2011 - A departure postponed by 3 days
Due to harsh weather conditions, the start has to be postponed by 74 hours, as the Channel is so hectic. However, 35 boats are eager to start the edition, which also marks the return of the Class40s powered by a new generation of prototypes.
It took three days to let the gale from Newfoundland pass. The monohulls (Class40 and Imoca) can sail directly to Costa Rica, 4,730 miles, while the Multi-50s have to round Saint-Barth and Barbados for 5,325 miles.
But the Atlantic is still unleashed. Bernard Stamm and Jean-François Cuzon noticed that their boat, cracked at the front, was taking on water: they were hoisted to the Azores.
In the Imoca monohull race, Jean-Pierre Dick has another victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre, this time with Jérémie Beyou as his team-mate in just over two weeks. And only two Multi-50s arrived safely with Yves Le Blévec and architect Sam Manuard as winners. On the Class40 side, the match was a great success, but Yannick Bestaven and Eric Drouglazet won the race after just over 3 weeks of sailing.
2013 - Back to Brazil
42 duets have come to battle, but the gales follow the storms in this mid-autumn in the Channel and especially in the Bay of Biscay. As a result, the sailors are forced to wait an additional 4 days in Le Havre. And if the exit from the Channel remains manageable, a new low is generating heavy seas off Cape Finisterre to the point where Loïc Féquet's trimaran loses half its float... when the Class40s make a pit-stop in Morlaix Bay. This gust of wind is the last in the series and the tradewinds are back after the Spanish tip. Some MOD70s reach the equator in a week. But some duets are forced to make a quick technical stopover in Madeira (Gabart-Desjoyeaux) to change rudder, in Peniche (Le Blévec-de Pavant) to replace electronics. On November 10, during the night, Arkema-Aquitaine Region was surprised by a gust of wind and capsized off Lisbon. Lalou Roucayrol and Mayeul Riffet were unharmed, but had to wait three and a half days before being towed to Madeira.
The Josse-Caudrelier duo took only eleven days to reach Itajaí five hours ahead of Gavignet-Foxall, while the couple Le Roux-Éliès really only took a break in Rio Bay in the Multi50. On the Imoca side, the two winners of the Vendée Globe are in the lead and Vincent Riou with Jean Le Cam is the one who wins in Brazil with a four-hour lead over Marc Guillemot and Pascal Bidégorry. As for the Class40s, they have incredible speeds. It was Sébastien Rogues and Fabien Delahaye who won the victory, under pressure until the arrival of the Spaniards Alex Pella and Pablo Santurde and the German-French duo Jörg Riechers and Pierre Brasseur.
2015 - A 12th edition marked by breakage and abandonment
On 25 October 2015, 42 duets set off from Le Havre to reach the Brazilian port of Itajai: 14 Class40, 4 Multi50, 20 Imoca and 4 Ultimates. This edition will be marked by strong weather conditions, even brutal. There are many breakages, as well as abandonments... Thus, after two days of racing, we were already deploring the abandonment of Master CoQ and Edmond de Rothschild, the return to shore of Safran and Team Concise and the capsizing of Prince de Bretagne.
After 5 days, there were 3 more abandonments and 3 major damages. Halfway through the race, on 3 November 2015, half the fleet had been forced to abandon. All categories are affected, except Class 40, which can withstand difficult sea conditions quite well. The worst remains the IMOCA class - which welcomed its first sailboats - which has 11 abandonments out of 20 boats.
In Class40, Yannick Bestaven and Pierre Brasseur narrowly won at the front at the entrance to the Doldrums. In the Multi50, Erwan Le Roux and Giancarlo Pedote take the lead in itajaí, the skipper signs his third victory with the same boat on the Transat Jacques Vabre !
In IMOCA, Vincent Riou and Sébastien Col are the first to emerge from the Doldrums trap ahead of Armel Le Cléac'h and Erwan Tabarly and contain until the finish the return of his pursuers. Vincent Riou wins his second victory in a row.
Finally, in Ultimate, the race turns into a duel between François Gabart - Pascal Bidégorry and Thomas Coville - Jean-Luc Nélias. The gap created remains almost the same at the finish in Itajaí in favour of the duo Gabart - Bidégorry...
