enrico Bandiera, Technical Director
It's a big adaptation for the boat to accommodate these foils. The main task is to change the bearings to fit them, and in parallel, we are working on the equipment and rigging so that the boat is ready to handle the increased power load they bring.
There will certainly be things we haven't thought of, which is why we have planned sailing sessions in July and August to discover them. The goal is to arrive at the Défi Azimut with a boat truly in its Route du Rhum configuration, test everything in the race, and if there are still adjustments to be made, we will have about a month to do them before the start. But the idea is not to need any, because we cannot go into the Route du Rhum with unknowns.”
04
July and the next chapter
On June 30th, the same day as the Route du Rhum kick-off in Saint-Malo, "Allagrande Mapei" returned to the water — directly with the new foils on board. It was not a quiet return: it's time to truly understand what changes. And how much.
The month of July will be entirely dedicated to testing and training, with the aim of accumulating miles on the new foils and adapting all the boat's systems — autopilot, navigation parameters, polars — to appendages that will give it much more power.
The major objectives are already defined: the Défi Azimut in September and, above all, the Route du Rhum in November. In Saint-Malo, the official kick-off of the race symbolically closed this month of June. A circle closes, and a new one opens.
