Solo sailor Mathis Bourgnon has seized the La Boulangère Mini Transat lead after a last-night overtake of long-time pacesetter Benoît Marie, pending jury review.
The Swiss skipper hunted down Marie over the final miles to Guadeloupe after trailing by more than 130 nautical miles earlier in the leg. He crossed first to claim the provisional victory.
The Prototype Mini 6.5 class delivered a thriller after 14 days and more than 2,600 nautical miles direct, with far more sailed in reality. Margins flipped repeatedly in light, shifting winds.
Marie, on Nicomagic, led most of the way and twice set new 24-hour distance marks during the race. A technical issue slowed him for over a day before he returned to pace in the approach.
Late on, performance differences by tack appeared to favour starboard for Marie, opening a lane for Bourgnon on Assomast 994 to surge past and finish ahead.
Bourgnon, 28, follows his father’s win in the race three decades ago. Marie, a past champion, narrowly missed a rare second overall title.
In the Series class, Paul Cousin holds the advantage, 49 nautical miles ahead of second-placed Quinten Moducet.
Irish update: Mark O’Connor is 24th, locked on to a close group just ahead. With around 560 miles to sail, the next 60–70 hours remain decisive. Grainne Costigan on Sea Fever is 52nd, with just under 800 miles remaining.
