La Transat Ag2r La Mondiale

[KevinS]

The bi-annual one-design two-handed race from Concarneau in mainland France to St Barth is starting soon...

I would post a photo, but the island’s internet won’t allow it this morning - too slow.

http://transat.ag2rlamondiale.fr/



Link to the SBHOnline Transat Ag2r La Mondiale contest rules. The contest will open for entries when the lead bots is about 1000 nautical mikes from the finish:

https://www.sbhonline.com/forums/showthread.php/93343-Contest-La-Transat-Ag2r-La-Mondiale

 

[andynap]

The bi-annual one-design two-handed race from Concarneau in mainland France to St Barth is starting soon...

I would post a photo, but the island’s internet won’t allow it this morning - too slow.

http://transat.ag2rlamondiale.fr/

 

[amyb]

Can we get a boat name list posted and try to pick the winner? A past forum fun thing to get involved in for this year's race.

 

[andynap]

The last prize was a piece of wood. Look on Kevin's link for names of boats

 

[KevinS]

Can we get a boat name list posted and try to pick the winner? A past forum fun thing to get involved in for this year's race.

Working on it. We’ll do something.

 

[elgreaux]

The last prize was a piece of wood. Look on Kevin's link for names of boats

and second prize (which I happily won) was a nice beach bag from Wimco with some goodies including a bottle of vanilla rum from La Gloriette....

 

[LMAC]

I was happy to win one year and the prize was dinner at the Hideaway!

 

[elgreaux]

Local sailor, Miguel Danet, who some of you might know from his St Barth Sailor catamarans, is racing this year, I think it's his third time in this event. His teammate is Eric Peron, a French sailor he partnered with 10 years ago. and their sponsor is a French macaron company so their boat is rather jauntily decorated...

 

[amyb]

I once won-a tee shirt, purple, with the logo of the boat. Something about THE RICH??

 

[KevinS]

Local sailor, Miguel Danet, who some of you might know from his St Barth Sailor catamarans, is racing this year, I think it's his third time in this event. His teammate is Eric Peron, a French sailor he partnered with 10 years ago. and their sponsor is a French macaron company so their boat is rather jauntily decorated...

View attachment 46144

Miguel has local support. These kids from the St Barth Yacht Club are in France for a regatta. I swiped these photos from the SBYC FB page:

 

[KevinS]

20 boats are participating:





Many of the team sponsor names are familiar to those who have followed previous editions of the race.

 

[amyb]

Having good friends in France with the name ROYER, I am going with that boat.go GROUPE ROYER.

Great job posting the boats and the photos. Kevin rocks! Take a bow, a deep bow.

 

[KevinS]

And then there were 19... one entrant had to drop out of the race a few days ago for medical reasons. The Livory brothers and Interaction will not be racing.

 

[amyb]

That is a shame. Hope all goes well and wishing him a speedy recovery.

 

[tim]

Well done, Kevin!

 

[cec1]

Arrival of the boats in St. Barths always is a great celebration . . . running 24 hrs/day during the several days that it takes for all boats to arrive. A lot of fun!

 

[TPunch42]

So great to be talking about something besides that which shall remain nameless that starts with an 'I"

 

[dadto6]

Approximately, when are they expected to arrive in Gustavia?

 

[KevinS]

3 weeks, give or take a few days. In 2016 Gedimat crossed the Finish Line at 08:14:53 St Barth time, after racing for 22 Days, 1 Hour, 6 Minutes, and 53 Seconds.

 

[cec1]

Start was, I believe, yesterday. So I would expect that the finish will be about May 13 (give or take). As I recall, there was a lot of bad luck with winds two years ago, & the starting pack broke into two groups . . . taking northerly & southern routes, trying to capture best of them.

The image is quite stunning: Two people, sailing in difficult seas, in small boats . . . 24 hrs/day, important to maintain nighttime awareness . . . highly competitive with other sailors . . . emotional & physical fatigue . . . sunburn . . . the food can’t be very good . . . storms . . . sailing nearby to many other boats at times, seeing other boats surge ahead & falling behind . . . occasional broken masts . . . periods of windless boredom (what can you say to one another?). Then, finally, the mental rush that must come with arriving — after 3 or more weeks — to the greeting of a flotilla of welcoming boats from a beautiful Caribbean island — loud air horns blaring . . . overflowing with yelling, cheering, appreciative fellow sailors . . . Rosemond snapping photos . . . champagne bottles aloft, corks flying. Big smiles, loud laughs, & emotional embraces . . . for each boat, whether 1st or last, whatever hour.

It was early 90s, as I recall, that I first found myself on the island for the May arrival of boats in the “Transat” race. It’s thrilling to see that it has morphed into a tradition. If you’re on the island as boats arrive (I will be!), don’t miss the celebrations . . . try especially to be part of the vanguard of late night / early morning revelers. You’ll never forget it.