Transat Paprec
THE FIFTEENTH NIGHT
Less than 600 nautical miles (1,110 km) from the finish, the suspense is at its peak. The fleet has tightened up like never before, with just 60 nautical miles (110 km) separating the top ten boats in terms of distance to the finish line, and 120 miles (222 km) separating them laterally. In short, in the heart of a vast windless zone and battling squalls, everyone still has a shot at securing an honorable place. As of 6 a.m. this morning, Wings of the Ocean (Alexis Thomas and Pauline Courtois, 1st), Skipper Macif (Charlotte Yven and Hugo Dhallenne, 2nd), and Cap St Barth (Cindy Brin and Thomas André, 3rd) were leading the rankings. But will they stay there?
The situation is undeniably complex, and what’s visible on the race tracker from hour to hour is felt even more intensely onboard the Figaros. The cause: a massive windless zone that’s testing everyone’s nerves.
“We have to both go around it and position ourselves well for what’s next,” explains Thomas André (Cap St Barth, 3rd). “It’s very stressful, no one dares to take real options. It’s tense and nerve-wracking!”
On top of that general situation, there are the squalls that change everything — dark, threatening skies that frequently burst open.
“We spent the whole night fighting squalls,” admits Thomas de Dinechin (Almond for Pure Ocean).“We hit a strong squall that climbed to nearly 30 knots — it was intense,” adds Davy Beaudart (Hellowork).Sometimes, squalls slow down the boats —“We got stuck in a rain cloud without any wind,” shares Hugo Cardon (Humains en action) — and sometimes they speed them up.“There are lots of clouds and shifting winds,” adds Quentin Vlamynck (Les Étoiles Filantes).
Trouble and Plenty of Strategy
These conditions affect not only morale but also the state of the boats.Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean) mentioned “some minor technical issues” without specifying further. Lola Billy (Région Bretagne – CMB Océane) reported a spinnaker failure — the halyard split in two.
“We’re down to just a small spinnaker,” she says, while Corentin Horeau keeps his spirits up:“We’re going full Charlie Dalin mode, like in the Vendée Globe!”
In terms of strategy, the fleet is now aligned laterally over a stretch of nearly 120 nautical miles (222 km). Strategies have evolved over the weekend.There are those opting for the northern route, including the leaders — Wings of the Ocean, Skipper Macif, and Cap St Barth.Others, like Demain (Martin Le Pape and Mathilde Géron, 5th), Laure Galley and Kévin Bloch (DMG MORI Academy), and Bretagne – CMB Espoir (Victor Le Pape and Estelle Greck, 7th), have chosen a southern route, closer to the rhumb line and more direct.
“The northern route is longer but allows you to wait things out and catch a bit more wind than in the south,” says Thomas André.“We’ve taken a middle path compared to those further north,” says Martin Le Pape. “It puts us in attack mode — we’re hoping to find a gap to squeeze through.”His brother Victor, also heading south, adds:“This depression is putting us through the wringer — it’s a bit like Star Wars out here!”Meanwhile, the fleet continues to bunch up. The possibility of a grouped finish, with the majority of the fleet arriving within a few hours, is becoming more and more likely.The first boats are expected to cross the line on the evening of Thursday, May 8 or the morning of Friday, May 9, according to Yann Chateau, the race director.
YANN CHATEAU’S ANALYSIS
“The gaps tightened significantly overnight, and this is just the beginning. The windless bubble is shifting westward. Those already in it have been slowed, and the others are catching up. It was particularly clear between Cap St Barth and Les Étoiles Filantes, but also between the leaders and the rest of the fleet.For example, Solan Ocean Racing was 150 miles behind on Sunday morning and is now only 78 miles back!”
“Weather models disagree: one favors the southern route, another suggests the northern boats could win.What’s clear is that the fleet should arrive in a tight group, with only a few hours separating most of the competitors.With such small margins, every detail — from squalls to sargassum to technical issues — will play a decisive role in the final stretch.”
NEWS FROM THE FLEET
Squalls have become an obsession.
“They can be quite violent,” says Corentin Horeau (Région Bretagne CMB Océane).They also force sailors to pull out their hoods and foul-weather gear again.“It’s humid out here — we’re soaked,” shares Laure Galley.“It’s hot, but we really miss the sun!”“It’s raining hard!” emphasizes Victor Le Pape (Région Bretagne CMB Espoir).
Luckily, there are moments of comfort. As soon as the squalls pass,
“We break out the shorts again,” says Martin Le Pape (Demain),and Davy Beaudart (Hellowork) writes about starting “drying operations under the awning.”“We’ve been living in humidity for a long time — it’s barely bearable,” says Alexis Thomas (Wings of the Ocean).“A bit of light breeze will do us good.”
After a “cruel” night due to the squalls, Anaëlle Pattusch and Hugo Cardon found new motivation:
“We’re going to give it everything to climb back up!”To boost morale, they shared their last mango, while Martin Le Pape and Mathilde Géron enjoyed some ham.Ellie Driver and Oliver Hill (Women’s Engineering Society) spotted a whale — impressive and majestic — just meters from their Figaro.Tiphaine Rideau and Pier-Paolo Dean (Banques Alimentaires) had a flying fish visit before capturing a sunset and a rainbow on camera.Quentin Vlamynck and Audrey Ogereau (Les Étoiles Filantes) received touching messages from families supported by their charity — enough to keep their spirits high through the final miles of the adventure.
