Saturday Night Fever

The competitors in the Transat Paprec have one goal: to position themselves as best as possible before rounding the waypoint at La Palma. But nothing comes easy. Unstable winds have split the fleet in two over the past few hours and delayed the expected arrival at La Palma, now unlikely to happen before the coming night. The uncertainty continues, with the trade winds not yet well established, preventing the sailors from settling on a clear strategy.

As of Saturday morning, DMG Mori Academy (Laure Galley and Kévin Bloch), Décrochons la lune (Romain Bouillard and Irina Gracheva), and Hellowork (Davy Beaudart and Julie Simon) are leading the race.

Saturday Night Fever, Offshore Edition

It’s “Saturday night fever”—the most anticipated moment of the week—and, for once, the sailors share something in common with those on land. To get swept up in the fever of a Saturday night on the Transat Paprec, you need sharp elbows and clever tactics. The goal: to successfully round La Palma, a key passage in the race before heading west toward the warmth of Saint Barthélemy.

Two Distinct Strategies Emerge

But there’s no time to celebrate. Everyone is grinding hard in, as Chloé Le Bars (FAUN) put it, “a bit of a crappy sea” with 14 to 15 knots of wind. For all teams, the race has become a balancing act—a game of strategic placement throughout Friday, particularly as they passed east of Madeira. Current positioning is critical: it influences the next move and how to approach La Palma.

And the fleet has clearly split. One group, led by Demain (Martin Le Pape and Mathilde Géron) and Wings of the Ocean (Alexis Thomas and Pauline Courtois), has headed west, hugging Deserta Grande, an uninhabited island near Madeira. About 40 miles away to the east are those favoring a more easterly route: DMG Mori Academy, Décrochons la lune, and Hellowork.

Tighter Than Ever

Francis Le Goff, the race director, breaks it down: “The game has opened up again because the wind is weaker and more unstable than expected. For now, it’s more consistent for those heading south, giving them a cleaner trajectory. For those to the west, the wind is more erratic.” These western sailors are having to gybe frequently, adjusting course constantly. The result? The top seven boats are now within just 10 nautical miles of each other.

After this gybing battle, the fleet is expected to converge again on a more direct route toward La Palma. “They could all be very close in the next few hours,” adds Francis. However, the much-anticipated arrival at La Palma, initially expected Saturday afternoon or evening, now looks likely to happen later—probably during the second half of the night between Saturday and Sunday, as the sailors are behind schedule.

There’s also still uncertainty around how to round La Palma. With the trade winds still unsettled, no obvious strategy stands out for the days ahead. Will the sailors opt for the most direct route, hugging the waypoint? Or will some try to shift between the Canary Islands? One thing is certain: the suspense is far from over and should last throughout the weekend!

SKIPPER’S CORNER

In updates sent from onboard, many skippers have had to roll up their sleeves.Jules Ducelier and Sophie Faguet (Région Normandie) had to rig up a spare spinnaker after tearing the original.Thomas de Dinechin and Aglaé Ribon worked to patch a hole in the mainsail aboard Almond for Pure Ocean.

On a lighter note, Adrien Simon (FAUN) enjoyed a calm coffee before his watch.Irina Gracheva (Décrochons la lune) gave a tour of the Figaro 3, explaining that “everything is wet.”Catherine Hunt (Selencia-Seafrance) shared a race update, while Ellie Driver (Women’s Engineering Society) and Pauline Courtois (Wings of the Ocean) were filmed preparing meals.

Davy Beaudart captured dolphins leaping in Hellowork's wake while Julie Simon was at the helm.Anaëlle Pattuch and Hugo Cardon (Humains en action) found a small squid aboard, while Jules Ducelier and Sophie Faguet welcomed a bird on deck.

They also delivered one of the funniest quotes of the race so far:

“We realized we’re having the same auditory hallucinations… Either we hear the alarm when it’s not sounding, or we think the other one is speaking when they’re not.”

Sophie added:

“It makes for some hilarious miscommunications. And it definitely keeps the person on watch entertained during the night!”