Triumph in the Transat Jacques Vabre
The first week of the 12th Transat Jacques Vabre was full of doom and gloom; two autumn gales led the way to a flipped maxi-tri, several broken boats, a half-sunk Hugo Boss, and several sailors enduring dramatic helicopter rescues at sea. As the fleet slid south into warmer, more tropical climes however, the headlines have begun to reflect the more hospitable conditions of the south with heartwarming reports of triumphant finishers claiming victory in Brazil and the Hugo Boss saga doing an about-face to include an unlikely happy ending with the boat and both skippers safe on land.
Wünderkind François Gabart continues to cement himself as the preeminent sailor of his generation by skippering the line-honors-winning MACIF maxi-trimaran to TJV victory alongside co-skipper Pascal Bidégorry. Completing the 5,400-mile course in just 12 days 17 hrs 29 min, the duo sailed an actual distance of some 6,340 miles at an average speed of nearly 21 knots. Locked into a close battle with Thomas Coville and Jean-Luc Nélias on Sodebo Ultim (the highly modified ex-Geronimo), MACIF trailed in the early stages but began to gradually find pace as the race progressed. Sailing a brand-new boat with just one foil in place — set for port tack — MACIF showed a clear advantage when reaching across the southeast trades. With a slow doldrums passage killing any chance of a course record, MACIF saw a nearly 300-mile lead shrink off Cabo Frio, but held on to claim a 100-mile lead over her rival at the finish. Gabart can now add the title of Transat Jacques Vabre champion to his list of triumphs that include the Vendée Globe and Route du Rhum.
Coming into this edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre, undoubtedly the biggest story line was that of the new generation of IMOCA 60s. Five ‘foiling’ boats would make their debut against the cream of the crop from the last two generations, with a few older boats thrown in to play spoiler. The story of the new boats breaking one by one is ancient history by now, but that of Vincent Riou and co-skipper Sebastien Col defending PRB’s title in the TJV is an exciting new development. The lightest IMOCA 60 ever built, PRB has shown that she is still a threat to win any race she enters. With a victory in the last TJV by default (MACIF dismasted), a win in the light-air Rolex Fastnet this year, and now another TJV triumph, Riou continues to quietly lurk on the sidelines as the IMOCA class’s dark horse. The only ‘foiler’ to finish, Armel le Cléac’h’s Banque Populaire VIII placed second — showing flashes of brilliance where the new boat was 2-4 knots faster on a reach than her competition — while the inspirational and unflappable Yann Elies skippered Quéguiner-Leucémie Espoir to a solid podium finish.
Erwan La Roux and mini-ace Giancarlo Pedote skippered FenêtréA Prysmian to a commanding victory in the four-boat Multi 50 trimaran division. The Class 40s still have a lot of race track to go with leaders Yannick Bestaven and Pierre Brasseur on Le Conservateur watching a big lead shrink near the doldrums and allowing second-placed V and B (wine and beer), with designer Sam Manuard onboard, to close the gap considerably to just under 20 miles as of this writing.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic, Frenchman Frédéric Denis has arrived in Guadeloupe to claim victory in the 20th Mini Transat, skippering his prototype 21-ft Mini Transat Nautipark more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic at an average speed of more than 10.5 knots!
