History

After 24 days, 8 hours, 40 minutes, and 34 seconds at sea, Jacques Caraès and Michel Desjoyeaux won the first Transat AG2R, crossing the finish line off the port of Gustavia in Saint Barthélemy. A race was born...

MICHEL DESJOYEAUX, winner in 1992: "In 1992, it was the first time that the Figaro Beneteau 1s had completed such a long course. We weren't exactly heading into the unknown, but quite a few masts had fallen in previous seasons. So we didn't really know if we would be able to make it across in one piece in the trade winds, or if we would be able to push the boats flat out until the end. Jacques and I fought until the last moment, and in the end, we arrived before the second-place finisher! Very good memories!"

JACQUES CARAËS, winner in 1992: "The memory of my victory in 1992 with Mich' (Editor's note: Michel Desjoyeaux) is very strong. The welcome in Saint-Barth was extraordinary. There were loads of people there, and we had Sill as our partner, so Gilles Falhun welcomed us as he knows how. It's unforgettable."

Roland Jourdain and Jean le Cam achieve a historic victory! Never in the history of the Transatlantic Race has a crew won with such a small margin over the second-place finisher: just 63 seconds ahead of Bertrand de Broc and Marc Guillemot.

ROLAND JOURDAIN, winner in 1994: "We had an incredible duel with the Guillemot – De Broc duo. During the night, in a squall: it was tough! In the end, we won by just 63 seconds. A surreal gap after three weeks of racing! I'll remember it all my life, that's for sure."

JEAN LE CAM, winner in 1994: “The victory in Gustavia with Bilou (Roland Jourdain) and that tiny gap made the moment even more powerful.”

Alain Gautier and Jimmy Pahun were rewarded for their northern option and are less than an hour and a half ahead of Jean le Cam and Florence Arthaud. "A level equivalent to that of the great multihull era, around ten years ago," summarizes Alain Gautier.

ALAIN GAUTIER, winner in 1996: "For me, it was the beginning with a sponsor, in this case Brocéliande. Regarding my crewmate, I hesitated to go with a professional from the circuit. I finally made a more personal choice by taking on board Jimmy Pahun, a childhood friend, with whom I have been sailing since 1977. Together, we have written a beautiful story.

JIMMY PAHUN, winner in 1996: "When I was a kid, I had an idol called Alain Colas and I said to myself that one day, like him, I would win a transatlantic race. I was lucky enough for it to happen that year. It's even more fantastic because I did it with a friend. In hindsight, it actually strengthened our friendship."

Suspense continued until the very end. Bruno Jourden and Marc Guessard, on Nintendo 64, after 22 days and 14 hours at sea and 3,760 miles covered at an average speed of 6 knots, were the resounding winners of this 4th Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE double-handed race.

Bruno Jourdren, winner in 1998: "I had just signed a partnership with Nintendo. For the first time, I was able to prepare properly. I had a good boat, a good crewmate: everything was already in place before the start. Our victory crowned it all. On the water, I remember there were many twists and turns after Madeira, because of the calm. The same thing when we arrived in the Antilles. It was tough. Right to the end."

Karine Fauconnier and Lionel Lemonchois, on the Sergio Tacchini Itinéris, won the 5th edition in 27 days, 9 hours, and 50 minutes. Storms in the first leg and long periods of dead calm during the Atlantic crossing were the highlights of the race.

Karine Fauconnier, winner in 2000: "This victory with Lionel Lemonchois was the culmination of four years of Figaro Beneteau. I remember that we encountered some pretty difficult conditions: very rough during the first leg and rather soft on the second part of the course. So it was a fairly tactical transatlantic race. I believe that the difference wasn't made in speed but in weather strategy because there were some moves to be made to get out of all those traps."

With a combined time of 22 days, 2 hours, and 39 minutes over the two stages, Hervé Laurent and Rodolphe Jacq won the 6th Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE. At 12:20 a.m. local time, Colbert Orco crossed the finish line of the second stage, won six hours earlier by Erwan Tabarly and Philippe Vicariot.

HERVÉ LAURENT, winner in 2002: “There is a moment that will remain etched in my memory from this edition, when Rodolf Jacq and I were off the coast of Porto (Madeira). After my weather analysis, I went out on deck and told him, ‘We’re going to win this transatlantic race!’ I understood that our option was the right one.”

RODOLPHE JACQ, winner in 2002: "Hervé Laurent and I managed to secure a budget, a bit at the last minute, but it allowed us to charter Philippe Poupon's Figaro. The boat was ready, all we had to do was sit down on it. Everything was decided very quickly, but in a very professional manner. We quickly found our bearings. Our victory in this race was a boost for me. I earned my place on the biggest boats and made my mark in the world of professional sailing."

Armel Le Cléac'h and Nicolas Troussel (SCE-Le Télégramme Group) won after covering 3,760 miles in 20 days, 8 hours, 49 minutes and 3 seconds at sea. They finished ahead of the pair Pascal Bidégorry and Sidney Gavignet (Banque Populaire), who threatened them right up until the final stretches.

NICOLAS TROUSSEL, winner in 2004: "In 2002, Armel and I were forced to retire due to a broken forestay. Two years later, we were able to take our revenge. First transatlantic race, first major victory, a finish on May 11, Armel and I's shared birthday: 2004 was simply magical!"

ARMEL LE CLÉAC'H, winner in 2004: "What a memory that victory was, in 2004, on our birthday. It was all the more powerful because we found a partner at the last minute. A particularly stressful situation before the start. Ultimately, it's a great story with victory at the end."

After 19 days, 22 hours, 24 minutes, and 30 seconds of relentless combat, Kito de Pavant and Pietro d'Ali crossed the finish line of the Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE in Saint-Barthélemy on Groupe Bel, and well deserved their place as winners. A group finish: less than 24 hours to see 23 of the 25 crews arrive... Unprecedented!

Kito De Pavant, winner in 2006: "It was a very good transatlantic race, but it was difficult because there were a lot of boats very close together, and our victory really came down to the end, as is often the case. It's a very good memory today. We formed a strange tandem with my favorite Italian, Pietro d'Ali."

It was an impressive victory for SNEF and Cliptol Sport. With a fleet spread over 1,000 miles, the winners knew how to choose the right option. Despite difficult weather and unpredictable winds, this tandem stood out thanks to a very southerly tactic. By placing themselves in the right group, SNEF and Cliptol Sport rekindled the suspense in the race from Madeira.

JEAN-PAUL MOUREN, winner in 2008: "I remember the weather risk Laurent and I took while the leading group had taken a more reasonable option. It was an uncomfortable decision since we risked being left behind. In the end, it worked out for us. It was a huge pleasure to arrive in the lead at three in the morning, a bit like a pigeon pulled out of a hat: a rather magical moment!"

LAURENT PELLECUER, winner in 2008: "Our victory with Jean-Paul Mouren was somewhat symbolic: it came ten years after our first joint participation in 1998. We set out to have a great time and play what we could in our situation, which wasn't that of absolute winners, as we were under no pressure or constraints. When we arrived in Madeira, a major strategic choice presented itself to us, and our freedom of navigation allowed us to choose a riskier but more logical option. In the end, this opened up an almost royal road to victory, and our experience allowed us to make the most of this opportunity. We were delighted to be able to play our own cards."

Crossing the finish line in Saint-Barthélemy on May 11 at 00:59:11 (06:59:11 Paris time), Armel Le Cléac'h and Fabien Delahaye took victory in the tenth Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE after 22 days 16 hours 59 minutes and 11 seconds of a race conducted with talent and mastery.

ARMEL LE CLÉAC'H, winner in 2010: "We suspected that things were off to a pretty good start, but we received confirmation of our victory just a few hours before the finish, when Jean Maurel (the race director, editor's note) announced to us via VHF that we were first. We were at the forefront from the 4th or 5th day at sea. After that, we stayed in contact with three other boats. We passed through the Canary Islands almost together, and then we made almost the same choices in the South. In the end, we managed to be ahead of them at the finish. Not by much. It was really a very good fight."

FABIEN DELAHAYE, winner in 2010: "For my first Transat, I couldn't have hoped for better. A victory is magical! I spent 23 fantastic days at sea. Nothing but good things! Nothing but happiness! We hardly left the pilot aside at the beginning, when it was a bit profitable in the light airs at night. But then, we didn't use it for more than an hour at a time. Sailing with Armel is great. Aboard Brit Air, there was never a word raised above the other. We had a blast throughout the Transat. It was pure joy."

This 11th edition was no exception to the rule and for its twentieth anniversary, the Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE offered a spectacle and an intensity that no one would have imagined at the start in Concarneau, on April 21st. After having weathered storms, sailed in search of the trade winds and tried to escape the cursed seaweed, the 16 tandems entered in this 2012 edition all managed to cross the finish line in Saint-Barthélemy, all welcomed with the greatest possible fervor imaginable. Victory went to Gildas Morvan and Charlie Dalin after 22 days 8 hours 55 minutes and 45 seconds of a race conducted with talent and mastery.

On April 28 at 7:17:59 p.m., on the turquoise waters of Saint-Barthélemy, two young sailors, Gwenolé Gahinet and Paul Meilhat, crossed the finish line in the port of Gustavia. Safran-Guy Cotten won this 12th edition of the double-handed transatlantic race on equal terms ahead of Skipper Macif (Fabien Delahaye/Yoann Richomme) and the mixed double 30 Corsaires (Alexia Barrier/Laurent Pellecuer): a very refreshing podium, partly representing a new generation of offshore racers.

They came for victory, and they snatched it. "We did it, man!" Thierry said to Erwan as they crossed the finish line off Gustavia on April 25, 2016, at 2:14:53 PM. Gedimat's winning tandem, Thierry Chabagny and Erwan Tabarly, claimed victory in the thirteenth Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE after 22 days, 1 hour, 6 minutes, and 53 seconds.

Erwan Tabarly: “We set off with confidence, even if we weren't always confident in all our choices. On the map, we may have had a good trajectory, but in truth, we sometimes made some bad moves. In the end, we always managed to come back. The day before the finish, we had a drop in morale because Agir Recouvrement was overtaking us. We thought we would finish 2nd, once again. The finish came down to nothing. It's impressive to see that after three weeks of racing, on a gybe, a quarter of an hour away, victory can slip away from you.”

Thierry Chabagny: "During the last 24 hours, in the calm, rather than both being on top of things on deck, we stuck to our transatlantic pace. The idea was to make the right choices right to the end and not get carried away. This served us well during the match racing phase with Agir Recouvrement, who tried to push us into the background to make us crack."

18 days 11 hours, 48 minutes, 22 seconds: that's the race time of the first duo in Gustavia in this fourteenth edition of the Transat AG2R LA MONDIALE: Adrien Hardy & Thomas Ruyant crossed the finish line in Saint-Barthélemy this Thursday, May 10 at 6:48:22 PM (12:48:22 AM Paris time). They had already been leading the way for over a week!

Both rookies in the Transat Paprec > TED, Nils Palmieri and Julien Villion, made a big splash by arriving first in Gustavia, Saint-Barthélemy. Supporters of the northern option, the two men always believed in their choice, even when the routing seemed to favor the "southerners." Their goal was always to stay at the head of their group, which they brilliantly managed to do. They beat the race record by 6 hours, 40 minutes, and 19 seconds.

By crossing the finish line of the 16th edition of the Transat Paprec this Friday morning at 02:03:33 local time (08:03:33, metropolitan time), Loïs Berrehar and Charlotte Yven (Skipper MACIF) have added their names to the list of winners of the 100% mixed transatlantic duos between Concarneau and Saint-Barthélemy (before the jury). Their race time is 18 days 19 hours 01 minutes and 33 seconds. The Skipper MACIF sailors completed the 3,890-mile course at a speed of 8.58 knots on the great circle (the direct route). A true consecration for Loïs Berrehar and Charlotte Yven, who actually covered 4,160.89 miles at an average speed of 9.23 knots.

Their race summary - A masterclass in composure and enthusiasm!

A finish in the dead of night at the end of one of the most epic battles in the history of the Transat Paprec. The race changed its name, its title sponsor, and it offered itself to unbearable suspense until the very end, a breathtaking suspense. In this speed race where it was necessary to resist everything, the squalls, the seaweed, the fatigue, and sometimes the monotony, Charlotte Yven and Loïs Berrehar held firm until the end, gaining a slight lead over their two pursuers before beginning the tour of the island. They crossed the finish line in the darkness, finally letting their joy burst forth after this constant battle.