Transat Café l’Or: Francesca Clapcich strike, overtaking Macif and second place in Martinique!

We are in the final throes of the Transat Café l’Or for the Imoca 60 class, with Jeremie Beyou and Morgan Lagraviere’s Charal taking a well-deserved victory after leading the race for almost the entire Atlantic. Beware, however, because in the last few hours what was hardly imaginable, namely an overtaking in the Trade Wind, has instead materialized and is fantastic news for Italian sailing.

Francesca Clapcich, what an overtaking!

Francesca Clapcich on 11th Hour Racing, co-skipper Will Harris, remounted on Macif to move up to second. When there were about 450 miles to go, the two Imoca boats engaged in a close gybing duel, marking each other almost on sight. Clapcich in fact had managed to shorten the delay to the point of bringing pressure to the French boat. In the gybe duel, on a crossing, Macif let 11th Hour Racing go slightly south, a fatal error that led to overtaking by the Italian skipper.

11Th Hour Racing crossed the finish line at 4 p.m. today, and what comes, an Italian sailor on the second step of the podium in a transatlantic, on the queen class Imoca 60, is a historic achievement.

Bitter sweet emotions instead for Ambrogio Beccaria, who will finish in fourth position with Allagrande Mapei. A certainly consistent and positive result, which perhaps will not leave the Milanese skipper 100% satisfied. He did not start with the favor of prediction in this his first transatlantic in Imoca 60, but as he himself recounted from aboard, the broadside at the Canary Islands passage, which proved almost decisive then for the continuation of the race.

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*Who is Francesca Clapcich

Francesca Clapcich, born in Trieste in 1988, has competed in two Olympics, one in Laser and the second in 49er (paired with Giulia Conti). Precisely on the 49er she was Italian, European and world champion before turning to offshore sailing. She has taken part in two crewed round-the-world races, winning one. Her goal is the Vendèe Globe (nonstop solo round-the-world race) in 2028. He lives in the USA, in Park City, Utah, with his wife, sailor Sally Barkow, and their 2-year-old daughter Harriet.

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