British skippers Sam Goodchild and Phil Sharp have both announced new campaigns for the 2024 Vendée Globe. Sam Goodchild, who has been skippering an Ocean 50 trimaran for the Leyton Sailing Team, has confirmed that Leyton will be supporting him in a move into the IMOCA fleet for the 2024 solo round the world race.
Meanwhile fellow former Figaro and Class 40 skipper, Phil Sharp, has announced a new Manuard-designed IMOCA currently in build for the 2024 Vendée. The new generation foiler OceansLab will utilise hydrogen power.
Sam Goodchild was born in Britain and spent his early years living aboard a yacht in the Caribbean. In his 20s he competed in the Solitaire du Figaro, before moving into the Class 40 and Ocean 50 multihull. He has sailed on Sodebo, Spindrift, Mapfre, and with other high profile teams. Now 34, he is currently racing in The Ocean Race.
Speaking from the brief Ocean Race stopover in Cape Verde, Goodchild confirmed that he’d be releasing more details of the campaign shortly. He has worked with Leyton since 2019, in what Goodchild describes as a “very hands-on and productive relationship”, and delivered some impressive results, including 2nd in the Transat Jules Verne and strong performances in the Pro Sailing Tour.
Goodchild is now on an accelerated IMOCA learning curve, racing with Kevin Escoffier on Holcim-PRB. “Kevin has set the team up in a very open way,” says Goodchild of the opportunity, “He’s very communicative about why the boat was designed the way it was, and the theory as to how it works. It’s not just ‘this is your trim book, do this.’”
Goodchild will be also part of the team for the long Southern Ocean leg from Cape Town to Recife. “Going into the Southern Ocean on an IMOCA before my first Vendée Globe is kind of gold dust,” he adds, “You can sail around Brittany in the summer and then do a transatlantic, but it’s not at
