This Friday, 7 November, at 12.55 pm local time (5.55 pm in Paris), Sam Goodchild and Loïs Berrehar crossed the finish line of the IMOCA class in third place in Fort-de-France Bay, during the 17th edition of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L’OR Le Havre Normandie.

THEIR RACE IN NUMBERS

Local arrival time: 12 h 55 min 47 sec
Arrival time (Paris): 17 h 55 min 47 sec
Race time: 12 days 3 h 25 min 47 sec
Gap with the winner: 7 h 40 min 29 sec
Distance covered: 5,579.74 miles
Average speed (on the great-circle route): 14.70 knots
Real average speed: 19.15 knots

THEIR RACE IN BRIEF

Sam Goodchild and Loïs Berrehar have several things in common: reserved and not keen on the spotlight ashore, they are incredibly tough and brilliant racers at sea. Aboard the boat with which Charlie Dalin won the Vendée Globe, they won the Course des Caps before sailing with two different teams in The Ocean Race (Biotherm for Sam, Malizia for Loïs). At the start of the Transat Café L’OR, they had to deal with the news about Charlie Dalin’s health and their status as favorites. But that didn’t stop them from making a blistering start and crossing the Bay of Biscay in the lead. In the leading pack from start to finish, they were edged out slightly when turning toward the Caribbean by Charal. While second place seemed all but theirs, they were overtaken in the final hours of the race by the surprising 11th Hour Racing duo. Even so, Sam and Loïs delivered a remarkable performance aboard a boat they only took over this year, further confirming their status as top contenders in the IMOCA Class.

FIRST REACTIONS

Sam Goodchild:
“Our last two days at sea were very intense, and arriving here feels really great. It’s not an easy transatlantic race, but we’re happy to be here! At one point, I was a bit disappointed, but finishing third in this race is fantastic. We set the bar high before leaving, but the two teams ahead of us sailed extremely well. The overall result is very positive, and it was wonderful to share this with Loïs. We could set off on another transatlantic together as soon as tomorrow!”

Loïs Berrehar:
“I’m very happy to be here, to have arrived, and to have shared this adventure with Sam. I thank him a lot, because I learned so much from him during this transat. First podium in IMOCA in this race—I’m really happy. Soon we’ll be competitors, but I’m fully aware of how lucky I was to do this race on such a great boat with such an outstanding sailor!”