The Transat Jacques Vabre is a double-handed transatlantic race between different classes of yachts, including Imoca, Ultime, Mutli50s and Class40s. Find the latest news and investigations from Tip & Shaft on the subject.
The organizers of the Transat Jacques Vabre announced on Thursday in Le Havre the change of name of the race, which becomes Transat Café L’Or. Race co-director Gildas Gautier explains the change and the contours of the 2025 edition, which sets off on October 26 from Le Havre bound for Fort-de-France (Martinique).
After the Ultims and the Ocean Fifty, the Transat Jacques Vabre delivered its podium finish in the Imoca class last weekend and in the Class40 class on Thursday afternoon, with the rvictories of the duos Thomas Ruyant / Morgan Lagravière (For People) and Ambrogio Beccaria / Nicolas Andrieu (Alla Grande Pirelli). Tip & Shaft brought together a number of architects and engineers for a technical analysis of the race.
Finishing 4th last Sunday in the Imoca Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie-Le Havre with Jérémie Beyou on Charal, Franck Cammas took off on Wednesday for Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), where the second Preliminary Regatta of the 37th America’s Cup kicks off on 29 November. Between two planes, the man from Aix-en-Provence spoke at length to Tip & Shaft. This Friday we publish the first part of the interview, devoted to the transatlantic race; the second, on the Orient Express Racing Team challenge, will appear next Friday.
After the victory on Thursday night of Solidaires en Peloton (Thibaut Vauchel-Camus/Quentin Vllamynck) in the Ocean Fifty, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie-Le Havre will reach its epilogue in the Imoca class this weekend, while the Class40s are expected in the middle of next week. Tip & Shaft caught up with skippers Pascal Bidégorry and Nicolas Troussel, as well as weather routing expert Dominic Vittet, to discuss the end of the race in these two classes.
Since Tuesday and the departure from Le Havre of the Imoca boats, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie-Le Havre has resumed its ‘normal’ course, with matches in all four classes. Tip & Shaft takes a look at each of them (to be followed on our website), accompanied by Pierre-Marie Bourguinat, the editor covering the race for the organisation, the routers Jean-Yves Bernot and Marcel Van Triest for the Ultims, Martin Le Pape for the Imocas, Daniel Souben for the Ocean Fiftys and Bruno Jourdren for the Class40s.
For its 30th anniversary, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie-Le Havre has had an eventful week, from a stopover in Lorient for the Class40s and Ocean Fifties, to a stoppage in Le Havre for the Imoca boats, with only the Ultim boats following the planned programme. Tip & Shaft takes a look at the sequence of events, with the key players involved.
After looking at the Class40 and Ocean Fifty fleet, this week, Tip & Shaft is examining the 5 Ultim and 40 Imoca boats that will be lining up on Sunday at the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie-Le Havre. We are focusing on the favourites in these two categories along with the Race Director, Francis Le Goff, the President of the Imoca class, Antoine Mermod, the Director of the Finistère Course au Large training centre in Port-la-Forêt, Jeanne Grégoire, the skipper of Holcim-PRB, Nicolas Lunven, the Race Directors of the 2024 Vendée Globe, Hubert Lemonnier and the 24-hour Ultim, Gildas Morvan, and the journalist, Jacques Guyader (Ouest-France).
On 29th October, 95 duos – compared with 78 in 2021 – will be lining up at the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie-Le Havre. As before every major race, Tip & Shaft has brought together a panel of experts to talk about the line-up. This week, we focus on the Ocean Fifty and Class40 races with Francis Le Goff, the Race Director, Matthieu Souben, the winner of the race two years ago aboard an Ocean Fifty, Eric Péron and Gilles Lamiré, former Ocean Fifty racers, Christophe Gaumont, the Race Director of the CIC Normandy Channel Race, Cédric de Kervenoael, President of Class40, and Laurène Coroller, journalist with Voiles et Voiliers.
In fifteen years Pablo Santurde del Arco has become one of the real heavyweights of Class40. In 32 races he has scored no fewer than 28 podiums, including 17 victories! That is a unique record for a sailor who has always sailed as part of a crew or as a co-skipper in a duo set up. That, now makes him the most sought-after co-skipper on the circuit. Here we profile the ideal co-skipper two weeks ahead of the Transat Jacques Vabre, which he is racing this year with Alberto Bona (IBSA).
Since being launched in May 2020, the Imoca Corum L’Épargne has suffered a whole series of different damages. A dismasting last week during the Azimut Challenge has now proven the final nail in the coffin, a mechanical failure which pressed Corm L’Épargne to announce the end of the project on Tuesday. Tip & Shaft looks back at the reasons that led to this decision.
The 2021 edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre has proven a tough, challenging racing contested amidst an improbable weather scenario. The Class40 fleet, still led by Redman, is not expected until the night of November 28-29 but otherwise the finishes for the Ocean Fifty, Ultimes and Imoca have followed one after another since Monday. Here is an opportunity for Tip & Shaft to take stock, looking at the three finished classes, even if to date only the first two Imoca have crossed the finish line of this edition of the Route du Café.
Seventy nine duos, that is a record entry for the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre which starts next Sunday, November 7. And as before every big race, Tip & Shaft has mustered a posse of experts to assess the fleets and predict who will be successful.
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