Charlotte Yven became the first woman in history to win the Transat Paprec two times, crossing the Caribbean finish with co-skipper Hugo Dhallenne. This was after a nail biting final that saw all 13 top boats finish within 3 hours of one another.

The Skipper-Macif duo navigated a calm Caribbean that compressed the fleet during the final days. This erased comfortable leads, and gave the 3,890-nautical mile race from Concarneau in France, one the tightest finishes it has ever seen.

“We adapted and supported each other. We fought until the end,” said Yven. He joins the sailing legend Armel LeCleac'h, as the only two time winners. The margins were small, but staying fast and focusing on our own wind was what made the difference.

The Transat Paprec, a biennial sailing race across the Atlantic Ocean, challenges crews of mixed gender and double-handed to navigate from Concarneau up to Saint-Barthelemy.

The race, which was first held in 1992, underwent a rebranding in 2023 that included a new requirement: each team must consist of ONE man AND ONE woman. The race is a 3,800 nautical mile course that requires competitors to sail identically-matched Figaro Beneteau yachts.

Romain Bouillard (Decrochons la Lune), Irina Grecheva and Thomas Andre on Cap St Barth took third place, despite the spinnaker being torn, 43 minutes after the start. Cindy Brin, a local favourite, became the first Saint-Barthelemy resident to finish the race.

https://nongambancasinos.co.uk/review/palm-casino/ Brin was welcomed by 200 boats at Gustavia Harbour. “I already felt that I had won just by taking the start,” he said. “But I didn't expect third place. Thomas brought me back to confidence every time I doubted my abilities. Twenty-four years earlier, I was on the boat with my father and said, “One day, dad, that will me.” “Today, it's me!”

After 18 days at sea and a tight race, only 35 seconds separated Brin from the fourth-place finishers Mael Garcia and Catherine Hunt (Selencia-Cerfrance), in what race director Francis Le Goff called an unprecedented finish. Toby Davis edited the article.

(source: Reuters)