Transat Jacques Vabre: A totally successful outcome for the IMOCAs
With Romain Attanasio and Aurélien Ducroz finishing on Wednesday 22nd November, the thirteenth Transat Jacques Vabre came to an end for the IMOCAs. This year’s race was won by Jean-Pierre Dick and Yann Eliès on StMichel-Virbac.
With Romain Attanasio and Aurélien Ducroz finishing on Wednesday 22nd November, the thirteenth Transat Jacques Vabre came to an end for the IMOCAs. This year’s race was won by Jean-Pierre Dick and Yann Eliès on StMichel-Virbac. There was a very positive outcome for the IMOCA class, as all thirteen boats that lined up for the start in Le Havre made it to the finish in Salvador da Bahia. While the boats were shown to be reliable, the high standard of racing also stood out. This is all very promising for the next events on the IMOCA calendar...
The 2016-2017 Vendée Globe gave us the lowest retirement rate in the history of the event with 18 skippers out of 29 making it to the finish. The 2017 Transat Jacques Vabre has done even better with a 100% success rate. A very pleasing outcome for Antoine Mermod, President of the IMOCA class: “It is exceptional to see all the boats at the finish in a major ocean race with such a line-up. This result is all the more pleasing, as it was a very demanding race where everyone pushed hard. This success rate is down to the quality of the skippers and the preparation of their boats. In a post-Vendée Globe year, the boats have been tried and tested and have shown what they can do around the world. They were also well taken care of afterwards by the teams. We’re not in a development phase with the risk of breakage that that entails. Having said that, a lot of boats changed hands after the Vendée Globe and we might have feared that some weren’t ready for their first major race, but that wasn’t the case. By completing the race, the newcomers showed they were able to live up to their ambitions.”
It should be pointed out that the three skippers on the Transat Jacques Vabre podium have been sailing on their boats now for several seasons and they made the most of this knowledge. Jean-Pierre Dick (StMichel-Virbac), Paul Meilhat (SMA) and Morgan Lagravière (Des Voiles Et Vous!, the former Safran) all managed to find excellent sailors to accompany them, with respectively Yann Eliès, Gwénolé Gahinet and Eric Péron. “These three crews had that little bit extra in their ability to sail the boat and choose the best routes,” explained Antoine Mermod. “But those crews just discovering their boats as they made their way across the Atlantic weren’t that far behind. They have made a lot of progress in getting to grips with their IMOCA and have already shown that they are to be reckoned with. Boris Herrmann and Thomas Ruyant (4th on Malizia II – editor’s note) did a really good job, as did Louis Burton and Servane Escoffier (Bureau Vallée 2), who were in fourth place before the Doldrums, where they had some bad luck. As for Kito de Pavant and Yannick Bestaven, they had a magnificent race on a fine-tuned boat from 2006 that they pushed 120% of the way throughout the crossing. Overall, everyone did a good job and the overall standard was exceptionally high.”
1. Jean-Pierre Dick & Yann Eliès (StMichel-Virbac)
2. Paul Meilhat & Gwénolé Gahinet (SMA)
3. Morgan Lagravière & Eric Péron (Des Voiles Et Vous !)
4. Boris Herrmann & Thomas Ruyant (Malizia II)
5. Kito de Pavant & Yannick Bestaven (Bastide Otio)
6. Tanguy De Lamotte & Samantha Davies (Initiatives Cœur)
7. Louis Burton & Servane Escoffier (Bureau Vallée 2)
8. Isabelle Joschke & Pierre Brasseur (Generali)
9. Alan Roura & Frédéric Denis (La Fabrique)
10. Yohann Richomme & Pierre Lacaze (Vivo A Beira)
11. Arnaud Boissières & Manuel Cousin (La Mie Câline-Artipôle)
12. Fabrice Amedeo & Giancarlo Pedote (Newrest-Brioche Pasquier)
13. Romain Attanasio & Aurélien Ducroz (Famille Mary-Etamine Du Lys)
- 4: the number of wins achieved by Jean-Pierre Dick in the Transat Jacques Vabre on an IMOCA
- 13.63 knots: The average speed set by Dick and Eliès on the Great Circle Route (direct route)
- 0: the number of boats that retired
Teams info
Pip Hare's perspective on The Transat CIC
IMOCA skippers who are not participating in The Transat CIC are like us, glued to the map and race updates to analyze and understand the performances of their peers in the class.
•••IMOCA Race Report #2 I The Transat CIC - Day 6
At the halfway point, Conrad Colman, skipper of the IMOCA MS Amlin, gives us an update on what's happening at sea. Strategy, weather forecasts, conditions on board... you'll know it all!
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