First Solo Race, First Podium: Anne-Claire Le Berre Makes a Statement at the Drheam Cup
First solo race, first podium. Anne-Claire Le Berre delivered an outstanding performance in her first-ever official Ocean Fifty solo race, finishing second in the Drheam Cup aboard UpWind by MerConcept. After 1,016 nautical miles between Cherbourg and Lorient in one of the event’s most demanding editions, the French skipper secured her first podium finish, further strengthening her confidence just months ahead of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe.
Originally scheduled to start on Sunday, the 2026 edition was brought forward by 24 hours to allow the fleet to get ahead of a complex weather system forecast for the English Channel. It set the tone for a challenging, highly tactical race that proved to be a valuable learning experience for the UpWind by MerConcept skipper.
Competing against seasoned offshore racers aboard newer-generation boats, Anne-Claire Le Berre consistently held her own throughout the course. Supported by Yann Eliès and Sébastien Soupey in her weather-routing team, she made one of the race’s defining strategic moves during the night from Monday to Tuesday. A bold northern routing option allowed her to climb from sixth to second place in just a few hours—a position she successfully defended all the way to the finish line in Lorient.
Anne-Claire Le Berre: “I Never Imagined I’d Be Standing Here Today”
You finished second in the Drheam Cup in your very first official Ocean Fifty solo race. How does it feel?
“It was an incredibly demanding race, and I’m obviously thrilled with the result. Honestly, I never imagined I’d be standing here today, so it’s a wonderful surprise.
This performance was also the result of a tremendous team effort ashore, since we raced with weather routing. I’d especially like to thank Yann Eliès and Sébastien Soupey, who spent countless hours behind their computers, day and night. It may be a solo race, but there’s a whole team behind the skipper.
I got off to a good start, and there were so many twists and turns throughout the race. We managed to be in the right place at the right time, and I’m really happy that I was able to get the very best out of my boat, my team, and myself.”
Does this result give you even more confidence heading into the Route du Rhum?
“Absolutely. It’s a very encouraging result, and it proves that you can achieve great things even with an older boat. The conditions were extremely technical and the course was particularly demanding, so I’m pleased to have made it through with very few technical mistakes.
Now it’s time for a little rest, a short refit for the boat—which worked hard too—and then it’s back to training in September for the final push toward the Route du Rhum.”
There’s a 12-year age difference between your boat and Basile Bourgnon’s. What does that say to you?
“There’s also a 20-year age difference between Basile and me!” (laughs). “More seriously, Basile sailed a fantastic race. He has an outstanding boat and he’s an excellent sailor, so I’m not surprised to see him finish ahead.
On the first day especially, some of the newer boats were able to carry a lot more sail in conditions where I had to be a little more conservative. We have to work with the characteristics of our boat—its hull shape and volume are different. In the end, the sailor and the boat are one package, and I think we managed to get the absolute best out of ours this week.”
Route du Rhum Qualification Secured
Yann Eliès: “She Can Be Proud of Herself”
On the weather preparation and pre-race strategy
“I feel like we prepared the weather extremely well on Friday before the start. It gave us a very clear picture, and in the end almost everything we anticipated actually unfolded during the race.
The decision to stay north of the fleet between the two waypoints was one of the scenarios we wanted to commit to. Of course, there was some concern about the stronger thunderstorms forecast in that area, but in the end we’re obviously very happy with the strategic call we made.”
On Anne-Claire’s performance
“I think she can be proud of herself. Solo offshore racing is incredibly demanding, and it’s never an easy exercise.
Anne-Claire puts tremendous commitment into everything she does and invests a huge amount of energy in her projects. One of the biggest challenges in solo offshore racing is knowing how to manage your recovery so you can stay sharp and perform over time. During this race, she found that balance.”
Could this strategic approach become one of her strengths for the Route du Rhum?
“I think she has a real opportunity in the Route du Rhum. Weather strategy and tactical decisions played a major role in this performance.
With a boat that’s older than some of the newest designs in the fleet, she’ll probably need to keep looking for bold strategic opportunities to make up for the gap in outright performance. That may well become one of the project’s greatest strengths.”
Beyond the sporting result itself, this podium reflects the broader ambition of UpWind by MerConcept: to give talented women sailors access to the highest level of offshore multihull racing, help them build experience, and provide the platform they need to reach their full competitive potential.
With this first Ocean Fifty podium, Anne-Claire Le Berre and UpWind by MerConcept continue to build momentum as they look ahead to the season’s biggest challenge: the 2026 Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe.
