Anaëlle Pattusch and Hugo Cardon (Humains en Action), 14th in the Transat Paprec!

The youth boasts two incredible talents. The Swiss and the Sarthe natives, who were full of joy throughout the race, also delivered a top-flight performance. Always in the running, they made it into the top 10 at the end of the race and held on until the end, putting in a formidable performance for two rookies.

THEIR RACE IN NUMBERS

Finish time: Friday, May 9 at 8:00 a.m. (local time), 2:00 p.m. (mainland time)

Race time: 19 days 0 hours, 58 minutes, 11 seconds

Gap to first: 5 h 41 min

Gap to previous: 2 h 34 min

Distance covered: 4,224 miles

Average speed (real): 9.2 knots

THEIR RACE DECRYPTED. Motor, Human action!

All roads lead to ocean racing. Even when childhood is spent far from the coast and the horizon that all sailors aspire to conquer. Anaëlle Pattusch grew up in Switzerland and dreams of following in the footsteps of her compatriots who shine offshore, from Bernard Stamm to the Mettraux sisters and Alan Roura. Hugo Cardon grew up in Sarthe, a land where the sea is, above all, synonymous with vacations. No matter, the two youngsters believe in their lucky stars, first in Mini and then in this Figaro circuit where they are still gaining experience.

Anaëlle and Hugo are, first and foremost, two young people who are comfortable in their raincoats. They are adept at networking, at communicating easily, and at conveying their feelings on the ocean. They often have a touch of humor, like when they leave the helm to their stuffed animal to treat themselves to a snack. But behind the smiles and good humor, they already have the soul of Figaro sailors. They've had their troubles, of course, like when lightning rendered their masthead tools inoperable. They've withstood that, the squalls, and the pace too.

And like all outsiders, the two Humans in Action skippers took advantage of the large lull at the end of the race to give it their all. Still on the verge of the top 10, they broke through that glass ceiling last Tuesday. From then on, there was still room for hope. Anaëlle and Hugo battled their way to a solid 14th place, less than six hours behind the winners. Enough to look to the future with a healthy dose of enthusiasm!