The Transat Café L’Or – previously often called the Transat Jacques Vabre – has acquired off to a dramatic begin with three Ocean Fifty trimarans capsizing within the first evening of racing.
The Transat Café L’Or – previously often called the Transat Jacques Vabre – has acquired off to a dramatic begin with three Ocean Fifty trimarans capsizing within the first evening of racing.
4 lessons compete within the double-handed transatlantic race from Le Havre to Martinique: Ocean Fifty trimarans, Ultim trimarans, Class 40 monohulls and IMOCA monohulls.
A collection of fronts within the Channel and North Atlantic have made situations tough, with the race village closed on Thursday 23 October. The scheduled begin for the Ultims, Class 40s and IMOCAs was delayed from Saturday 25 to at present, Sunday 26 October.
Nonetheless, the ten trimarans within the Ocean Fifty fleet began on Saturday afternoon at 1630hrs, aiming to get out of the Channel earlier than the largest winds hit on Sunday evening.
The Ocean Fifty fleet firstly of the Transat Café l’Or on October 25, 2025 in Le Havre, France. Picture: Jean-Marie Liot / Alea
Three trimarans capsize
The primary capsize was reported on the primary night at 2027 UTC (1027 pm native time) when the Ocean Fifty Lazare X Hellio flipped off La Hague, the primary peninsular after the beginning at Le Havre. The trimaran had set off simply 4 hours beforehand. Each skippers, Erwan Le Draoulec and Tanguy Le Turquais, had been safely airlifted to shore.
French coastguard providers (SNSM) marked the boat’s place, which was later recovered.
Climate situations within the space had been reported as tough, with regular winds of twenty-two to 25 knots, gusts as much as 30 knots, and 3m waves.
The Ocean Fifty Lazare x Hellio being towed by the French SNSM rescue service after capsizing off Cherbourg, through the Transat Café l’Or race on October 26, 2025. Picture: Lazare Crusing Workforce
Skipper Tanguy Le Turquais posted on social media at present: “Emotionally I can say that it was a bit surprising to see Erwan get within the helicopter from the central hull, then my flip [to get into the] chopper and see Lazarus x Hellio, with its white crossbeams and hulls half underwater… These are fairly surprising pictures.”
The capsized Ocean Fifty Koesio washed up off a seashore on Guernsey. Picture: Guernsey Coastguard
Round 4 hours later at 0025 UTC (0225 native time), the race administration group was knowledgeable {that a} second Ocean Fifty, Koesio, had capsized north of Guernsey. On the time, the boat was in eighth place and crusing in a 25-knot northerly wind with 2.5m waves.
Co-skippers Erwan Leroux and Audrey Ogereau had been each secure and unharmed, and rescued by helicopter. On Sunday morning the wreck of the trimaran had washed up on a shingle seashore at Perelle on Guernsey.
Subsequent to capsize was Inter Make investments, skippered by Matthieu Perraut and Jean-Baptiste Gellée, which was reported as having capsized off the coast of the Abers, the north-west the tip of Brittany at 0405 UTC. Co-skippers Perraut and Gellée had been additionally each secure and in good well being, and airlifted from the trimaran round 0600. The boat was later salvaged by the 35m/115ft trimaran Merida.
Ocean Fifty Inter Make investments, skippers Matthieu Perraut and Jean Baptiste Gellée firstly of the Transat Café l’Or on October 25, 2025. Picture: Jean-Marie Liot / Alea
Ocean Fifty: on the crimson line
The Ocean Fifty fleet is infamous for racing ‘on the sting’. In 2018 six of the 50ft trimarans began the TJV, with solely three ending.
“The vigilance stage is a bit of increased than for the opposite [classes],” commented Elodie-Jane Mettraux earlier than the race. Mettraux is racing with Anne-Claire Le Berre on Upwind by MerConcept.
“We all know there’s a crimson line that we mustn’t cross, in any other case we’ll capsize,” added her co-skipper Anne-Claire Le Berre. “It provides additional nervous stress and forces us to be much more centered.”
Co-skipper of the capsized Koesio Erwan Le Roux had advised race media earlier than the beginning: “It’s simple to place the foot proper down exhausting on the accelerator, however capsizing is the issue for those who push too exhausting.”
Ocean Fifty Koesio, skippers Erwan Le Roux and Audrey Ogereau firstly of the Transat Café l’Or 2025 on October 25, in Le Havre, France. Picture: Jean-Marie Liot / Alea
Tanguy Le Turquais, a latest convert from the IMOCA and co-skipper of the capsized Lazare X Hellio had additionally spoken of the dangers earlier than the beginning, saying: “On board, you notice that you’re slowly getting used to it, to rising the edge of worry.”
Transat Café L’Or begin
The remaining three lessons acquired underway at lunchtime at present. They embody 4 big Ultim trimarans, 18 IMOCAs and 42 Class 40s. The course lengths of the Transat Café L’Or fluctuate to attempt to have the 4 lessons arrive in Martinique at roughly the identical time between 5-7 November.
The Ultims have been set a 6200-mile course that takes the quickest ocean racing boats on this planet into the Southern Hemisphere to a waypoint south of Ascension Island and sees them cross the Doldrums twice.
The Ocean Fifty fleet was set a 4600-mile course, rounding the island of Sal within the Cape Verdes earlier than turning proper for Martinique.
The 18 IMOCAs are racing on a 4350-mile observe that leaves the Canaries to starboard.
Due to an incoming frontal system with an anticipated deterioration in climate situations at theentrance to the Bay of Biscay, the race administration group has determined to change the Class 40 course. The 42 boats will cease in La Coruña (Spain) to hunt shelter, and a second begin will then be given as quickly as situations allow.
The general rating of the Transat Café L’Or Le Havre Normandie within the Class 40 fleet will probably be calculated primarily based on the mixed instances of the 2 legs.
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