La Transat Paprec

[KevinS]

La Transat Paprec starts on Sunday morning, Paprec, the new sponsor, is a leading French waste management group, which also operates on St Barth. The boats are one-design Beneteau Figaro 3’s, with mixed (1 male, 1 female) crews. They’ll reach St Barth about the middle of May. There will be a contest to pick the winner, with “the usual rules”. I’ll look into getting a prize for the winner, and post more about the context next week, after I return home.

For now, from Le Journal as translated by Google, here’s some info on the race:

The countdown has begun before the start of the Transat Paprec (formerly Transat en Double - Concarneau – Saint-Barthélemy, formerly Transat AG2R – La Mondiale), which will be given from Concarneau (Finistère) on Sunday at 1:02 p.m. (7:02 a.m. local time). The arrival village will open its doors on May 16 at the end of the day. Eleven 100% mixed crews are in the running for this 16th edition of the unique double-handed transatlantic race on the Figaro Bénéteau circuit, the course of which remains unchanged: 3,890 miles between Concarneau and Saint-Barthélemy.
Meeting of the crew pairs of the Transat Paprec.

 

[amyb]

Thanks, Kevin. There is a lot of good spirit on island for these boats and sailors once they head out.We thank you for making it even more fun for us.

 

[cec1]

It’s such a legendary race in SBH lore . . . exciting to follow the progress of boats as they cross the Atlantic, typically diverging along two routes in the course. To be present in the Harbor at the finish for each boat also is memorable — the energy & good will in the crowd welcoming the arrival of each boat is infectious & palpable.

 

[KevinS]

The 11 teams:

 

[JEK]

If you are curious about how this contest works, see the 2021 edition!

 

[GMP62]

Thank you, Kevin. It’ll be exciting to follow these teams and their progress!

 

[KevinS]

The race is underway Information on the race can be found at transatpaprec.com. They have a bit under 4000 miles to go.

 

[JEK]

Follow along right here:

https://www.transatpaprec.com/edition-2023

 

[pascaleschmidt]

Concarneau also a very important town in Brittany. Region closely connected to St Barth.

 

[JEK]

The crews

 

[JEK]

An introduction to one of the pairs!

MEETING THE CREWS OF THE TRANSAT PAPREC: ARTHUR HUBERT / COLOMBE JULIA (MONATOUTÉNERGIE.FR)​

by Clément Malaoui

01/05/2023

It is undeniably a duo that will have to be counted on. On the one hand, Arthur Hubert, for whom the transatlantics no longer have any secrets. He has already made nine, including the Transat in Double Concarneau-Saint-Barth, two years ago, with Clément Commagnac. An affair that the two men had completed in 12th place. He had followed with the Solitaire du Figaro that he had finished 22nd, but especially 4th Bizuth. For his first Transat, the Jacques Vabre, this great football fan was only 24 years old (he is now 32), then 27 when he attacked another monument: the Route du Rhum. It is therefore a confirmed skipper accustomed to the sea side who will show up aboard MonAtoutÉnergie.fr, his partner, on April 30 in Concarneau. "Since the beginning of the project, Transat Paprec has been one of my partner's main objectives. I participated in it in 2021 to prepare for this 2023 edition. It will already be my 10th transatlantic, it looks super nice. Playing the first mixed race, in Figaro and therefore in monotypia, is great! I know the road, I really can't wait to go with the idea of doing performance. We have been training with Colombe since January to improve all the details and be prepared as best as possible, "says Arthur Hubert on the official website of the race.

Colombe Julia, her partner, will participate in her first offshore race. At 25, the Paris native will forever remain the first woman selected "Hope 2023" by the Mer Entreprendre team. It was in January, 18 candidates passed a selection with participation in the Transat Paprec in sight, and it was Colombe who won the jackpot. "I really wanted to race offshore and participate in the Transat Paprec is a great opportunity. Crossing the Atlantic has always made me dream and I find it super enriching to do it together. I am happy and grateful to be able to seize this opportunity." First deckchair, certainly, but not first on the water. Since childhood and her holidays on the Côtes d'Armor, Colombe has been sailing, to her place as vice-champion of Europe 2019 in 420 with Tiphaine Yven and even a vain attempt to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
After that, she wanted to go wide and therefore made every effort to do so. In any case, both are eager to start: "I have no apprehension about life on board and the fact of holding on for a long term. Two years ago, it went super well with Clément, we had a lot of fun in everyday life. Certainly, they are small wet boats and not very comfortable, but there is no fear to have! " concludes Arthur before leaving the final word to his teammate who plunges a little more into the unknown: "We will have to organize ourselves well, but it will be done naturally. Everyone is autonomous during the shifts, we will quickly find the right organization. I really can't wait for it to start and that we can live this adventure to the fullest! ”

​

 

[KevinS]

Update from the race website as the boats approach the Traffic Separation System (strict shipping lanes) off of Finistère:

The eleven mixed duos taking part in the Transat Paprec made good progress overnight and are now heading towards Cape Finisterre (Spain). In the lead since Monday morning, Camille Bertel and Pierre Leboucher (Cap Ingélec) are at the helm of the fleet this Tuesday morning. A fleet that is still fairly grouped, which is now in 28 miles between Cap Ingélec and Race for Science – Verder (Alicia de Pfyffer / Arnaud Machado), 11th.

After a soft day yesterday, the Figaristes encountered more invigorating conditions overnight from Monday to Tuesday, with an easterly flow which only strengthened throughout the night towards Cape Finisterre. “They are probably currently at around 25 knots with gusts of 30, and fairly cross seas since we have a westerly swell,” explains Yann Chateau, deputy race director of the Transat Paprec. “Conditions are a bit tight at the moment, but by noon, they will have almost all got out of this band of wind and will find themselves a little downwind of Spain. It should ease off and take a left (orient rather northeast)”, he continues.

The Bertel/Leboucher duo in the lead

Having set off further south than the rest of the fleet yesterday, Camille Bertel and Pierre Leboucher, who are progressing at 11.8 knots, are still in the lead this morning. “I think their choice paid off when crossing the ridge yesterday morning in the sense that it went a little easier than the others. They stopped a little less. But a backbone is never very well modeled. And even if we see that they are ahead on the map, in depth, that is to say in distance to the goal, there is not yet much difference. They are half an hour ahead of the others,” observes Yann Chateau. The games are therefore far from over.

Approaching the Finisterre DST (traffic separation system, editor's note), it is still difficult to know what choices the sailors will make: going outside, a choice offered in particular by the Arpege model, or inside, like the advocates the American model. “When we see the trajectory of the boats at the moment, we have the impression that they are going to pass outside the DST, which lengthens the route but allows us to be less downwind of Spain, but we must not don't forget that the wind will ease off and turn to the left. It is possible that some pass inside and others outside. In any case, on the routings, it is possible. Afterwards, we are still at the start of the transat. Most of them sail within sight of AIS. They may stay together, ”he adds.

If this morning, the sailors will be sailing in "25-30 knots with cross seas, this evening, they will be in 5 knots of wind with a light westerly swell", says Yann Chateau.

 

[KevinS]

A few photos from the Transat Paprec website:

 

[JEK]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1653459265619648514

 

[KevinS]

From the Transat Paprec webpage:

Au Sud toute !​

After a day of adjusting and finding the right rotation, all the duos headed south. Camille Bertel and Pierre Leboucher (Cap Ingélec) are still dominating the debates, and in the 8:00 classification, the first 7 are within less than 6 miles and the gaps are widening slightly with the laggards (nearly 30 miles).

They therefore headed south with the obsession of reaching the Canary Islands, which they should reach within three days. The day before, the competitors took advantage of a flow from South, South-West to put the indicator towards the South precisely. But as with every decision to be made in offshore racing and even more so in Figaro BENETEAU 3, there are small subtleties which are interesting to notice.

"It's difficult for the moment to say who the winners and losers of the last few hours are," explains Yann Château at Race Direction. The first immediate game, therefore, was to make the best use of the seesaw to find a front in the West. But at the same time, some, who are offset in the West, can pull a little more on the bar in order to have slightly more angle. Thus, if MonAtoutÉnergie.fr (Arthur Hubert, Colombe Julia) is in 8th place, 17 miles from the head of the race, it is one of the five fastest boats of the night.-

For a long time that night, we could distinguish those who put a little more West in their route. At the start of the morning, this is the case for all the competitors, including the two leaders, Camille Bertel and Pierre Leboucher (Cap Ingélec). While the wind will ease over the day, the skippers will above all begin to anticipate the passage of the Canaries. And above all to keep up with the pace of a race where nothing should be left to chance.

 

[KevinS]

Here are the race standings as of 15:03 Paris time, 09:03 St Barth time. The first 7 boats are within 6nm of each other, and the trailing boat is only 31nm back.

 

[cec1]

Thanks for your work in keeping us informed, Kevin . . . much enjoyed & appreciated!

 

[KevinS]

There is a new race leader Here’s todays update from the race website:

SKIPPER MACIF HAVE THEIR RIVALS LINED UP BEHIND​

Since yesterday Loïs Berrehar and Charlotte Yven have been leading the Transat Paprec fleet ahead of Corentin Horeau and Pauline Courtois (Mutuelle Bleue). Behind them the chasing mixed doubles duos have now lined up on roughly the same course. The top peloton of seven boats are all in the same weather regime, making the same speeds on the same course and almost by definition with the same sailplan. They should reach the waypoint at La Palma in the Canary Islands this weekend.
Francis Le Goff, the Race Director explains, “All are steering full time and trimming intently. Behind the leaders they are lining up slowly"
Behind Skipper Macif (1st, Loïs Berrehar and Charlotte Yven), Mutuelle Bleue (2nd, Corentin Horeau and Pauline Courtois) and Cap Ingélec (3rd, Camille Bertel and Pierre Leboucher) the top seven are still within ten miles of each other.
"The wind has eased, the speeds have dropped a little this morning but the sailors are maintaining a westerly wind flow", explains Francis Le Goff. “Today they will see a steady flow between 10 and 12 knots just concentrating on straight line speed but tonight the wind will go NW which will allow them to get out the spinnakers and accelerate. Down to the waypoint at La Palma they will need to make some gybes and where and when could be key, but the forecasts don’t align so much and so mostly they are steering direct to the waypoint.”

 

[KevinS]

 

[amyb]

thanks Kevin.glad to see my pick moved up a position on today’s post.