The press conference for the 2025 edition of the Transat Paprec, which sets off from Concarneau on April 20, was held on Thursday at Paprec Bretagne’s headquarters in Le Rheu, near Rennes. For the past two years, this transatlantic race has contested by mixed doubles, with this year 19 tandems at the start compared with 11 in 2023, proof that the format has found its audience.
The Transat Paprec underwent a minor revolution two years ago when, under the impetus of its new title partner Paprec (committed for three editions, until 2027), organizer OC Sport Pen Duick introduced the compulsory mixed doubles format. 11 duos, the lowest number in the history of the double-handed race launched in 1992, took the start in April 2023; this time there will be 19, to the satisfaction of all those involved in the transatlantic race between Concarneau and Saint-Barthélémy.
“Almost 20 boats on this edition, it‘s a great success,” says a delighted Charlotte Yven (Skipper Macif), title holder – she won with Loïs Berrehar and is starting again with Hugo Dhallenne – who is one of the four women who took part two years ago to do so again this year, along with Sophie Faguet, Chloé Le Bars and Pauline Courtois. “That first event two years ago set a very good dynamic in motion, inspiring other female sailors to take part, and no doubt making some sailors feel more comfortable about taking a girl on board. It showed that it worked and that the battle was at least as intense as before.”
Many of the female sailors presented at Thursday’s press conference admitted that, without the imposition of the mixed doubles format on the Transat Paprec, they wouldn’t necessarily be here today. “At first, I wasn’t a fan of imposing mixed gender, but in fact, it opens up great possibilities for us,” commented Italy’s Vittoria Ripa di Meana, Arno Biston’s co-skipper on Article.1 – she’s also in charge of rigging and deck fittings on the Initiatives Cœur Imoca team. For her part, Britain’s Ellen Driver, who will be teaming up with Oliver Hill on Women’s Engineering Society, was delighted see women being “offered more and more opportunities to sail at a high level“.
Target 30 boats in 2027
Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean) from La Rochelle, who, thanks to the recent arrival of a new partner, will be competing in his first Figaro transatlantic race (with Pauline Courtois, third two years ago with Corentin Horeau), adds: “At first, it took everyone by surprise, and the choice was a bit tricky in terms of the sporting aspect for the sailors. I admit that I wasn’t necessarily thrilled myself, but in fact, it’s a great opportunity, because it highlights the complementarities between girls and boys – and I think Pauline and I are particularly good at that – and it’s an extra weapon for the media visibility of a race that’s looking to relaunch itself.“
For race director Francis Le Goff, “Paprec was visionary, they were leaders in this very assertive choice, which caused quite a stir at the start; they said they’d give themselves three editions to prove it was a good idea, so we’re clearly on the right track“. Stéphane Névé, in charge of Paprec’s sailing projects, agrees: “Gender diversity is an important parameter for Paprec, and it’s part of the group’s DNA. We can also see that a certain number of girls, more than two years ago, are heading the projects and were looking for a male co-skipper, which is a sign that there’s a shift, the gamble will really be won if we have a dozen more boats in two years’ time.”
This view is shared by OC Sport Pen Duick’s General Manager, Julie Royer Coutts, who talks of “getting back to the size of the line-up we saw in the heyday of the Transat AG2R. We should aim for 30 boats in 2027“. A figure reached only twice in the history of the race (31 in 2004 and up to 42 in 2000). Of course, this goal is also that of the Figaro Beneteau class, which three years ago set itself the strategy of attracting newcomers to a class that, year after year since the launch of the Figaro 3 in 2019, had been steadily losing competitors, which is no longer the case.
29 rookies out of 38
Hence the launch of an Academy circuit enabling newcomers to discover the boat on double-handed or crewed races, starting with the Tour Voile and the new Paprec Challenge, launched last year on the first leg of the Solitaire du Figaro Paprec. “The class had a slightly elitist feel to it, which was a bit scary, but young people feel more comfortable entering these events, which get their feet wet and enable them to aim higher by lining up for the Transat Paprec or the Solitaire,” says class president Jean-Bernard Le Boucher. Looking at the line-up for this Transat Paprec, which includes 29 rookies out of the 38 participants, this strategy seems to be bearing fruit, with a general rejuvenation confirmed: the oldest competitor, Davy Beaudart, will celebrate his 40th birthday the day after the start, the youngest, Tiphaine Rideau, is 19, and 19 of the 38 competitors are under 30.
“We can congratulate the class, which has made a huge effort to reopen this class to young people,” comments Sophie Faguet, one of the race’s doyennes at 38 (she’ll be teaming up with Jules Ducelier on Région Normandie). I noticed it last year on the Tour Voile, which welcomed a lot of newcomers.” This was particularly true of the youngest duo in the fleet (on Banques alimentaires), made up of Pier-Paolo Dean (20) and Tiphaine Rideau (19), both of whom come from light sailing backgrounds. “It was the Tour Voile that introduced me to the Figaro class, when I joined Pier-Paolo’s project,” says the latter. We then moved on to the Paprec Challenge, which is really what made us want to take the Paprec Transat.”
Many of the newcomers to the transatlantic race also come from the Mini 6.50 class, one of whose races, the Plastimo Lorient Mini, has also been contested by mixed doubles since 2023 – in fact, it was Tiphaine Rideau’s very first offshore race a year ago. “Between the mix and the Academy, the class and organizers have managed to bring in skippers from different backgrounds, which has left me with more choice than I had two years ago when looking for a co-skipper,” notes Maël Garnier (Selencia Cerfrance), who opted for Britain’s Catherine Hunt. More and more women are sailing and setting up their own project, and it’s starting to take off.” To be confirmed in two years’ time.
Photo : Alexis Courcoux
