Route 2025 4 classes, 4 courses, 4winning duos means for four times the emotion

Édition 2025 13 February 2025 - 10h21

On Sunday October 26 off Le Havre the Ultim, the Ocean Fifty, the IMOCA, and the Class40 divisions will start their TRANSAT CAFÉ L’OR Le Havre Normandie at 15 minutes intervals. Four consecutive starts will ensure the excitement and drama is prolonged and the spotlight falls equally on each class.
The competing duos, pairs of co-skippers - will be setting off on the Route du Café each following different courses which should see the four winning pairs arrive in Martinique at the same time and so enjoy the same focus and excitement.

A separate start for each class

Each edition of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L’OR experiences the same high levels of emotion. The excitement builds to a peak a few minutes before the start for the sailors on the water and for the spectators. And that excitement should be multiplied by four on October 26 off in Le Havre/

In the early afternoon, each class will answer their start gun every 15 minutes and then follow a short coastal course. These staggered starts now offer each class better visibility on the water for visitors along the coast, as well as on the screen for television viewers. For over an hour, everyone will have a prolonged show on the water. And starting separately for the multihulls and monohulls is also a better guarantee of safety for the skippers.

4 courses, 4 winning duos

Once the starts have been given, the sailors will set off on the Atlantic, following in the historic wake of the coffee traders. They will have to deal with the unpredictable strong winds of the winter depressions of the North Atlantic before finding the trade winds.

Even with slightly shorter courses the TRANSAT CAFÉ L’OR remains the longest and most demanding transatlantic race. The gaps between the boats in the same class are expected to be small, strategic choices will have to be significant and so a constant battle all the way through the classes is on the cards. With very distinct courses for each class there are four races on at the same time with four winning duos rewarded at the end.

We decided to keep the idea of four starts to have a smaller start line and therefore make it all more visible to the public from the shore. This also ensures better safety for the skippers. We space the fleets about a quarter of an hour apart to highlight each class during the video broadcast. This will always give us action on the water. This also gives meaning to our objective to have 4 courses and 4 winning duos at the finish. In theory within the same 24 hours, we could very well have 3 winners (Ultim, O50 and IMOCA).

Francis Le Goff

Race Director

The Ultims: 6,200 nautical miles (between 10 and 14 days)

The Ultims will start with a first, fairly long phase taking them to the "Ascension" waypoint in the southern hemisphere, which they will have to leave to starboard side. Then, they will go up along the Brazilian coast to reach Martinique. The two passages of the Doldrums can decisive.

The Ocean Fifty: 4,600 nautical miles (between 10 and 14 days)

The Ocean Fifty will go down to Cape Verde, leave the island of Sal on the starboard side, before going to find the trade winds, heading for the West Indies. The passage through the islands promises to be quite testing as there are always corridors of wind and calms.

The IMOCAs: 4,350 nautical miles (between 10 and 14 days)

The IMOCAs will be straight into battle with a fast and tight descent to the Canaries. After leaving the archipelago on the starboard side, the strategic choices is always between the northern option to get closer to the depressions or the southern option towards the trade winds.

The Class40s: 3,750 nautical miles (between 12 and 16 days)

The Class40s will benefit from a more direct westerly course than the other classes, which will allow for a more open game, provided they find the right passage through the Azores high, after leaving the archipelago on the starboard side.

The first winning duos are expected around November 5.

The finish line in Fort-de-France in Martinique will close on November 20.

Each course is intrinsically different from that of another class. We will not follow a single transatlantic race but four races. The fact that these new courses are shorter than in some editions will also offer a higher density of boats and therefore a stronger boat on boat, head to head fight. The skippers will not necessarily have time to make big gains on a strategic move. Finally, the arrival in Martinique will bring a share of surprises. The sailors will arrive tested and tired and they will have to deal with the significant high ground to the south of Martinique, near the Rocher du Diamant, which leads to windless zones.

Yann Chateau

Deputy race director

New eco-responsible commitments

Faced with the climate challenge and thanks to its reputation, the TRANSAT CAFÉ L’OR Le Havre Normandie must, more than ever, be innovative and set examples. For the 2025 edition, the Route du Café has made new commitments to continue to limit its carbon footprint:

The delivery back under sail is mandatory (end of returns by cargo ship - art. 24 of the notice of race)
The presentation press conference will be organized in Le Havre, the day before the opening of the village, to avoid travel by skippers and the organization to Paris.
Public relations operations on press motor boats will be limited on the day of departure. A unique experience on land will be offered, in the company of sailors and local stakeholders.
Our partnership with IFREMER allows the race to be part of an approach that respects the ocean and its biodiversity.

This 17th Route du Café follows four Atlantic courses for a close and committed race. We wanted it to be inspiring. Our race is a media highlight, it must highlight the challenges of preserving the ocean and living things. Thanks to the commitments of the skippers, the TRANSAT CAFE L’OR and its partners, we want to participate in enhancing awareness of these issues.

Gildas Gautier

General Manager