Les confidences des trois premiers

Hear from Charlotte Yven (Skipper Macif, 1st), Romain Bouillard (Décrochons la lune, 2nd), and Cindy Brin (Cap Saint Barth, 3rd) after completing this incredible edition of the Transat Paprec.

CHARLOTTE YVEN (Skipper Macif, 1st):

"The race was never really won"

"This Transat Paprec felt a bit long—no one missed the fact that we didn’t have much wind and the forecasts were all over the place, not matching reality. We adapted, we held on, we supported each other, we never gave up, and we fought until the end. It was amazing to be able to give it everything for that long. Toward the end, we told ourselves we should take little naps to arrive fresh for the loop around the island, but in the end we stayed awake, both on deck, clearing sargassum, helming, trimming the sails. It came down to very little in the end, the time gaps were tiny. We decided to sail with the wind we had without worrying about the others, just trying to be fast all the time. Maybe that’s what made the difference—and maybe also the fact that we never gave up!

The race was never really won—we broke away with three boats. It was pretty comfortable at first with a 60-mile lead, but when we saw the final weather forecasts, we knew anything could happen. That’s always the case in Figaro: you can’t let up until the very end! That mindset is part of what made it work so well. We made a great team—I don’t even know how much time we spent together!

Hats off to Cap Saint Barth, who had an incredible race and really pushed us hard! They deserve an amazing welcome here, which they’ll no doubt get. I’m so happy, so proud to join Armel Le Cléac’h in the club of two-time winners. And I’m especially happy I got to share this with Hugo!"

ROMAIN BOUILLARD (Décrochons la lune, 2nd):

"We went through every emotion"

"I slept one hour over the last 48 hours! I was at the helm the whole time because there were so many boats around—we were constantly in close contact. We finished second, but it feels like we won the race because we were battling six boats within four miles. It was really intense, but we managed to hold the lead. I’m super happy. The welcome here is amazing. It’s my first time in the Caribbean, my first transatlantic race—and we’re lucky enough to finish in second place.

I think we went through every possible emotion—we also tried every possible route. We were south, north, north of the south, south of the north… and in the end, we managed to slip through a little window. We fought at every stage—it wasn’t always easy. Sometimes we got overtaken, then we overtook, then others caught up from behind. We came out on top in the final moves and managed not to get caught. We’re really happy. Irina is incredibly resilient. Thanks to her for putting up with me for 18 days—it’s not always easy! She brought massive intensity to her work. Without her, we’d never have achieved this result!"

CINDY BRIN (Cap Saint Barth, 3rd):

"We believed in it right to the end"

"I said at the start: 'On a fluke, you never know what might happen.' Well, I think this fluke was on a planetary scale! We were always in the game. We had good phases and not-so-good ones. Sometimes we were in first place, and then on the next check-in, we were fifteenth. Personally, I doubted myself every day. But Thomas has a knack for restoring confidence. Thank goodness he was there!

We actually thought we could win it. We told ourselves it was possible—we believed in it right to the end. Anything is always possible. You just have to believe and give yourself the means... and when you really want something, you find a way and you get there.

24 years ago, I was on my dad’s boat and I said, 'One day, Papa, it’ll be me out there.' And today, I’ve done it! I knew before the start that I’d already won the Transat, because my goal was to do it. I didn’t necessarily expect to finish third, but here we are and we’re super happy. I’m so proud to represent Saint Barth today."