Sailing-Goodchild swaps solo solitude for record run on Argo

Jan 16 : Fresh from winning the IMOCA Globe Series title in 2025, Britain’s Sam Goodchild has quickly shifted from the solitude of solo ocean racing to the intensity of fully crewed competition, helping break the RORC Transatlantic Race record aboard Argo, the MOD70 trimaran owned by Jason Carroll.

Argo completed the 3,000-nautical-mile crossing from Lanzarote to Antigua on Friday in four days, 23 hours, 51 minutes and 15 seconds, setting a race record and claiming Multihull Line Honours.

Goodchild, 36, who dominated the IMOCA Globe Series last season and secured the overall title in November, joined a fully crewed offshore campaign under skipper Chad Corning.

The six-man crew also included Pete Cumming, Charles Ogletree, Alister Richardson and Brian Thompson.

"Why am I on Argo?" Goodchild said smiling on arrival in Antigua. "It's good fun. Basically, it's a great boat. The MOD70s are awesome boats.

"I sailed them a bit a few years ago ... and raced with Argo for the RORC Caribbean 600 two years ago. Chad Corning invited me to come down, and (it's) doing it with a bunch of great people on a great boat.

"And ... it's a pretty quick trip for us," he added.

Goodchild explained that part of the appeal is that Argo is more agile than the larger, even faster Ultim multihulls he has also sailed.

“You can throw it around," he said of the 70ft Argo. With six people you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. The manoeuvres are really quick - about 20 seconds. On an Ultim it can take several minutes, so it’s just smaller and more manageable.”

SIMPLICITY KEY TO PERFORMANCE

Goodchild said the boat’s simplicity was key to its performance.

“On Argo we’re doing 35 to 40 knots and it feels easy. The boat goes fast without much trouble and