The favorites already showing up—and Cap St Barth right there with them!

After a flying start, the competitors delivered a breathtaking coastal course filled with intensity. Now, it's time for the first night on board, with a small ridge of high pressure to cross. While the favorites are already leading the way—like the duos Jules Ducelier – Sophie Faguet (Région Normandie) and Charlotte Yven - Hugo Dhallenne (Skipper Macif)—the pair Cindy Brin – Thomas André (Cap St Barth) is creating a surprise by clinging to 3rd place.

It’s time to recover from the excitement just a few hours after the official start in Concarneau Bay. The weather was perfect (10 to 15 knots of westerly wind), spinnakers were occasionally out, and the public gathered along the shores. But above all, the skippers put on a show, with most of the fleet lined up on the starting line before an intense battle around the buoys. “The fleet was very tight, and everyone was in the mix,” smiled Race Director Francis Le Goff. “There was a lot of commitment. It was intense but fair, and most of all, very enjoyable to watch!” After passing the Glénan archipelago, all teams began crossing the Bay of Biscay. The first night looks like it will be a tactical one, with a ridge to cross that seems relatively manageable.

Cindy Brin and Thomas André – What a story!

As soon as the coastal course ended, the duo Jules Ducelier – Sophie Faguet (Région Normandie) took the lead, closely followed by Charlotte Yven and Hugo Dhallenne (Skipper Macif). Lola Billy and Corentin Horeau (Région Bretagne – CMB Océane, 5th), Martin Le Pape and Mathilde Géron (Demain, 6th), as well as Laure Gally and Kévin Bloch (DMG MORI Academy, 7th), also held top positions. As of the 7 p.m. ranking, only 10 nautical miles separated the race leaders from the back of the fleet.

But the ones really turning heads are the rookies: Cindy Brin and Thomas André (Cap St Barth), sitting in 3rd place. The duo, competing in the Transat Paprec for the first time, already shined during the coastal course—and they did it with complete ease: they even waved to the camera, laughing, as they passed a buoy. Their success and commitment are a remarkable reward, especially for Cindy, the first female skipper from Saint-Barthélemy to take part in the race. “It’s the challenge of a lifetime,” she said before departure. And so far, she’s more than rising to it. Let’s hope it continues!