On April 28th, 33 IMOCA skippers, 13 Class40 skippers, including some of the brightest and most talented, and 2 in the Vintage category, will set sail from Lorient. Their destination: New York City, navigating through a particularly demanding course in the North Atlantic.
This Friday, OC Sport Pen Duick, the organizer of the race, the participating sailors, and the event partners gathered for the press conference to launch The Transat CIC. In their sights, a unique transatlantic race, a blend of sport, demand, and resilience, to continue the legacy of a legendary race.
Sailors are superstitious, but they are also deeply connected to the history of their sport and to all those who have contributed to its story. So, the 48 participants in The Transat CIC are well aware of the long lineage of this race, which traces back to the ‘English transat’ born in 1960. It has earned its prestige through exceptional sailors; Éric Tabarly made his mark there (1964, 1976), Francis Chichester (1960) and Alain Colas (1972) achieved greatness, Loïck Peyron has claimed victories (1992, 1996, 2000, 2008)…
A VERY DEMANDING ROUTE
Following in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors, they embark on this first major highlight of the season. All will gather in Lorient, the departure port, to share the pleasure of the “days of old” with the general public throughout the village’s duration, from Tuesday, April 23rd to Sunday, April 28th. Then, it’s time for the starting gun towards New York. Before enjoying the joys of the arrival, they will need to demonstrate a considerable capacity for resilience. Weather phenomena can indeed be particularly severe in the North Atlantic coming out of winter. Skippers will have to progress through storms, face the wind, often sailing close-hauled. These conditions are expected to be demanding for both the boats and the sailors, who will return to the joys of solo sailing, one year after a season dedicated to double-handed racing.
TALENT AT ALL LEVELS
At the starting line, talent will not be lacking. Among the 33 IMOCA skippers are indeed those who distinguished themselves during the races of the past season. We will find Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race, Yoann Richomme (IMOCA Paprec Arkéa) who triumphed in the Retour à la Base. The IMOCA lineup also includes five women and several foreign skippers, such as rookies of this race Oliver Heer (Oliver Heer Ocean Racing) and James Harayada (Gentoo Sailing Team).
The battle also promises to be particularly interesting in Class40. We can indeed count on Alberto Bona (IBSA), last year’s champion, Ambrogio Beccaria (Alla Grande – Pirelli), the winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre and the CIC Normandy Channel Race, as well as Ian Lipinski (Crédit Mutuel) who emerged victorious in the Défi Atlantique. Amélie Grassi (La Boulangère Bio), Fabien Delahaye (LEGALLAIS), Nicolas d’Estais (CAFÉ JOYEUX), Aurélien Ducroz (CROSSCALL), and Axel Trehin (Project Rescue Ocean) can also contend for victory. It will also mark the grand return of Vincent Riou, sailing solo, aboard Groupe Pierreval – Fondation GoodPlanet. He will be among the most experienced skippers alongside Jean Le Cam (64 years old, Tout Commence en Finistère – Armor-Lux, IMOCA). Thus, it is a particularly eclectic fleet as very young skippers also embark on the adventure, like Violette Dorange (22 years old, DEVENIR, IMOCA) and Thimoté Polet (23 years old, ZEISS, Class40), who will set sail for this offshore racing monument on April 28.
THE TRANSAT CIC IN FIGURES
April 23: village opening
April 28: start of the race
3500 miles, 6,482 km to cover
33 registered IMOCA skippers
13 registered Class40 skippers
2 skippers registered in the Vintage category
