Ellie Driver and Oliver Hill (Women’s Engineering Society), 17th in the Transat Paprec!

At 23 and 24 years old respectively, Ellie and Oliver had everything to discover during this transatlantic race. The two Brits, distanced at the Portuguese coast, hung on until the end. They completed the race rankings by finishing their Transat Paprec less than 24 hours after the winners. Above all, they enjoyed an incredible welcome in the dead of night in Saint-Barthélemy.

THEIR RACE IN NUMBERS

Arrival time: Saturday, May 9 at 11:43 p.m. (local time), 5:43 a.m. (metropolitan time)

Race time: 19 days 16 hours, 41 minutes, 23 seconds

Gap to first: 21 h 24 min

Distance traveled: 4,184 miles

Average speed (actual): 8.85 knots

THEIR RACE DECRYPTED. Smiles, at the end of the desire

It's as if you have to fight harder than the others to get the thrill. Before setting off on the Transat Paprec, the two young Britons had to dig in their heels to make it. " It was really hard to be at the start, " they confided in an audio message last week. " And for us, everything was new, including all the steps to take at the start. Everything was complicated ." But it takes more than that to undermine their motivation.

There 's an incredible enthusiasm between Ellie and Oliver, visible in their smiles that light up their faces in all circumstances. She has sailed a lot with a crew, he trained offshore with his father. The Figaro is " an excellent way to progress ," assures Oliver, " a fantastic opportunity to learn ." On the pontoons in Concarneau, the "goodbyes" are moving: their parents are there, they throw themselves into each other's arms, we look for tissues to dry the tears that flow down their faces.

What followed was the race, and the infernal pace imposed at the front of the race. In contact with the fleet at the start of the race, the duo fell slightly behind along the Portuguese coast and overtook La Palma in last place. No matter: Ellie and Oliver continued to give it their all. The fact that the entire group of competitors was blocked by a windless zone allowed them to gradually close in. They were the only ones surfing and blasting along at high speeds when the fleet was jammed.

The two Britons had to hang on until the end and hold on as the arrivals continued. At the finish, "we didn't expect such a welcome," Ellie assures us. Dozens of them were on the pontoon, including a large number of the Transat Paprec skippers. Smoke bombs, applause, hugs: it was their turn to taste the joy of the sweet madness of the Saint-Barthélemy night.