Thibaut Vauchel-Camus et Quentin Vlamynck (Solidaires en Peloton), winners of Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre in the Ocean Fifty (before jury)
The French duo have led the race since just before Cape Finisterre and were the first to cross an intermediate finish line off Lorient after the racers were required to stop there less 24 hours after the race started from Le Havre on 29th November
Their victory is the biggest ocean racing success for the co-skipper pairing who teamed up this year on the 2020 launched Romaric Neyhousser design which was previously raced by Vlamynck until his team’s long time sponsor stopped in March.
Vlamynck is an ex Mini650 racer who sailed in the colours of Lalou Roucayrol and was very much mentored by the former Ocean Fifty racer and boatbuilder. He won the Ocean Fifty Pro Sailing Tour two years ago and finished second on last year’s Route du Rhum on this boat.
Vauchel-Camus, who grew up in Gaudeloupe, was runner up in 2019 in a three boat Ocean Fifty class on this race and was previously a top Class40 racer who won the Transat Bakerly and finished fourth on the last Transat Jacques Vabre in the Ocean Fifty class.
Widely tipped as pre-race favourites, their collective experience in the challenging Ocean Fifty multihulls especially showed during the very windy opening section to Lorient as well as preserving their well proven, well prepared boat through a major front on the Bay of Biscay which saw three of the six starters forced to abandon on the Bay of Biscay between 8th and 9th of November.
