The Transat Paprec, contested for the second time in mixed doubles, sets off from Concarneau on Sunday, bound for Saint-Barthélemy (3,890 miles). As before every major race, Tip & Shaft has brought together a panel of experts to discuss the line-up, including Élodie Bonafous, who competed in 2021, Loïs Berrehar, title holder with Charlotte Yven, Basile Bourgnon, entered in 2023 with Violette Dorange, Jeanne Grégoire, director of the Pôle Finistère training center, Tanguy Leglatin, coach at Lorient Grand Large, and race director Francis Le Goff
11 duos took part in the Transat Paprec in 2023, and this year they will be 19. This clear increase in participation was welcomed by all those we spoke to, including Élodie Bonafous: “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting such a large field. There’s been a big revival in the Figaro class, thanks in particular to the Tour Voile, with a lot of young people. They’re managing to put together viable projects capable of doing a transatlantic race, which is good news.”
Jeanne Grégoire is equally enthusiastic: “Before the event became mixed, in 2023, there weren’t many boats entered, and the class even considered stopping this double-handed transatlantic race. It would have been a real shame, but it’s great that it’s still there, with so many quality crews. At the start, I was skeptical about imposing a mixed race, but I was wrong. It took time to create a pool of high-performance women. On this edition, we find women sailors from all horizons, with experience and recognized skills.”
For his part, Tanguy Leglatin emphasizes the adventure dimension that attracts participants, both men and women: “Many of the young people entered come from the Mini Class and want to do a transatlantic race again. Ocean racing isn’t just a competition, it also has a travel dimension which is always a dream,” says the Lorient-based coach.
A bonus for pure figarists?
What are the ingredients for victory? “The start is relatively early in the season, so the ability to quickly create a good synergy in the pairing, to train well beforehand and to manage all the technical aspects is one of the big stakes. Obviously, having Figaro experience is an asset,” replies Loïs Berrehar.
“It’s not easy to be ready at this time of year,” confirms Tanguy Leglatin. Time is limited and there’s a big advantage for structured projects. In my opinion, the duos who are part of schemes like Macif, Bretagne-CMB or Région Normandie are helped because they have well-constructed and financed projects. The sailors had just one event to prepare for, the Solo Guy Cotten, and it was very open. This will also be the case in the transatlantic race, even if we can imagine that the most experienced sailors will end up widening the gaps on a regular basis, as the very few speed differences to really go fast all the time are hard to achieve for the most neophytes.”
Basile Bourgnon also points out that “there’s nothing more difficult in terms of intensity than a one-design transatlantic race“, before adding: “Figaro 3s aren’t comfortable and aren’t necessarily made for transatlantic sailing. The seating position isn’t confortable and the interior is spartan. It’s physically hard work, so you have to have stamina and be tough. To perform well, you also need two good helmsmen, as we spend our time taking turns. There’s no room for chance; you can’t let a wave go by without catching it. It requires constant attention.”
For race director Francis Le Goff, “the complementarity of the sailors will make all the difference. To win, you have to be able to get along very quickly to get the boat as fast as possible and find the good pace. Many duos are made up of a sailor who knows the Figaro or the transatlantic race very well, accompanied by someone who is more of a novice. On the other hand, there are one or two pairs who tick all the boxes, like Charlotte Yven and Hugo Dhallenne.”
Skipper Macif is the choice
Like Francis Le Goff, the five other experts interviewed by Tip & Shaft cite the Skipper Macif duo as the clear favorites for this Transat Paprec 2025. “Hugo and Charlotte finished 4th and 5th respectively in the last Solitaire, Charlotte is the title holder and Hugo won the Mini Transat [in series in 2021, editor’s note]. That sets the scene!” comments Jeanne Grégoire.
Winner in 2023 with Charlotte Yven, Loïs Berrehar once again sees the sailor from Morlaix Bay shining: “She’s very well surrounded by Hugo, knows the course and the pairing works well. After that, on a race like this, you never know what might happen. In 2021, with Tom Laperche, we thought we’d almost won the race, but in the end, we took an option that meant we missed out on victory.” For his part, Basile Bourgnon insists on the complementarity of the Skipper Macif duo, between “Hugo’s talent” and “Charlotte’s ability to steer superbly and trim the sails like no one else.”
Who will rival this duo? When all predictions are added up, our experts place Région Normandie in second place, with Jules Ducelier and Sophie Faguet. “Jules has a now good experience of the Figaro 3 and Sophie knows the route (she finished 4th in 2023, editor’s note), she has crewed on the Tour Voile and has also shown a very high level in match racing. She’s a real educator, and has an interesting way of accepting the other,” explains Francis Le Goff. “They know each other well, we’ve seen them training, they’re very good, they have no gaps,” notes Jeanne Grégoire
Ten or so podium contenders
Martin Le Pape and Mathilde Géron (Demain) complete the podium of predictions. “Martin is a hard worker, he’s well prepared, he’s good at weather and I think he’s chosen the right sails,“ warns Basile Bourgnon. As for Mathilde, she’s a good helmswoman, so she’ll be able to get the boat moving fast. Profiles like hers don’t need to be superbly familiar with the support. They have sensitivities and sensations that not everyone has, so they can adapt very quickly.”
Other contenders for the podium include the Région Bretagne-CMB Océane duo (Lola Billy/Corentin Horeau), as well as their “colleagues” Victor Le Pape and Estelle Greck (Région Bretagne-CMB Espoir). Alexis Thomas and Pauline Courtois (Wings of the Ocean) are also in the spotlight, notably by Loïs Berrehar: “I have a feeling that Alexis is going to have a big year, he impressed me on the Solo Guy Cotten. With Pauline, who’s talented and already has experience of the Transat Paprec [3rd in 2023], it could work out really well.” Other outsiders include Quentin Vlamynck and Audrey Ogereau (Les Étoiles Filantes), Adrien Simon and Chloé Le Bars (Faun), Davy Beaudart and Julie Simon (Hellowork) and Laure Galley and Kevin Bloch (DMG Mori Academy). Race results in just under three weeks from now.
Our experts’ top 5: 1. Skipper Macif (Charlotte Yven/Hugo Dhallenne), 2. Région Normandie (Jules Ducelier/Sophie Faguet), 3. Demain (Martin Le Pape/Mathilde Géron), 4. Région Bretagne-CMB Océane (Lola Billy/Corentin Horeau), 5. Région Bretagne-CMB Espoir (Victor Le Pape/Estelle Greck)
Photo : Pierre Bouras / Disobey. / Macif
