Boating New Zealand has covered the race from start to finish. And as the final crews stepped ashore in Nouméa, the story was clear: this wasn’t just a race. It was a comeback with teeth.
New Caledonia Groupama Race 2025: Kiwis join the ‘Race in Paradise’
Cancelled in 2024 due to political unrest, the Groupama Race returned this year to reassert its status as a southern hemisphere offshore icon. The 654-nautical-mile loop around New Caledonia is a navigational and endurance test: coral reef dodgeball, unpredictable trades, wind shadows, and long, tactical sections that demand precision under fatigue. It didn’t disappoint.
V5 Dominates the Front
New Zealand’s V5 Racing was the performance boat to beat—and no one did. The TP52 was relentless, leading almost from the start and showing poise even after a mid-race hydraulic keel issue. By the time they reached Nouméa’s Pontoon 1, clocking 3 days, 11 hours, and 12 minutes at sea, they had Line Honours locked in and IRC 1 sealed up. Their 13th place on overall corrected time was a footnote to a textbook big-boat campaign.
Corrected time: Guilty’s tactical coup
But the smartest race move came from Guilty – Speed Marine – Epureau. As the fleet approached Uitoe, many were caught in a notorious calm. Guilty gambled—breaking south to find pressure while others bobbed in a dead zone. The reward: second across the line and first overall on IRC with 4 days, 10 hours, and 3 minutes corrected. It was a tactician’s dream outcome—and a reminder that in offshore racing, brains often beat brute force.
Racing, rescues and rivalries: New Caledonia Groupama race heats up
Mid-pack mayhem and grit
There was no shortage of fight throughout the fleet. Poulpito, BNC – my::NET, and Young Guns spent days match-racing within shouting distance, locked in tight tactical exchanges. Arearea Prony’s Paradise patched sails at sea. Muleque sailed with just three crew, conserving energy via rotating helms. Boats like Blue, Snatch’N’Furious, Party Time, and 41 Sud battled damage, sleep deprivation, and light airs, refusing to quit.
Final IRC podium? Guilty, BNC – my::NET, and Maluco. Every second counted, especially in the fading pressure off the coast.
Crushed sails, close battles: Groupama racers fight to the finish
Rushour’s flip: A capstone in caution
The most dramatic moment? Rushour, the Australian multihull, capsizing in the Grand Passage on Day 3. A fast boat with pedigree, she flipped hard—triggering an emergency response that saw the crew safely recovered. It was a sobering moment, and a sharp contrast to the jubilant arrivals days later. Offshore multihull racing is thrilling—but unforgiving. The crew’s safe return was a win in itself.
The boats that called time
Seven retirements underscored the challenge this race delivers. Motorboat II broached violently early on. Too Farr Out suffered a shredded spinnaker. Young Guns, stuck in still air with no relief in sight, made a smart exit. Brer Fox tore its mainsail almost in half. Kalolo bowed out with steering issues. Girouette retired after being battered in the Grand Passage and sought safety in the lagoon.
These were not failures—they were calls made with maturity and respect for the sea. Offshore racing rewards boldness, but never recklessness.
Race reignited, futures unwritten
The 2025 Groupama Race has re-established the event as a must-do for offshore sailors with serious intent. The scenery? Sublime. The racing? Unforgiving. The camaraderie? Still alive and well.
With 21 boats on the start line and only 14 finishing, the attrition rate told its own story. But every boat that crossed the line—or made the hard call to turn back—added to the race’s narrative.
Whether the next Groupama Race returns in 2026 or waits until 2027, one thing’s certain: this race is back where it belongs—testing skill, celebrating smarts, and turning reef-lined paradise into one hell of a battleground.
