Transat Café L'Or 2025: a tough start, three Ocean Fifty boats and several technical stopovers

The Transat CafÃ©âeuros¯L'ORâeuros¯2025 got off to a nervous, almost nerve-wracking start. The first few hours were lively in the English Channel: three Ocean Fifties capsized, an IMOCA hit a buoy and an Ultim suffered rudder damage. All sailors are safe and sound.

Maxime Leriche Published on October 27, 2025

An invigorating early start

The fleet taking part in the 2025 edition of the Transat CafÃ©euros¯L'Or has had its departure from the Oceanâeuros¯Fifty class brought forward to Saturday, October 25, in order to avoid what are expected to be even tougher conditions.
Conditions in the Channel were solid: winds from 22 to 25âeuros¯nÅuds, gusts up to 30âeuros¯nÅuds, waves of around 3âeuros¯m.

Â©Transat CafÃ© l'OR — transat Café l'OR

Serial capsizings of Oceanâeuros¯Fifty

Three multihulls of 15âeuros¯m and over (Oceanâeuros¯Fifty class) capsized on Saturday night:

Lazare Ã Hellio (skippers Erwan Le Draoulec and Tanguy Le Turquais) capsized at around 22âeuros¯hâeuros¯27 off the Cotentin peninsula, around 3âeuros¯miles from the coast. The boat was towed upside down to Cherbourg, and suffered major damage to one of its floats.

Koesio (skippers Erwan Le Roux and Audrey Ogereau) capsized at around 2âeuros¯h in the morning, north of Guernsey, when the wind reached 25âeuros¯nÅuds. The boat ended up upside down on a Guernsey beach. Thanks to the responsiveness of the local authorities, the rig was quickly refloated before the next tide.

Inter Invest (skippers Matthieu Perraut and JeanâeurosBaptiste GellÃ©e) capsized at around 5âeuros¯h05, off the tip of Brittany (Abers area). The trimaran was towed to the port of Brest.

All the crews are safe and sound, and some have been airlifted out.

Rudder damage for Banque Populaire

During the night, one of the favourites, Banque Populaire XI (skippers Armel Le Cléac'h and Sébastien Josse) had to divert to Lorient due to a port rudder problem. A major blow for one of the event's favourites, who saw his main rival, SVR Lazartigues, take off.

Collision of the IMOCA Paprec Arkéa

The duo Yoann Richomme and Corentin Horeau aboard Paprec ArkÃ©a (IMOCA class) hit a buoy at 16âeuros¯hâeuros¯08 off Le Havre while sailing at over 16âeuros¯nÅuds in 7th position.
The impact damaged the rigging and starboard outrigger. The crew secured the mast and then made a technical stopover. After 24 hours of major work to replace the outrigger and a foil, the duo should resume racing on Monday, October 27.