FR
ENTo this end she is partnered with Yann Eliès, three times winner of the Transat Café L’Or who finished fifth in the Vendée Globe in the colours of Quéguiner, and sets off on this race hungry to learn and continue the successes she and Eliès have already enjoyed since the boat was launched. Less than six months after launching Association Petits Princes – Quéguiner, she began competing with a crew. And it was a resounding success: in June, she and her crew were contenders for victory with Macif Santé Prévoyance in the Course de Caps around the British Isles. A few weeks later after a she won the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race, again with a crew. Bonafous says, "It's true that for now, the results are extremely positive, we had not set any goals in terms of results, but it's true that we didn't expect it to be this good."
Élodie Bonafous a rising star with eyes on the ultimate prize
« Immediately focused on the sporting aspect »
Bonafous says that the early successes reflect a combination of choices. The first is the boat. "On the one hand it’s reassuring but also a little intimidating because it proves that this boat is an excellent tool," said Élodie. "It's the sistership of one of the best boats of the previous generation," adds Yann Eliès, her co-skipper. "MerConcept (who developed and managed Dalin’s winning project) delivered it turnkey, which allowed Élodie to skip the reliability stage and immediately focus on the sporting aspect."
Another factor in the success is the work atmosphere instilled by Bonafous. She says that everything is going very well with no snags and cites the cohesion between the technical team and the valuable contribution of the all the sailors at the start of the season. "We're all on the same page in terms of what we want to achieve, and everything is clear about each person's role," continues Élodie.
A great impression on the Figaro proving ground
"Her way of thinking and building the project with her sponsor is very intelligent," explains Yann Eliès. He praises her tough uncompromising offshore character and highlights her skills as an accomplished skipper. Élodie learned her trade in the Figaro, the "offshore school" of which almost all the best skippers are alumni. Over three seasons, the winner of the "Challenge Océane Bretagne-CMB" has progressed well. In the Solitaire du Figaro, she finished 25th (2020), 12th (2021), before finishing 8th (2022). She became the second woman in the history of the race to reach the podium of a leg. Her talent is already being praised; she's been sailing also on SVR-Lazartigue, and she can now dream big about IMOCA success.
Yet, there's a great deal of humility in Bonafous voice. This TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandie will only be her second transatlantic race (she competed in the double-handed Transatlantic in 2021). She admits that she is slightly overawed by the scale of the event, “I am not used to an event of this magnitude, the stress before setting off and the notion of the unknown." However, there's no question of letting what she calls "this little pressure" get her down. "The goal is to be able to sail the boat properly to the finish and be in the match," she concludes Equipped with the newest boat in the fleet and one of the race’s most experienced and successful co-skippers the odds are on her side.
