The other Champions League

THE EIGHTEENTH NIGHT

The battle unfolding less than 200 nautical miles from Saint-Barthélemy is unprecedented and already historic. On Friday, the first 18 boats could cross the finish line within less than three hours! At this stage, routing software, weather forecasts, and rankings offer little guidance: it's all about giving everything, seizing every gust of wind, and enduring whatever comes in this incredible sea-sprayed showdown.

Aboard Cap Saint Barth, within sight of Hellowork (to the left) and Les Étoiles Filantes (to the right)

This is the story of a kind of vertigo. The vertigo of dreaming of Saint-Barthélemy — its tranquility and its pace, so far removed from the chaos of the world. The vertigo of men and women battling aboard 9.75-meter-long boats, sailing for 17 days to reach this island, to taste its sweetness, and to earn their piece of glory. Every passing hour only adds to the uncertainty. Ranking updates, shifting clouds, winds that suddenly strengthen and just as suddenly fade: it's been a long time since they had any certainty.

“All engaged in a penny-pinching kind of effort”

In less than 24 hours, the outcome of the 17th edition of the Transat Paprec will be known. Until then, nothing is decided — everything could still change. Sixteen boats are within 60 nautical miles of each other from the finish, spread across 60 miles from north to south, each clinging to the hope of tipping the odds in their favor.

According to routing models, the top 18 boats could finish within a three-hour window! While this is common at the end of a Solitaire du Figaro Paprec leg, it’s completely new for the Transat Paprec, after crossing the Atlantic and weathering all its challenges."Now, they're all engaged in a kind of penny-pinching effort," explains Francis Le Goff, the race director. "Everyone’s trying to converge on the final tack, being opportunistic, playing very short-term strategies. Between one forecast and the next, there’s constant observation to do — the clouds, the pressure..."

“A story that’ll make you lose the North”

Listening to the skippers in recent hours doesn’t clarify much. Romain Bouillard puts it his own way, with a touch of humor: “At first we were in the North, then we slid south of the North, then got back to the north of the South… Isn’t that a story to lose the North over?” He adds, “We’ve got a Paris-Brest left to sail — a little pastry, you eat it fast!”

“It’s really going to be a super tight finish,” says Anaëlle Pattusch (Humains en action). “We’re all going to arrive together!” “Nothing’s decided yet, we’re still in the race,” adds Davy Beaudart (Hellowork).

As they approach the final stretch, every detail will matter — and those sailing with damaged spinnakers know it. Lola Billy and Corentin Horeau (Région Bretagne CMB Océane) patched one together from two that were torn. Pier-Paolo Dean and Tiphaine Rideau (Les Banques Alimentaires) damaged their second spinnaker again yesterday.“It’s a straight leg where we’re supposed to be using that sail,” regrets Tiphaine.

“One of the big questions for the whole fleet is which headsails they still have available, and whether they’ve got the tools to sail in light winds,” notes Francis Le Goff. And then there are still those damn sargassum weeds. Thomas André (Cap St Barth) is disheartened by “this continent we have to cross,” while Aglaé Ribon (Almond for Pure Ocean) jokingly suggests making a “tutorial” on how to remove them from the keel.

Thankfully, joy returns every time a squall brings a fresh burst of speed. That’s what Ellie Driver and Oliver Hill (Women's Engineering Society) experienced.“We’re flying!” laughs Ellie Driver (Solan Ocean Racing), her rain jacket hood tightly pulled on, adding with a touch of humor: “And on top of that, the weather is amazing!”