| Age | 51 (8/20/73) |
|---|---|
| Top performance | 6 times Ironman |
| Joined Imoca on | 2022 |
| Team | SZABI RACING |
| Base | Les Sables d'Olonne (FRANCE) |
Determined and persistent, Hungarian sailor Szabolcs Weöres decided at the age of 49 to race around the World single handed on the Vendée Globe 2024 following the footsteps of Nándor Fa, the first non-French skipper to complete the race in 1992-93.
Although he is a rookie when it comes to solo racing, he is certainly not new to sailing. Coming from a family of sailors, he started his career in Optimist, Cadet, 420, FD and Soling, then joined South Africa’s legendary Team Shosholoza for the 32nd America’s Cup as a rigger.
His philosophy is to take everything step by step, manage expectations and systematically build up his solo sailing career. He now has the boat, Ari Huusela’s Stark built by Owen Clarke (originally for Dee Caffari), a small, but professional support team and enough budget for the moment.
In 2022, he launched his Vendée Globe project and took on a series of transatlantic races in an IMOCA: the Route du Rhum, which he finished in 26th place, the Transat Jacques Vabre, and Retour à La Base, which he completed in 28th position.
In November 2024, the challenge paid off — he was on the starting line of the Vendée Globe. But the beginning of the race was eventful. A broken shroud compromised the safety on board and forced him to retire.
| Name | NEW EUROPE |
|---|---|
| Sail number | HUN 23 |
| Architect | Owen Clarke Design |
| Construction | 2007, Hakes Marine, Wellington (Nouvelle-Zélande) |
| Former names | AVIVA, STARK, SZABI RACING |
| Length | 18,28 m |
| Beam | 5,57 m |
| Draught | 4,5 m |
| Weight | 8,5 tonnes |
| Mast height | 29 m |
| Mast type | Mât Classique |
| Foils | No |
| Sail area max. | |
| Upwind | 270 m2 |
| Downwind | 580 m2 |
What effect does racing alone around the world on a high performance IMOCA yacht have on the human body and mind? It’s a question you might well ask, as our sailors put themselves through one of the biggest tests in extr…
•••The 10th edition of the Vendée Globe will go down as one of the greatest in the race’s history, featuring more boats on the startline than ever before, more finishers than ever before, and an emphatic and record-breaking…
•••Because of irreparable damage to the D2 shroud on his IMOCA, New Europe, Hungarian skipper Szabolcs Weöres has made the difficult decision to retire from Vendée Globe 2024-25 The shroud, a key component of the rigging th…
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