The Leyton Ocean Fifty finished first in Brest for the Final Rush of the Pro Sailing Tour. Sam Goodchild, who had already won the three episodes in Brest, La Rochelle and Las Palmas with his crew, wins the first edition of the Pro Sailing Tour. The last episode, the Final Rush, that saw the fleet sail from Toulon to Brest, was intense for the six competing crews. A tremendous victory for Sam Goodchild, Aymeric Chappellier and Sébastien Josse who arrived tonight at 20:45 and 24 seconds in Brest. Exhausted but happy to finish first, the three men talked about their 5 days at sea and explained the harmony that they had onboard Leyton and that allowed them to win over their fierce opponents.
As soon as the race started in Toulon last Monday, the Leyton Ocean Fifty led a memorable battle in the Mediterranean sea and in the Atlantic. The thrilling and demanding chase raged on for the whole 5 days and didn’t let any respite to the Leyton crew. Onboard the blue and orange trimaran, the crew had to stay constantly focused in order to make the right tactical choices and to keep the boat at great speeds throughout the whole race. Sam Goodchild’s first words when he arrived in Brest were for his crew members: Aymeric Chappellier and Sébastien Josse. The trio managed to work in unison despite the rough weather conditions that they had along the way. The British skipper also pointed out the amazing work that was done by the shore team in preparing the boat. Sam, Aymeric and Sébastien did not have any technical issues and were able to use the boat’s full potential during the whole race.
A memorable moment of this finale will undoubtedly be sailing past Cape Saint-Vincent with gusts of wind up to 38 knots! In such conditions, every little detail counts onboard an Ocean Fifty and the smallest mistake can have major consequences. But Sam Goodchild, Aymeric Chappellier and Sébastien Josse demonstrated a lot of control and were able to counter the attacks of the rest of the extremely determined fleet.
Barely crowned with his great victory on the Pro Sailing Tour, Sam Goodchild is already looking ahead to his next deadline… On November 7th, he will take on the Atlantic with his co-skipper Aymeric Chappellier for the Transat Jacques Vabre. A race that the duo would love to add to their belts. The experience gained during the Pro Sailing tour will undoubtfully help them in their quest to reach the highest step on the podium. For Sébastien Josse, Sam and Aymeric can believe in a victory. “Aymeric and Sam know each other really well, they know how to work together. They have everything for the Transat Jacques Vabre and I am not worried for them. I wish them the best!”
Sam Goodchild ” It wasn’t always easy but we’re happy. We had all sorts of conditions… We used all the sails several times. We all worked great as a team throughout the whole race. Aymeric did an amazing job on strategy and weather routing. And Seb has a really good knowledge of multihulls and of offshore racing. It was great to be able to learn with him. We really had 5 perfect days. We are extremely happy to have won. The season went really well, better than we could have imagined. It’s great! We were three onboard but there are many other people involved in making this project work. It’s great to be able to share this arrival and this victory with them! The next big goal for us is the Transat Jacques Vabre, double-handed with Aymeric!”
Aymeric Chappellier “We’re glad to be in Brest with the boat in one piece. I really want to thank and congratulate the shore team who did an amazing job, we didn’t have any technical issue. The team with Sam and Seb was great, we’re a great trio! We were always in good spirits and in a good atmosphere, even when things were tensed. It was a very good moment with them.”
Sébastien Josse “It was an intense race, we had really changing conditions. It was a great discovery of the Ocean Fifty and of Sam and Aymeric. We spent 5 days in a really good atmosphere, Sam and Aymeric know each other well and they work well together. I had sailed with them in May and you can see now how they have evolved. They trust the boat and they trust each other. They’ve managed to push the boat and they’ve found the way to do a Grand Slam by winning all the episodes. They have everything they need for the Transat Jacques Vabre and I am not worried for them. I wish them the best!”
Sam Goodchild Aymeric Chappellier François Morvan Thomas Coville Jackson Bouttell Laurane Mettraux Elodie-Jane Mettraux Sébastien Josse
Declarations
Caroline Villecroze, Marketing, Communication and CSR director of the Leyton Group
“It was fascinating to follow the Fina Rush, the Leyton’s collaborators and myself had our eyes fixed on the cartography. I want to thank the whole Leyton Sailing Team for their involvement and performance. Well done to the Pro Sailing Tour team for their organization this season. We look forward to next year for the next season.”
