At a press meeting this lunchtime, Francis Le Goff, the Race Director and Gildas Gautier, co-director of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre, ran through the various scenarios for the start for the boats currently on hold in Le Havre and Lorient.

“We have just finished our latest look at the weather. There is no apparent break in the weather before Monday, which would allow the two classes of boats moored up in Lorient to set off. That does not mean that they will definitely be going on Monday. For the IMOCAs, a possible start on Sunday is still being studied. Conditions remain rough with lots of wind and heavy seas. We shall be working with the class to see how we can plan this in quieter conditions. It is not impossible that if the start does take place, a way-point may be planned to prevent the boats taking a northerly route, which would be very exposed. That is also the case for the Class40 and Ocean Fifty fleets.”

That is how Francis Le Goff summarised the possibilities for a new start for the IMOCA, Class40 and Ocean Fifty boats, to enable them to join the ULTIMs currently at sea. Differences in weather forecasts depending on the models for the end of the week lead everyone to be very cautious, as Gildas Gautier explained: “We are all frustrated and disappointed and there is a financial impact for the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre. But, as was the case last Sunday, it is the safety of the boats and the sailors that remains the priority when we organise these new starts.”

The organisers of the Coffee Race are currently monitoring the progress of Storm Ciaran as it reaches the English Channel and near Atlantic tonight and tomorrow.

“Instructions have been given in both ports,” added Francis Le Goff at midday. “A logistics team is in Lorient to work alongside the Sellor (port authorities). Individual solutions have been found by Julien Bothuan (Chief harbourmaster in Lorient La Base) so that no boat is side by side. In Le Havre, a large number of Race Directors and the sea team are on the spot. The pontoons have been moved so that the boats are in the axis of the wind and not beam on when the wind veers to the West (…) The Village was quickly dismantled so that nothing flies around and trucks have been put in place to act as a screen. Another tour of inspection will take place this afternoon.”

Ireland's Pamela Lee of Greystones, co-skippering with Tiphaine Ragueneau on the Class 40 Engie-DFDS-Brittany Ferries, finished 26th in the fleet of 43 at Lorient this morning (Tuesday) at 05-02-25hrs, with the last stage of the new Transat Jacques Vabre shortened first leg from Le Havre providing a fair wind to speed the mid-fleet group to port.

It has not yet been confirmed precisely when the transoceanic race to Martinique via a turn at the Cape Verde islands will resume, as the imminence in the Bay of Biscay of Storm Ciaran is currently dictating events and timing.

Tracker here

The current Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre - to give the big one its full title - is confusing for any casual observer, as a succession of gales in the Bay of Biscay, coupled with the prospect of Storm Ciaran making mayhem on Wednesday - have led to various reactions.

The story so far is that the Big Beasts of the IMOCA Class may well be designed to cope with the Great Southern Ocean in all its foulest moods in mind, but its superstar sailors have no intention of breaking up their very expensive mounts in the uniquely rough Biscay-In-A-November-Storm conditions. So they're continuing to hang out in Le Havre until conditions become slightly more clement.

Ahead of Storm Ciaran, the 40 IMOCAs are put in a safe mode at the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre docks

However, the super-fast machines of the Ultim class - giant trimarans all - reckoned they could get across Biscay before the ordure hits the air circulation machine, and they're now getting near Spain with the
fastest clocking 35 knots. But the smaller Ocean 50 multi-hulls went for a compromise, inserting a first shelter stop at Lorient, and they're already there, with the fastest doing the business round from Le Havre in 21 hours.

Meanwhile, the Class 40 boats - numerically the largest fleet - have also been allocated to the Lorient hurricane hole option. But as their speed doesn't anywhere near match the Ocean 50 flying show, at 1630hrs Sunday, the leaders are slugging to windward in that remarkably messy island-and-rock-studded bit of water between Ouessant and the West Brittany mainland.

Ireland's Pam Lee with Brittany Ferries has done well to keep the show on the road in something of a Demolition Derby. Although her boat is five years old and out-classed by the latest machines, by shrewd sailing close along the North Brittany coast, she has moved from 29th up to 26th, and is in the hunt with the chasing pack as they batter their way towards Lorient.

However, knowing of the intense inter-regional rivalry between France's coastal areas to host these high-profile events, we wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that from now on, 2023's staging has to be called the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre Morbihan Lorient Race.

Tracker here

Strong, gusty winds and choppy seas made for a spectacular start to the 16th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre for three of the four-race fleets today. While the ULTIM, Ocean Fifty and Class 40 races set off on time, in 20-25 knots, the 40-boat IMOCA fleet remained in Le Havre after their start was postponed due to forecasted storm-force winds.

But only the five giant, foiling ULTIM trimarans will sail a course to Martinique heading out of the Channel this afternoon before turning to their first marks at the San Paulo and San Pedro islands off Brazil before heading to Ascension Island. Capable of sustained speeds of over 40kts they should outrun the deep depression which is forecast to bring gusts of up to 80kts and 10-12 metre seas Finisterre on Tuesday.

After starting in sequence from 1307hrs this afternoon the ULTIM, six Ocean Fifty and 44 Class 40s revelled on the tough, gusty conditions on the Bay of Le Havre but they will just race a 320 miles passage to Lorient on the French Atlantic coast where they will re-start when the weather outlook improves. Their race to Martinique is likely to be on a shorter course distance. But it is unclear when their re-start will be.

The IMOCA 60 fleet remains on standby for a start, but it is not likely to be for several days at least.

British skipper Pip Hare (Medallia) commented, “For us it was not looking so bad, we would have seen six hours of heavy breeze and then a further three to six hours of heavy sea state but then. We were looking at risk profile and it was OK, but I am speaking to Szabi (Hungarian IMOCA skipper Szabolcs Weöres), and he was going to be 150 miles or so behind on a slower boat. I think the decision of the race officers reflects the fact we have a diverse IMOCA fleet and that is one the great things about the IMOCA class and something we should not lose. And that is someone who is lucky enough to have a high-performance foiler now but came up in the second oldest boat in the Vendée Globe. I value and respect that decision.”

The 320-mile passage to Lorient for the Ocean Fifty and Class 40 fleets is expected to still see winds gusting to 30 knots tonight. And with strong tides and contrary winds, big seas are still expected.

SVR Lazartigue, the giant blue VPLP design of Francois Gabart and Tom Laperche – the newest in the fleet - was leading the ULTIM class by over four miles, making steady speeds of 25-29 knots set to pass the tip of the Cherbourg peninsula before mid-afternoon.

In the Ocean Fifty class, the early leader was newcomer to the class Pierre Quiroga – winner of the 2021 La Solitaire du Figaro – racing with Ronan Treussard on VIABLIS OCÉANS. This 2017 boat was previously Sam Goodchild’s Leyton.

The first miles for the Class 40 race was impressive, with 44 boats close reaching at high speeds – up to 18-20kts for the latest scow designs. Italian favourite Ambrogio Beccaria on Allla Grande-PIRELLI, which finished second in last year’s Route du Rhum solo race to Guadeloupe, set the pace on the short circuit, despite hitting the only turning mark and having to take a penalty. They were leading Credit Mutuel – sailed by the highly favoured Ian Lipinksi and Antoine Carpentier, the 2019 race winners. Britons Brian Thompson and Alister Richardson were fourth and showing good speed on Tquila.

At the mark there were two collisions. One between Curium and Bertrand Guillonneau and Kito de Pavant’s Movember which saw the boom damaged.

The other was between Figaro ace, local Le Havre favourite Guillaume Pirouelle and Cedric Chateau’s recently launched Seafrigo-Sogestran and Café Joyeux. Three boats Café Joyeux, Seafrigo-Sogestran, and Movember had to make a U turn and return to Le Havre to try and effect repairs.

Only three of four classes will start the Transat Jacques Vabre today, Sunday. The IMOCA fleet will remain in Le Havre.

Because of a rapidly worsening weather forecast, in particular for the period Monday into Tuesday with predicted winds of 80kts and 10m seas, the start for the 40-strong IMOCA class for the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre, the two-handed race from Le Havre to Martinique due for 1229hrs today, has been postponed. The class will not leave Le Havre until the situation improves.

A deep depression which yesterday required the modification of the race for the Class 40s has accelerated and deepened and will hit the west coast of France and Portugal 24 hours earlier than expected. Winds of 80 knots and seas of 10 meters are forecast from Monday evening at Cape Finisterre.

Only the ULTIMs, which should be quick enough to be South of the systems, will race their course as planned. Their start and their course are unchanged.

The Ocean Fifty will also start today, but the Class40 will head towards Lorient. The biggest problem for the 40 IMOCAs is there is not a port on the Atlantic coast which could accommodate the 40 sixty-footers and so they will remain in Le Havre until the weather system is passed.

A record-breaking fleet of 95 boats, which is set to start the 16th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre double-handed race from Le Havre to Martinique, is set to encounter very robust conditions as they leave the English Channel from Sunday afternoon and on the Bay of Biscay Tuesday and Wednesday.

Included in the fleet is Irishwoman Pamela Lee of Greystones Harbour who makes her debut as skipper with French sailor Tiphaine Ragueneau as Afloat reports here.

A boisterous late autumn passage across the Bay of Biscay has been part and parcel of the race since the first edition in 1993 when a pioneering group of five solo ORMA multihull skippers and eight solo IMOCA sailors raced to Carthagena in Columbia. Now, three big, successive low-pressure systems are set to challenge the 30th-anniversary fleet which races in four classes, 32m Ultim and 50ft Ocean 50 Multihulls and the 60ft IMOCA and 40ft Class 40 monohulls.

Class 40 Engie - DFDS - Brittany Ferries, skippers Pamela Lee before the Transat Jacques Vabre Photo: Team Cap pour Elles

To avoid Biscay and a potentially brutal passage of the notorious Cape Finisterre off the NW tip of Spain, Race Direction have today modified the course only for the 44 strong Class40 into two stages. After their start tomorrow at 1341hrs local time, the fleet will race directly to an intermediate finish line off Lorient where they will wait until the weather improves enough to complete a second stage to Martinique. Their result will be scored on aggregated time over the two legs.

For the record-sized IMOCA fleet of 40 boats, a last-minute announcement due to the bad weather has forced the cancellation of their Sunday start. The race is an essential qualifier which will contribute significantly towards qualification for next year’s 2024-5 Vendée Globe, which has an entry limited to 40 boats when there are presently 44 active projects seeking selection. This two-handed race to Martinique is followed by a return race to France, starting about 10 days later, which carries an even higher points and miles premium.

Due to medical reasons, one of the top hopes, French skipper Charlie Dalin, who won this race in 2017 in the IMOCA, will only start the race on his new Verdier-designed MACIF with his co-skipper Pascal Bidégorry before returning to the port, thereby satisfying a part of the Vendée Globe qualifying process.

From the remaining 39 strong IMOCA field, there are three most frequently tipped favourites. Jéremie Beyou raced the 2022 launched Manuard designed Charal with outstanding French ace Franck Cammas. Allrounder Cammas could extend his number of Transat Jacques Vabre wins to an unprecedented five, most recently triumphing in 2021 with Charles Caudrelier in the Ultim race on Maxi Edmond de Rothschild.

Defending champions on the course are Thomas Ruyant and Morgan Lagravière. They have a new boat in For People, from a new design partnership Koch-Finot Conq, which is relatively untested so far but won the Guyader Bermudes race earlier in the season. Their training time has been compromised as their boat needed time in the yard after additional strengthening was required.

The other dream team partnership, also on a new 2023 launch boat – a sistership to For People – is Yoann Richomme – twice winner of the solo Route du Rhum in Class 40 – who competes with Yann Eliès who is on his ninth Transat Jacques Vabre and who won in 2019 with Dalin. Their new Paprec Arkéa has shown great potential.

British skipper Sam Goodchild tops the IMOCA Globe Series rankings after a string of consistent third places on key races this season, racing has an excellent chance of topping the podium, potentially delivering a first British win in the modern era of the IMOCA class, on For The Planet, the boat which won the race to Martinique last year in the hands of Ruyant and Lagravière.

“I am not thinking about winning.” Goodchild emphasises, “ We will just go out and do our best and see what happens. There are 40 boats and although we have been up there since the start of this year but the new boats with experienced skippers are always at the front.”

Goodchild starts his seventh Transat Jacques Vabre, he highlights “We are well prepared. I want to get a good result and the first part of the year has now put the pressure on a bit because we want to keep on doing what we have been doing but it is obviously all about Vendée Globe qualification. We have to do all that we can. And if we don’t break anything, we will be fine. We do this to race but just because we have a well proven boat nothing is a given. When we turned up at TR Racing to take on the boat the first thing they said was ‘Just because this boat has finished one Vendée Globe it does not mean to say it will finish another!” So we are going to have fun on this Transat but we are not going out saying we have finished third in the races so far, so we have to finish third again. We will just try to sail tidily and not make too many mistakes and see where we are at the line.”

There are nine IMOCAs from outside of France set to compete, including two boats skippered by German sailors, including Boris Herrmann sailing with Brit Will Harris on Team Malizia. Three Swiss IMOCAs are in the fleet, including Justine Mettraux racing with Juilen Villion on Teamwork.Net, Alan Roura and Simon Koster on Hublot and Oliver Heer and Nils Palmieri on Oliver Heer Ocean Racing.

Britain are strongly represented with Sam Davies and Jack Boutell on Initiatives Coeur, a duo well capable of finishing on the podium, whilst Medallia sailed by Pip Hare and Nick Bubb are focused on learning their boat since winter modifications and enhancing Hare’s Vendée Globe qualification standings. Asia are well represented with Jingkun Xu – who lost his left arm at the elbow at the age of 12 – racing with veteran Brit Mike Golding, and Japan’s Kojiro Shiraishi on DMG MORI.

All four classes race different courses with the objective that they should arrive in Martinique around the same time.

The Ultim fleet race down into the South Atlantic to Ascension Island, a total of 7,500 nautical miles. Theirs is expected to be the closest race yet between these foiling giants capable of sustained speeds in excess of 40kts. Although Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, Charles Caudrelier and Erwan Israel, sail the Verdier design, which has been dominant in ocean races for three years, Banque Populaire sailed by Armel le Cléach and Seb Josse have just won a 24-hour offshore and could break the Maxi Edmond do Rothschild monopoly.

The favourite in Class 40 is the Italian-flagged Alla Grande Pirelli.

The Ocean Race is supporting Team Nexans – Art et Fenêtres (II) in the collection of vital ocean data during the Transat Jacques Vabre, which sets sail this weekend from Le Havre in Normandy.

Following The Ocean Race 2022-23, in which over four million pieces of data were gathered, the round-the-world regatta is providing an OceanPack to the French-flagged team for the race to Martinique.

The OceanPack is a specialised instrument with multiple sensors that measure a range of data about the ocean to provide crucial insights into the health of the marine environment.

The equipment works by drawing up water through the hull and into the instrument, where it measures oxygen, carbon dioxide, salinity, water temperature and atmospheric pressure. It operates automatically and continuously, taking around 25,000 measurements a day.

Stefan Raimund, ocean science advisor at The Ocean Race said: “This year’s unprecedented ocean temperatures have set off alarm bells across the world. The more data that scientists have about temperatures and other essential ocean variables, the more accurately we can understand the ocean’s capacity to cope with climate change and predict what will happen to the climate in future.

“We’re pleased to have joined forces with Team Nexans – Art et Fenêtres (II), to continue contributing to this important research. Between editions of The Ocean Race, we will provide scientific equipment and support to teams, organisations and expeditions who share our desire to drive action for the ocean.”

The OceanPack is a specialised instrument with multiple sensors that measure a range of types of data about the ocean | Credit: Cherie Bridges/The Ocean Race

Team Nexans – Art et Fenêtres (II), which is skippered by Fabrice Amedeo and co-skipper Andreas Baden, has been involved in the collection of scientific data since 2019. Fabrice lost his boat — and his scientific instruments — in heavy seas during the last Route Du Rhum and is now competing again with a new boat.

Amedeo said: “The return to the open sea and racing is synonymous with the redeployment of my oceanographic project, thanks to the installation of The Ocean Race’s OceanPack. This sensor measures CO2, salinity and ocean temperature, enabling scientists to better understand the consequences of global warming on the ocean. I am happy to provide the scientific community with such important data.”

The data gathered by the team, on the race to the Caribbean and the return journey back to France, will be analysed by The Ocean Race’s science partners: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (Germany), Ifremer (France) and CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) (France). These organisations will use the data as part of their research on the impact of climate change on the marine environment and to inform predictions about how the ocean will respond to climate change in future.

The Ocean Race’s science programme is part of the Racing with Purpose sustainability programme, which was created with premier partner 11th Hour Racing. The race is the only team sport in the world that requires all participants to take part in the collection of vital ocean data. Earlier this year The Ocean Race launched a dedicated data visualisation platform for exploring the data at theoceanracescience.com.

Irish offshore sailor Pamela Lee has secured €40k in sponsorship from Ireland-France ferry operator DFDS/Brittany Ferries for her Class40 project as she prepares to set sail for the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic sailing race in October.

Lee will skipper one of only three all-women teams taking part in the race, alongside Tiphaine Ragueneau.

Pamela, 34, from Greystones Harbour in County Wicklow, Ireland, and Tiphaine, 30, from the Finistère region of France, start racing on 29 October 2023.

The Transat Jacques Vabre race is one of the most prestigious events on the international sailing calendar, with 100 boats participating. Its route from the French seaside resort of Le Havre to Fort-de-France Bay in the Caribbean traces a historic coffee trading route. The race is named after Jacques Vabre, the French ground coffee brand, and was created in 1993. 

Crews prepare to depart for the 40 Malouine race in Saint-Malo on 23 September as they continue preparations for the Transat Jacques Vabre race in October

Pamela is an experienced sailor who has crossed the Atlantic ten times in her career.  As regular Afloat readers know, she established a Round Ireland world speed sailing record with the UK's Cat Hunt in 2020.

Tiphaine works as a full-time vet in France and has been a competitive sailor for ten years, competing at World Championship Level since 2017.

Looking forward to the start of the Transat race, Tiphaine said: “We know the race will be very intense, and with this course, we feel like we’re really stepping up a level, but we can’t wait to get started.”

Lee, who recently won the Cap Pour Elles project, has also gained support from sailing gear manufacturer, Musto. 

In October 2023, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre will celebrate its 30th anniversary in Le Havre before the famous two-handed tranatlantic race heads to Martinique, where the finish of the race known as the Route du Café will be hosted for the second time in a row.

It is an anniversary that nearly 100 duos across the three open classes — IMOCA, Ocean Fifty and Class40 — have already marked on their calendars as the highlight of their 2023 season.

And this 16th edition of the biennial offshore race, which is the longest of the Transats, will once again see a very popular celebration take place in Le Havre which has been the historic start port since 1993.

From 20 October 2023, the opening date of the race village, a big public festival around the Paul Vatine baisin runs right through until start day on 29 October.

Thirty years is also a good time to refresh memories of the race’s proud history. Since 1993 no fewer than 534 sailors have braved the Atlantic, racing between Le Havre and the most beautiful coffee-producing destinations.

Although the first Transat Jacques Vabre was raced solo and crowned the Le Havre skipper Paul Vatine as victor, it became double handed from 1995, and that format has continued.

And there are many, many famous duos who have won the the Route du Café: Paul Vatine who scored the double in 1995 alongside Roland Jourdain; Franck Cammas-Steve Ravussin; Yves Parlier-Eric Tabarly, Franck-Yves Escoffier-Karine Fauconnier; Loick Peyron-Jean-Pierre Dick; Charlie Dalin-Yann Eliès and so many other talented partnerships have marked the event with their multiple wins and their complementary skills and personalities.

In 2023 the names of three other winning duos will be added to this long list. A multi-class race, the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre will be the highlight of the season in three classes. In IMOCA, the new Raison and Koch-Finot-Conq designs — due for 2023 launches — will challenge the best 60-footers of the 2021-2022 generation. An amazing field of 40 IMOCAs are due at the start, almost double the entry for the 2021 edition.

Ten Ocean Fifty trimarans are expected to compete, a record field for the 50-footers which also corresponds to the number of entries set by this class which wishes to control its growth. And no shortage of intensity and excitement in Class40 which will have nearly 50 participants for a Route du Café which should be sold out.

Because of the differences in speed potential of the three classes, Race Direction are working on developing three different courses. This innovation was tested in 2021 to guarantee grouped arrivals in Martinique, this making sure everyone shares the one big party and maximum media exposure for all competitors.

The Class40s race only in the North Atlantic and will have some 4,500 miles to cover, which makes the Route du Café their longest transatlantic race. As for the Ocean Fifty and IMOCA, they will race a course into the South Atlantic with two passages through the Doldrums and a total of nearly 6,000 miles of racing

There are many different elements which make the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre a unique event. It is a globally important, major race whose historical partners, the city of Le Havre and the JDE group (holders of the Jacques Vabre coffee brand) are also the organisers. They will be able to rely on the Normandy region and for the second consecutive year on Martinique, the land of origin for coffee in America which awaits sailors from mid-November 2023.

After more than twenty days at sea in the Transat Jacques Vabre Race, the difference between fourth and fifth in the IMOCA class was just 21 minutes 40 seconds between Britain's Sam Davies on Initiatives Coeur and an all-French crew aboard Arkéa-Paprec. Italian Pedote took sixth.

After a long and hard fought battle all the way up the Brazilian coast to the finish line in Martinique, Sébastien Simon and Yann Eliès sailed their 60-foot monohull, Arkéa-Paprec, to a fourth-place finish. They completed the course in 20 days 17 hours 8 minutes and 30 seconds covering 6,670.9 miles at an average speed of 13.42 knots.

Sam Davies and co-skipper Nico Lunven will be very pleased with their fifth place considering the age of their boat Initiatives Coeur which was built in 2010. Their race stats are evidence of a skilful performance both driving and navigating; total distance covered 6,440.1 miles averaging 12.94 knots. Davies has a new boat on the way and this result will act as a shot over the bows of her rivals. 

Sam said after crossing the line, "I think if someone had told me that we were going to be playing alongside the new boats for the whole race, I wouldn't have believed it. We are super proud. It was a hard and long race. It went very well on board. The magic of ocean racing is that we never stop learning. This was my third Transat Jacques Vabre with this boat and I never get bored."

Sam and Nico's 20 days at sea also raised enough money for a further 26 children to receive life-changing heart surgery as part of the Initiatives Coeur campaign.

About 1 hour 45 minutes behind Initiatives Coeur came Italian Giancarlo Pedote and co-skipper Martin Lepape. They guided their boat to sixth place having covered a total of 6,464.13 miles at an average of 12.95 knots.

A seventh IMOCA also crossed the line Sunday morning. Fortinet-Best Western sailed by Romain Attanasio and Sebastien Marsset took 7th place 20 days 20 hours 10 minutes and 10 seconds after leaving Le Havre on November 7th.

As the IMOCAs continued to cross the line, the three leading boats and their crews were honoured at the official prize-giving ceremony in Fort-de-France, Martinique.

The IMOCA podium :

1. LinkedOut (Thomas Ruyant - Morgan Lagravière)
2. Apivia (Charlie Dalin - Paul Meilhat)
3. Charal (Jérémie Beyou - Christopher Pratt)

The ceremony was also an opportunity to honour Apivia for her victory in the IMOCA Globe Series 2021 circuit. Apivia's second place in the Transat Jacques Vabre race sealed the overall season title following wins in the Rolex Fastnet (in August) and the Défi Azimut (in September). Charlie Dalin and Paul Meilhat beat LinkedOut who finished second on 131 points - 12 points behind Apivia.