Amarris crowned 2025 IRC Two-Handed European Champion
by Louay Habib / RORC 8 Aug 00:08 NZST
2025 Rolex Fastnet Race - IRC 3 Start © Paul Wyeth / RORC
After a season of adversity and determination, French sailor Achille Nebout has claimed the 2025 IRC Two-Handed European Championship, rounding off an extraordinary campaign racing with two teammates; Gildas Mahé and Tanguy Bouroullec.
Aboard the brand-new Pogo RC Amarris, the all-French team was third overall and in class for the Rolex Fastnet Race, clinching the IRC European crown for double-handers.
The battle for runner-up went to the wire, Hervé Chataigner and Gildas Morvan on JPK 1050 Pilou placed sixth in the Rolex Fastnet Race to take second place by 1.2 points from Frank Lavenant and Nils Boyer aboard JPK 960 Sur la mer contre le cancer.
The IRC Two-Handed European Championship opened with the RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, where Nebout and co-skipper Gildas Mahé took a decisive win. The pair were followed by Sur la mer contre le cancer, and Pilou.
For Nebout and Mahé the win marked a powerful comeback. Just weeks before the St Malo Race, their Class40 Amarris Rebellion suffered a dismasting during the Normandy Channel Race, casting doubt over his entire 2025 programme. "In difficult times, there are always great opportunities," Nebout said. "The chance to work with Pogo Structures on developing the new Pogo IRC turned everything around."
Following a solid 5th place in the La Trinité-Cowes Race, Nebout now racing with Tanguy Bouroullec, turned their attention to the season finale: the Rolex Fastnet Race, a legendary offshore test and one Nebout had never competed in before. With strong upwind conditions on the approach to the Fastnet Rock and a fast spinnaker run on the return, the duo pushed the Pogo RC to its limits.
"We had some pretty tough conditions until the Rock and then went full throttle downwind," Nebout recalled. "The boat showed incredible potential. We were 30th at the Rock and clawed our way back—finishing 3rd in IRC Two-Handed and 3rd Overall out of 380 boats. That's something I'll never forget."
Despite the thick fog shrouding the iconic Fastnet Rock, the race ended in spectacular fashion.
"We couldn't even see the lighthouse—it was that thick," said Nebout. "But the finish was the paragon. To place that high in a fleet of every type of boat imaginable, on a new platform, is just surreal. And the reception in Cherbourg was incredible."
To his surprise, Nebout was crowned IRC Two-Handed European Champion upon arrival.
"It's a trophy that rewards the best combined performance across Cowes-Dinard-St Malo and the Rolex Fastnet," he said. "It's hugely respected by the double-handed community, and I'm proud to have our names on the trophy. It shows what we've learned and how far we've come in a short time."
While the Pogo RC Amarris was a temporary campaign, it was far from a placeholder.
"It's been a really beneficial experience. The IRC format is very different from Class40, but we adapted quickly and learned so much," said Nebout. "Massive thanks to Pogo Structures for trusting us with the boat—it's been an honour to help develop it under racing pressure."
Now, attention for Team Amarris turns back to Class40. A new mast is due for delivery in early September, and Nebout will reunite with Mahé to prepare for the Transat Café de l'Or (formerly the Transat Jacques Vabre) starting 26 October. The Royal Ocean Racing Club will be delighted if Amarris also enters the 2026 RORC Caribbean 600.
"We're aiming high," he said. "If we keep putting in podium performances like we did in IRC and before our dismasting, I'll sign up for that any day. I can't wait to get back out there."
In the world of double-handed offshore racing, consistency is king—and in 2025, Achille Nebout and Amarris proved they are at the very top of the throne.
For more information about the Royal Ocean Racing Club: www.rorc.org