The routes

Magnifique départ des Class40

4 classes, 4 courses, 4 winning duos

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. 

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, Ocean Fifty and IMOCA).
Francis Le Goff
Race Director

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. 

 

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 Château
Deputy race director