2017 - Records of all kinds!
The start of this 13th edition of the Jacques Vabre is set for November 5, 2017. Although the finish remains in Brazil, it will take place in Salvador de Bahia, after two editions finished in Itajai. This is not the first time that the capital of the state of Bahia has hosted the race's finale, having previously been the finishing city for the 5th to 8th editions.
There were 38 competitors at the start of the race, divided into 4 classes, but only 31 finished. The weather conditions were as expected: a front, a rapid descent to the south, a capricious Doldrums, and a fast final stretch. In Class40, Maxime Sorel, accompanied by Antoine Carpentier, won just 18 minutes ahead of the runner-up. On V and B, the two skippers also set two records: the Class40 24-hour distance record of 377 miles, and a reference time improved by 5 days.
In the Ocean Fifty, Lalou Roucayrol, partnered by Alex Pella, takes his first victory in his 9th participation! In the IMOCA class, Jean-Pierre Dick, partnered by Yann Eliès on St-Michel Virbac, scored a first in the history of the race. His 4th victory! Finally, in the Ultim class, favorites Thomas Coville and Jean-Luc Nélias on Sodebo won in 7 days, 22 hours, 7 minutes and 27 seconds. Lionel Lemonchois and Bernard Stamm dismasted just a few miles from the finish.
2019 - Only three classes to start
While the Ultims were due to take part in a round-the-world race given shortly after the Jacques Vabre, major breakage on the Route du Rhum 2018 cancels the project. The Ultim class therefore asked the race organization to integrate the event, but the refusal was clear-cut. Not enough space in the start and finish ports, and performances far superior to the rest of the fleet that would require different courses.
So 27 Class40s, 29 IMOCAs and 3 Ocean Fifties will be leaving Le Havre on October 27, 2019. Once again, 7 of them will retire. In the Ocean Fifty, the passage of a ridge of high pressure severely penalized Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and Fred Duhtil, who had been in the lead since the start. Gilles Lamiré and Antoine Carpentier won on Groupe GCA-Mille et Un Sourires. In the IMOCA class, we all remember the Doldrums episode experienced by Jérémie Beyou and Christopher Pratt on Charal. Clearly in the lead as they entered the zone, they lost 410 miles to Apivia, which won the race from Charlie Dalin and Yann Eliès. The latter takes his 3rd victory.
In Class40, Ian Lipinski and Adrien Hardy on Crédit Mutuel sailed their boat in strong winds and heavy seas. They set a new distance record of 415.86 miles in 24 hours, averaging 17.3 knots, and won the race.
2021 - New finish city and new routes for the return of the Ultims
Despite the Covid-19 epidemic, this 15th edition in 2021 is a record! There were 83 competitors at the start, with only 4 withdrawing. For the first time, Martinique hosts the race finish in Fort-de-France. The Ultims make their return, and the race organization introduces 3 courses to better adapt the time spent at sea for the whole fleet. In the Ultim class, Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas dominate the event, finishing first ahead of François Gabart and Tom Laperche. Franck Cammas takes his 4th victory and Charles Caudrelier his 3rd.
In the Ocean Fifty, Sébastien Rogues and Matthieu Souben were the big winners after taking the lead in the Canaries, and had the luxury of making landfall first ahead of the Ultims, on a shorter course nonetheless. In the IMOCA class, Thomas Ruyant and Morgan Lagravière claimed their first victory. Finally, in the Class40 class, Antoine Carpentier and Pablo Santurde took first place, a third victory for Antoine Carpentier.
