[source: Transat Jacques Vabre] At 08:52:10hrs GMT/UTC (02:52:10hrs local time Tuesday 24th) after 15 days 19 hrs 22 mins 10 secs on course Safran co-skippered by France’s Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier-Bénac crossed the finish line off Puerto Limon, Costa Rica to win the 14 boat IMOCA Open 60 Class in the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic race which started on Sunday 8th November from Le Havre. Safran sailed 5263 miles at an average speed of 12.46 knots.

Safran wins the IMOCA Open 60 Class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] A huge, noisy Costa Rican welcome greeted Franck Yves Escoffier (FRA) and Erwan Le Roux (FRA), co skippers of the Crêpes Whaou when they emerged out of the Caribbean darkness, comprehensively winning the Multi 50 class and taking line honours for this ninth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre race which started from Le Havre on Sunday 8th November.

Emerging out of the darkness to break the finish line off the historic port town of Peurto Limon at 2231hrs local time Monday 23rd (0431hrs UTC/GMT Tuesday) the French duo with their new build Crêpes Whaou! 3, only launched in August, maintained Escoffier’s unbeaten record in this biannual classic, also scooping the IMOCA Open 60′s to take line honours for the third consecutive time.

Escoffier and Le Roux took 15 days, 15 hours, 31 minutes and 50 seconds to complete the course which took the Multi 50 fleet south of Barbados on a course which for the winning pair was 5805 miles, which they completed at an average speed of 13.41 knots.

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The new destination for the coffee route race, finishing in Costa Rica, served up a carnival greeting for the winners, Escoffier remarking immediately that without doubt the high point of their race was the warmth of finish. Sailing with Le Roux, a successful former Mini 650 Class 40 and multihull sailor who has completed two previous Transat Jacques Vabre races, the pair chose a prudent southerly routing to avoid the very worst of a very active depression before then building a big lead over their Multi50 Class rivals.

Asked about the memories, the key moments, Escoffier said, “You have to start with this finish, the arrival here has been an extraordinary reception. We have seen some great welcomes but here in Peurto Limon between the fireworks and the whole world out to greet us on the dock, that was a great moment. But so, too the start was interesting too. There is always a build up of adrenalin you need pumping as a competitor, and I felt like we made the strongest start of the Multi 50′s. And a strong memory yesterday when we just stopped ourselves from tipping the boat over. It was not funny. Erwan, who is younger than me really had to rein me in from time to time. We can smile looking back…”

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Photo copyright Marcel Mochet / AFP

On the subject of the Class 50, and asked if they did not feel out on a limb without much competition in the end, Escoffier explained: “ We are about to succeed in making it (the Multi 50) take off with the new boats in the class. Unfortunately the two other newest boats are not at the finish too. We missed competition a little, but we should not forget Guyader pour Urgence Climatique who are a good crew. In the multihull there is not much to teach them, but they lack the finance to have a boat like Crêpes Whaou! And it would be good if they could find it. And I hope that before I leave this class there will be a proper class of boats like ours. But the objective was always, as well to beat the IMOCA Open 60′s in and we pushed hard to do that.”

[source: Transat Jacques Vabre] At 08:52:10hrs GMT/UTC (02:52:10hrs local time Tuesday 24th) after 15 days 19 hrs 22 mins 10 secs on course Safran co-skippered by France’s Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier-Bénac crossed the finish line off Puerto Limon, Costa Rica to win the 14 boat IMOCA Open 60 Class in the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic race which started on Sunday 8th November from Le Havre. Safran sailed 5263 miles at an average speed of 12.46 knots.

Safran wins the IMOCA Open 60 Class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] A huge, noisy Costa Rican welcome greeted Franck Yves Escoffier (FRA) and Erwan Le Roux (FRA), co skippers of the Crêpes Whaou when they emerged out of the Caribbean darkness, comprehensively winning the Multi 50 class and taking line honours for this ninth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre race which started from Le Havre on Sunday 8th November.

Emerging out of the darkness to break the finish line off the historic port town of Peurto Limon at 2231hrs local time Monday 23rd (0431hrs UTC/GMT Tuesday) the French duo with their new build Crêpes Whaou! 3, only launched in August, maintained Escoffier’s unbeaten record in this biannual classic, also scooping the IMOCA Open 60′s to take line honours for the third consecutive time.

Escoffier and Le Roux took 15 days, 15 hours, 31 minutes and 50 seconds to complete the course which took the Multi 50 fleet south of Barbados on a course which for the winning pair was 5805 miles, which they completed at an average speed of 13.41 knots.

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The new destination for the coffee route race, finishing in Costa Rica, served up a carnival greeting for the winners, Escoffier remarking immediately that without doubt the high point of their race was the warmth of finish. Sailing with Le Roux, a successful former Mini 650 Class 40 and multihull sailor who has completed two previous Transat Jacques Vabre races, the pair chose a prudent southerly routing to avoid the very worst of a very active depression before then building a big lead over their Multi50 Class rivals.

Asked about the memories, the key moments, Escoffier said, “You have to start with this finish, the arrival here has been an extraordinary reception. We have seen some great welcomes but here in Peurto Limon between the fireworks and the whole world out to greet us on the dock, that was a great moment. But so, too the start was interesting too. There is always a build up of adrenalin you need pumping as a competitor, and I felt like we made the strongest start of the Multi 50′s. And a strong memory yesterday when we just stopped ourselves from tipping the boat over. It was not funny. Erwan, who is younger than me really had to rein me in from time to time. We can smile looking back…”

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Photo copyright Marcel Mochet / AFP

On the subject of the Class 50, and asked if they did not feel out on a limb without much competition in the end, Escoffier explained: “ We are about to succeed in making it (the Multi 50) take off with the new boats in the class. Unfortunately the two other newest boats are not at the finish too. We missed competition a little, but we should not forget Guyader pour Urgence Climatique who are a good crew. In the multihull there is not much to teach them, but they lack the finance to have a boat like Crêpes Whaou! And it would be good if they could find it. And I hope that before I leave this class there will be a proper class of boats like ours. But the objective was always, as well to beat the IMOCA Open 60′s in and we pushed hard to do that.”

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Lighter winds which the leaders will roll into first suggest that compression is inevitable, some of that gap from third to fourth will be eaten away as the trade wind are killed off periodically….

In theory they should have done enough. The leading trio of the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Costa Rica, Safran, Groupe Bel and Mike Golding Yacht Racing have a substantial cushion to fourth, and seem set to scrap over who wins which step on the podium, but there will still be some nervous hours ahead and the weather forecasts are none too stable.

Onboard Akena Verandas. Atlantic Ocean, 18 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The trio, the two French leaders and Britain’s third placed Mike Golding who is racing with Spain’s Javier Sanso on Mike Golding Yacht Racing, will tomorrow be first to hit a wall of lighter, even more unsettled breezes and compression – as the chasing pack catches miles back on them – is predicted to continue periodically for the next couple of days.

The margin back from third to fourth, to double-Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux, is now 270 miles with less than 2000 miles to go.

Desjoyeaux, who has squeezed close to 100 miles ahead of Veolia Environnement since passing them, re-asserted today that there was no acceptance on his part that the race was a foregone conclusion, and clearly his legendary fighting spirit is undimmed. If there is one skipper out there who is as happy battling the mathematical odds as he is his opponents, it is him.

At midday today leaders Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier on Safran were about 500 miles from breaching the gap between Antigua and Guadeloupe for the final trans Caribbean stage down to the finish at Puerto Limon.

Onboard AVIVA. Atlantic Ocean, 18 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The gap between first and second has been prised open again by the leaders Safran, standing at 52.5 miles back to Groupe Bel, whilst Golding and Sanso had sneaked back under the 100 miles from the lead line early this morning, but their gains have been nullified over the day and the third placed boat has now 125 miles to catch up. The British skipper today reported that he has had some success in repairing the electronic wind instrumentation which is helping their attack slightly, but he noted that he considers there will be several tactical opportunities through the final few days of this passage.

Down the fleet the sentiments are the same. The attack goes on, from first to last the conditions may be pleasurable but the rhythm is intense. Sam Davies, the effervescent British Vendée Globe skipper on Artemis, remarks that spirits between her and her French co-skipper remain generally high, despite them having a big deficit to make up.

“It’s hard because you’ve got to keep concentrating as well so you have to find a balance between not being suicidal because you’re last so you do have to find the light side of things, and also at the same time keep concentrating, because it’s never over till the fat lady sings, and there’s a long way to go.” Emphasized Davies.

Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson’s alliance on Aviva seems to be reaping rewards as they hold the upper hand over their nearest rivals, the Spanish crew on W-Hotel. From being just a couple of miles ahead yesterday Aviva had moved 13 miles clear this evening, and they have gone from a deficit of about 60 miles on fifth placed Veolia Environnement to an increasingly tenable 23 miles this afternoon. The battle for fifth to ninth is increasingly engaging as just 130 miles separates Veolia from Akena Verandas and, just as for the leaders, more compression is virtually inevitable.

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Lighter winds which the leaders will roll into first suggest that compression is inevitable, some of that gap from third to fourth will be eaten away as the trade wind are killed off periodically….

In theory they should have done enough. The leading trio of the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Costa Rica, Safran, Groupe Bel and Mike Golding Yacht Racing have a substantial cushion to fourth, and seem set to scrap over who wins which step on the podium, but there will still be some nervous hours ahead and the weather forecasts are none too stable.

Onboard Akena Verandas. Atlantic Ocean, 18 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The trio, the two French leaders and Britain’s third placed Mike Golding who is racing with Spain’s Javier Sanso on Mike Golding Yacht Racing, will tomorrow be first to hit a wall of lighter, even more unsettled breezes and compression – as the chasing pack catches miles back on them – is predicted to continue periodically for the next couple of days.

The margin back from third to fourth, to double-Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux, is now 270 miles with less than 2000 miles to go.

Desjoyeaux, who has squeezed close to 100 miles ahead of Veolia Environnement since passing them, re-asserted today that there was no acceptance on his part that the race was a foregone conclusion, and clearly his legendary fighting spirit is undimmed. If there is one skipper out there who is as happy battling the mathematical odds as he is his opponents, it is him.

At midday today leaders Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier on Safran were about 500 miles from breaching the gap between Antigua and Guadeloupe for the final trans Caribbean stage down to the finish at Puerto Limon.

Onboard AVIVA. Atlantic Ocean, 18 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The gap between first and second has been prised open again by the leaders Safran, standing at 52.5 miles back to Groupe Bel, whilst Golding and Sanso had sneaked back under the 100 miles from the lead line early this morning, but their gains have been nullified over the day and the third placed boat has now 125 miles to catch up. The British skipper today reported that he has had some success in repairing the electronic wind instrumentation which is helping their attack slightly, but he noted that he considers there will be several tactical opportunities through the final few days of this passage.

Down the fleet the sentiments are the same. The attack goes on, from first to last the conditions may be pleasurable but the rhythm is intense. Sam Davies, the effervescent British Vendée Globe skipper on Artemis, remarks that spirits between her and her French co-skipper remain generally high, despite them having a big deficit to make up.

“It’s hard because you’ve got to keep concentrating as well so you have to find a balance between not being suicidal because you’re last so you do have to find the light side of things, and also at the same time keep concentrating, because it’s never over till the fat lady sings, and there’s a long way to go.” Emphasized Davies.

Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson’s alliance on Aviva seems to be reaping rewards as they hold the upper hand over their nearest rivals, the Spanish crew on W-Hotel. From being just a couple of miles ahead yesterday Aviva had moved 13 miles clear this evening, and they have gone from a deficit of about 60 miles on fifth placed Veolia Environnement to an increasingly tenable 23 miles this afternoon. The battle for fifth to ninth is increasingly engaging as just 130 miles separates Veolia from Akena Verandas and, just as for the leaders, more compression is virtually inevitable.

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] When lying in fourth place in the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Porto Limon, Costa Rica, the British IMOCA Open 60 Hugo Boss last night reported hitting an unidentified object in the water, damaging the starboard bow of the boat and causing them to take in water. They have slowed the boat right down, have a pump working, are managing the ingress of water.

Alex Thomson, the skipper, has reported that conditions are stable and they are not in any imminent danger. The British pair are in regular contact with TJV Race Director Jean Maurel. They have been in discussion with their shore team, and with a structural engineer from SP before they make any decisions as to what their options are.

Hugo Boss was approximately 400 miles south of the Azores.

Thomson said: “I am gutted, we have done the hard bit, been through the storms and the way ahead was looking very easy. We will monitor the situation overnight and assess in the morning what our options are.”

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] When lying in fourth place in the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Porto Limon, Costa Rica, the British IMOCA Open 60 Hugo Boss last night reported hitting an unidentified object in the water, damaging the starboard bow of the boat and causing them to take in water. They have slowed the boat right down, have a pump working, are managing the ingress of water.

Alex Thomson, the skipper, has reported that conditions are stable and they are not in any imminent danger. The British pair are in regular contact with TJV Race Director Jean Maurel. They have been in discussion with their shore team, and with a structural engineer from SP before they make any decisions as to what their options are.

Hugo Boss was approximately 400 miles south of the Azores.

Thomson said: “I am gutted, we have done the hard bit, been through the storms and the way ahead was looking very easy. We will monitor the situation overnight and assess in the morning what our options are.”