There is the gota of ocean sailing heading out Nov. 7 for the Transat Jacques Vabre, the transatlantic doublehanded race from Le Havre to Fort de France in Martinique, open to Class 40s, Imoca 60s and Ultime. Just to mention a few names in the regatta will be Vendée Globe winners (2013 and 2017) François Gabart and Armel Le Cleac’h, who will compete in the Ultime class, the 30-meter maxi trimarans, and they will be in good company since they will be up against the likes of Thomas Coville and Franck Cammas, two genuine legends of world sailing. Also running in the Imoca 60 class is the latest Vendée Globe winner, yannick Bestaven, along with the top skippers in the class.
THE ITALIANS AT THE TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE
And of course there will be a little bit of Italy, with Giancarlo Pedote and Andrea Fantini. The first as obvious will race on his Imoca 60, Prysmian Racing, the boat that will accompany him all the way to the 2024 round-the-world race. Pedote will be paired with Martin Le Pape. This is the last regatta in which we will see the Tuscan skipper’s Imoca 60 in this version. In fact, at the Genoa Boat Show Pedote announced that several modifications are coming to the boat to make it perform better for upcoming events .
Instead, Andrea Fantini will be engaged in the Class 40, on Guidi, paired with Frenchman Charles Louis Mourruau. For the Ferrara native, this is a return to a transatlantic after the 2018 Route du Rhum, brought to the finish line with great tenacity despite a boat that is not very young and very complex weather. For him an opportunity for a new step forward.
THE NEW ROUTE OF THE TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE
The interesting novelty of the 2021 edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre is the new route of the race. In fact, the classes in the regatta will have different course lengths. The Class 40s will have to pass south of Cape Verde, a total of 4600 miles. Imoca 60 and Multi 50 instead of miles will cover 5800 with Fernando de Noronha dubbing. The Ultime will have the longest route, 7500, and will have to pass through the Trinidade archipelago before heading to the Caribbean.
Mauro Giuffrè
