Once Upon a Time in the West.

THE EIGHTH NIGHT.

After rounding La Palma, the fleet is now heading west, stretching out their stride toward the Caribbean. Bold and daring, the duo Alexis Thomas and Pauline Courtois (Wings of the Ocean) have taken the lead in the race.

Less than 10 nautical miles (18 km) separate the top six boats, but the fleet is now spread out over 140 nautical miles (259 km).

Meanwhile, Arno Biston and Vittoria Ripa Di Meana (Article1) are expected to arrive in Tenerife during the day to repair their sails and hope to set off again as soon as possible.

A New Week, A New Chapter on the Transat Paprec

A new week is beginning on the Transat Paprec — and with it, a new chapter of the race.The past few days have been particularly tough, especially over the weekend as the fleet navigated around La Palma.

After passing northwest of the island, all the crews regrouped and headed west, setting their course for the Caribbean.

Sunday, with winds of 14 to 15 knots, was an opportunity not only to lengthen their stride but also to rest, dry their gear, and catch their breath. Now, a new stage begins, far from any coastline, with the trade winds as allies — and soon squalls, sargassum, and the repetition of physical effort as the next adventures.

"It's straight ahead on the direct route!"

This Monday morning, the duo Wings of the Ocean, Alexis Thomas and Pauline Courtois, are leading the race.They had been particularly sharp in the rounding of La Palma and continue to ride that momentum."Today looks quite similar to yesterday, with 12 to 15 knots of wind," said Race Director Francis Le Goff.The wind is expected to strengthen by the end of the day, reaching around 20 knots."Otherwise, it's straight ahead along the direct route to the west," he added.

The slightly more southerly course of Martin Le Pape and Mathilde Géron (Demain) is just a small shift, not very significant, as "they have the same wind structure."All skippers are sailing in very similar conditions, meaning that, for now, the gaps between boats are likely to remain stable.

Meanwhile, Arno Biston and Vittoria Ripa Di Meana (Article1) chose to head toward the island of Tenerife due to damage to their spinnakers — precious sails for the long Atlantic crossing.They can now see the island and should arrive within the next few hours.They will need to unfold the spinnakers, find a sailmaker to carry out repairs, and ideally set off again by tonight."They were, of course, very disappointed yesterday to have to put the race on hold," said Francis. "But seeing the island gave them a big morale boost!"For them too, a new story is beginning!

NEWS FROM THE FLEET

Since yesterday and the rounding of La Palma, smiles have been more plentiful among the fleet."It's a new race starting," enjoyed Calanach Finlayson (Solan Ocean Racing).

There’s now time for a bit more rest and self-care. Davy Beaudart (Hellowork) and Aglaé Ribon (Almond for Pure Ocean) managed to enjoy a first "shower" — even if it’s basic (just a bucket of water), it feels good after eight days at sea.

On the culinary side, Pier-Paolo Dean (Banques Alimentaires) treated himself to his guilty pleasure: an aligot with tomme cheese. Meanwhile, Martin Le Pape and Mathilde Géron (Demain) celebrated with their first "apéro," savoring a piece of cheese, just like Mael Garnier and Catherine Hunt (Selancia-Cerfrance).

Everyone took time to admire the sunset — Laure Galley (DMG MORI Academy) and Hugo Cardon (Humains en actions) even captured it in photos.

Finally, an unusual "stowaway" was discovered aboard Cap St Barth: a small crab climbed aboard with Cindy Brin and Thomas André!